The Hindu : National : Geelani opposes sentence to Afzal

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Friday, Aug 05, 2005

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Geelani opposes sentence to Afzal

Staff Reporter

``An innocent man was framed and sentenced to death without evidence''

NEW DELHI: Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani, whose acquittal by the Delhi High Court in the Parliament attack case was upheld by the Supreme Court on Thursday, said he felt relieved, but it was time to reflect on why an innocent man was "framed and sentenced to death without evidence."

Mr. Geelani, college lecturer in the Delhi University, also "opposed" the Supreme Court decision to uphold the death sentence of Mohammad Afzal, main accused in the case.

At a press conference after the verdict was announced, Mr. Geelani said he had been arrested, tortured and framed in the case because he was a Kashmiri. His travails were not any different, or of greater intensity, than those of the Kashmiri youths languishing in various jails.

To a query, Mr. Geelani said Afzal should not have been sentenced to death as the only evidence before the court was the statement given by him. He lamented the fact that no lawyer had represented Afzal in the lower court. Though the Delhi High Court acquitted him, it did not pass any strictures on the lower court, which sentenced him to death. The High Court said the police had forged documents and fabricated evidence but did not punish them for framing an innocent man, he added.

Media criticised

Blaming the media for "blindly toeing the police line," Mr. Geelani said it was with their help that the police were able to carry out a campaign against him after his arrest.

The correspondent of a news channel told the court that certain portions of an interview with Afzal were edited at the behest of a police officer. In the edited portions, Afzal had allegedly said he was not involved in the case, while the interview which was telecast showed Afzal "accepting" his involvement.

Earlier, the Chairman of the All-India Defence Committee for Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani, Rajni Kothari, expressed happiness over his acquittal.

He said he was distressed that the Crime Branch of the Delhi police had not been able to trace the person behind the attack on Mr. Geelani.

Lump in the throat, then smile on the face

S.A. Hamideen was glued to his television set for most of Thursday afternoon but he had to leave for his college before the news of the Supreme Court's acquittal of the college lecturer, S.A.R. Geelani, trickled in.

Hours later, there was a lump in the throat of Dr. Hamideen, Principal of Zakir Hussain College. "I am very happy. The whole thing had given the college bad publicity and we too had to pass through turbulent times. Now that he has been acquitted of all charges by the Supreme Court, things have been finally put to rest,'' he said.

The Supreme Court decision, he felt, would make people see the academic changes on the college campus. With a new building and better facilities like a new cricket ground being some of the highlights, the college, he hoped, would attract students with quality education.

Suspended from his job following his arrest in December 2001, Mr. Geelani rejoined the college in October 2003 after his release from jail following acquittal by the High Court.

While a majority of the university community welcomed Mr. Geelani's acquittal, there were some who thought the struggle had only begun. "We are very happy that Mr. Geelani is now a free man, but then the case has now become much bigger than Mr. Geelani. It is not just a simple case of terrorism, but a political one,'' said Delhi University lecturer Tripta Wahi.

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