The deck has been cleared for the release of Pakistani virologist, Dr Khaleel Chishty, who has been serving a jail term in connection with a murder in Ajmer. The human rights group, who are campaigning for his release, indicated that Dr Chishty will go home very soon.
“We hope his mercy petition will get a nod from Raj Bhavan very soon. The governor Shivraj Patil is reaching Jaipur soon,” said People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)’s Kavita Srivastva.
The chief minister, Mr Ashok Gehlot, had already cleared his mercy petition. The People’s Union for Civil Liberties had also sent a memo to the governor requesting a pardon for Dr Chishty.
He was sentenced for life on January 31 for allegedly being an accomplice in a murder case in Ajmer. The murder occurred when he was staying in Ajmer to meet his ailing mother. Dr Chishty was staying at his younger brother Jameel Chishty’s residence in Ajmer.
Dr Chishty was born and brought up in Ajmer, but he opted Pakistan as he was in Karachi as a student during the India-Pakistan partition. According to the prosecution, on April 14,1992, an altercation broke out between his brother’s family and neighbours and one person died in the scuffle. Dr Chishty had been booked with others.
The trial took 19 years to reach on conclusion while Dr Chishty was out on bail for 18 years and his passport was compounded.
The right groups pleaded that 78-year-old Dr Chishty is suffering multiple ailments and his case should be seen on humanitarian grounds.
Noted journalist Kuldeep Nayar and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt met the governor of Punjab and Rajasthan Shivraj Patil and requested for pardon. Justice Markendey Katju of Supereme court also dashed a letter in his personal capacity to the Prime Minister for Dr Chishty’s early release.