Team Anna member and Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan today refused to mediate on behalf of the Maoists but appealed to them to unconditionally release Sukma District Collector Alex Paul Menon. 

He also stated that the demands of the Maoists were "justified" and government should address the issues facing them. 

Hours after the Maoists named him as one of three mediators for negotiations with the government, Bhushan said that he would not mediate on the issue. "No, I am appealing to the Maoists to unconditionally release the collector. I agree to most of their demands which are justifiable but the collector should not be used as a bargaining chip," he told PTI when asked if he would act as a mediator.

"Menon is an innocent officer. If the government is serious about addressing the root causes of Naxals, I am quite happy to be part of any negotiations then," he said.