Supreme Court Justice Markandey Katju, whose direct appeal to the Pakistan government earlier had helped free Indian prisoner Gopal Dass from a jail in that country, has now taken up the case of octogenarian Pakistani professor Khalil Chishty with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking his release from an Indian jail on “humanitarian” grounds.
Chishty, awarded a life sentence in 2010 in a murder case after a 18-year-long trial by a Rajasthan sessions court, “is infirm and suffering from various geriatric ailments”, said Justice Katju in his communication to the Prime Minister, sent through the email ID of Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla.
Justice Katju said Chishty was an eminent professor of virology in Karachi Medical College and had a Ph.D. from Edinburgh University.
“I am making this appeal to you not as a Supreme Court judge, but as a human being, requesting for the release of Dr Khalil Chishty, a Pakistani national, who is old and infirm and (is) in Ajmer jail, on humanitarian grounds,” said Justice Katju, whose bench is hearing the cases of several Pakistani nationals in jails in India.
Justice Katju also brought to Dr Singh’s notice that Chishty had been incarcerated for long during the trial, and hence should be released and deported to Pakistan purely on “humanitarian grounds”.
He expressed the fear that if Chishty was not released forthwith, he might die in jail by the time his appeal was decided by the Rajasthan high court.
Justice Katju said he was sending his appeal through Mr Shukla as he did not have the Prime Minister’s personal email ID.
A murder case was registered by the Rajasthan police against him during his visit to Ajmer in 1992 to meet his ailing mother. During his stay in Ajmer, there was a dispute between his family and their neighbours on some issue, in which a person was killed. Chishty was named one of the accused.
While ordering Gopal Dass’ release after being held in a Pakistani jail for 26 years, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had acknowledged Justice Katju’s appeal to his government to free him on “humanitarian grounds”.