The Hindu : NHRC urged to intervene in Geelani case

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 18, 2003

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NHRC urged to intervene in Geelani case

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI OCT. 17. Delhi University teachers have filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission stating that their colleague S.A.R. Geelani, one of three men sentenced to death in the December 13 Parliament attack case, has not had a fair trial and has been denied legal rights during the appeal hearing.

Urging the Commission to intervene in the case the petition, signed by 241 teachers, says, "an innocent man's life is at stake, as also the reputation of Indian democracy".

The petition says that Mr. Geelani was sentenced to death following a trial in which there were "a large number of irregularities". It quotes his defence counsel — the former Law Minister, Ram Jethmalani — who informed the Delhi High Court that the investigation "is riddled with illegality. The evidence discloses concoction and fabrication... and has resulted in a grave miscarriage of justice''.

The complaint says that Mr. Geelani was convicted on the basis of a telephone conversation in Kashmiri with his brother, which the defence had shown was "seriously flawed in terms of legal procedures and the translation from Kashmiri to English was erroneous".

They said in the appeal heard by the Delhi High Court the prosecution had shifted emphasis away from this telephone conversation to "some unrecorded calls with the co-accused", which Mr. Geelani had not denied making. He had made a written application to the court asking for an opportunity to explain these calls, "but this basic legal right has been denied to him".

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