National

SC asks Vahanvati to respond

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked Solicitor General G.E. Vahanvati to respond to a petition filed by an Indian prisoner in a Pakistani jail for the last 22 years on charges of spying and praying for steps by the Centre for his release.

Gopal Dass, in his petition through his brother Anand Vir, said he was presently lodged in the Lahore Central Jail.

In his letter sent to his brother in India, he had cited the plight of 181 other Indian prisoners languishing in the jails in Pakistan.

When the matter came up for admission, a Bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice R.V. Raveendran, after hearing counsel Saurabh Mishra asked Mr. Vahanvati to render assistance in the case. The Bench asked the counsel to give a copy of the petition to Mr. Vahanvati.

The counsel contended that Mr. Dass could be released only through diplomatic channels but the Centre was not taking any steps in that direction due to which he was still languishing in the jail even after completing life sentence. He said that as per the letter sent by the prisoner to his brother, 181 other Indian nationals were serving various terms of sentence and wanted the court to direct the Centre to file a status report.

The petitioner said he was arrested by the Pakistani security forces for crossing the border inadvertently and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1986 which he had completed in 2005.

Seeking suitable directions to the Centre, he said: “Government of Pakistan had decided to release him on August 14 (Pakistan’s Independence Day) last year but the Government of India did not take any action for his release and he continues to languish there as his release could be possible only through diplomatic channels.”

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu