The Supreme Court today agreed to grant urgent hearing on Monday to a bail petition filed by civil rights activist Binayak Sen, who has been lodged in jail for the last 22 months on charges of aiding and abetting Naxalite activities in Chhattisgarh.

A Vacation Bench comprising Justices Markandey Katju and Deepak Verma said the matter will be listed for hearing on May 25 after senior advocate Shanti Bhushan mentioned Sen's petition in which a notice was issued to the Chhattisgarh government on May 4.

When the notice was issued, the apex court had asked the state government to provide medical aid to Sen, who has been suffering from heart ailment.

Sen, who has been in custody since May 14, 2007, has contended that there was no evidence against him to be booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

The Chhattisgarh Government has accused Sen, who is the vice-president of the People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), of acting as a courier for an alleged Naxalite who is in jail.

He has also sought bail on medical grounds, saying that he had been suffering from a heart ailment and needs treatment at the Christian Medical College, Vellore in Tamil Nadu.

Sen, a doctor by profession, has sought bail on the ground that the chargesheet against him has already been filed and he has remained in jail during the investigation of the case registered against him.