The Hindu : Winnie Mandela visits Judge

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004

National

National

Winnie Mandela visits Judge

By Mahesh Vijapurkar

The South African leader, Winnie Mandela, talking to reporters on Tuesday after visiting the Colaba police station in Mumbai where the South African High Court Judge, Sirajuddin Ibrahim Desai, is being held on rape charges. To her left is Fatima Meer, ANC leader. — Photo: Shashi Ashiwal

MUMBAI, JAN. 20. The South African High Court Judge, Sirajuddin Desai, was in a police lock-up here on charges of rape when four leading personalities from his country, including Winnie Mandela, faced the media outside the same police station affirming their support to his "integrity."

"We have every confidence in the Indian judicial system. It is now for the law to take its course," they said.

Ms. Mandela, who here to attend the World Social Forum, was accompanied by Dr. Fatima Meer, an African National Congress leader and Director of the Durban-based Institute of Black Studies and Dumisa Buhle Ntsebeza, an advocate of the High Court of South Africa Cape Town Bar. The Judge is from the same court.

Mr. Desai is held since yesterday after allegations of rape were made by a 27-year-old South African woman, an AIDS activist and a delegate to the World Social Forum. The Judge has not applied for bail in a higher court.

The affirmation of support for the Judge came even as South Africa's Mumbai-based diplomats were meeting police officials to "understand the ramifications" of the case.

Ms. Mandela and her associates wanted to know what facilities had been given to the Judge "who is quite eminent in his country. They did not have much to say but they stayed back because we decided to offer them tea. They did not meet the Judge; he was in his lock-up," said sources present at the meeting.

Though arrested by personnel of the Cuffe Parade police station — it is the closest to Hotel Taj President where the alleged rape took place in the Judge's room — he has been held at the Colaba police station, 2 km away as the former does not have a lock-up.

Mr. Ntsebeza told reporters that he was one of the directors of the Foundation of Human Rights that sent the 11-member delegation to the World Social Forum which included the two, the Judge accused of rape and the woman who had complained of rape. "We stand by both" but "let me stress that we know Judge Desai to be a good man."

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National