NEWDELHI: Questioning the ‘misconduct’ of Indian state and its judicial system, Ilina Sen, the wife of jailed rights activist Binayak Sen, on Monday said it appeared that the only recourse left to her is to seek political asylum in some ‘liberal democratic’ country as she felt that her family is not safe in her own country.
Chhattisgarh district and sessions court judge B P Varma had convicted Sen, 58, for sedition and criminal conspiracy under IPC sections 124 A and 120(B) and jailed him for life imprisonment under various Sections of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Sen, a pediatrician by training and vice-president of People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), had been accused of acting as courier for Sanyal, who was in jail, by carrying his messages and letters to the Maoists.
“Entirely the whole thing is manufactured somewhere else. I may be guilty of contempt of court. Please take me in. Only recourse that seems to be available is to walk into some embassy of liberal democracy and ask for political asylum. I am not safe in this country,” Ilina said.
“After giving the verdict against Sen that is based on Chhattisgarh police’s charge sheet, they are targeting me. I am concerned about my two daughters aged 25 years and 20 years. I am really worried about them and myself,” Ilina said, hoping that the High Court would listen to their case objectively and grant bail to Sen.
Noting that the judgment has come as a ‘complete shock’, Ilina said, “During trial, many people asked us to approach court seeking transfer of trial from the state. We believed that a fair trial was possible. The faith has been shattered.”
Blaming the state for guarding the non-inclusive rights of Corporate, Ilina said she sees a larger conspiracy behind Sen’s torture as it all started when he opposed state- sponsored militia Salwa Judum and hundreds of MoUs signed by the state government for land that belonged to tribals.
Putting a serious question mark on the dwindling judicial accountability, jurist Prashant Bhushan said the whole country needs to think on this issue as even the high courts are not using disciplinary powers against lower judiciary because they are also indirectly or directly benefiting from the corruption in lower judiciary.