Indian judges ganwar: Chishty
JAIPUR: Dr S M Khalil Chishty, who has returned home to Pakistan late Tuesday after spending about 20 years in Ajmer, including in jail as a convict, was embroiled in a fresh controversy. Few hours after the Supreme Court ordered his release from jail and allowed him to go back to Pakistan last Thursday, a Hindi news channel showed him ridiculing the Indian judiciary during a conversation.
Based on the telecast, Ajmer lawyer Devendra Singh Chauhan filed a petition on Monday in a fast track court accusing Chishty of scandalizing Indian judiciary. The court will hear the petition on May 28 to decide if the case is admissible.
The telecast showed Chishty saying the Indian judiciary was replete with ill-informed (ganwar) and uneducated people, which delayed disposal of cases. The Pakistani virologist was critical of the lower judiciary, which he alleged, could not decide his case in 20 years.
On Tuesday, Chishty released a statement saying he has high regard for the Indian judiciary and he had no intentions to demean the judicial system. "I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to all those concerned over some remarks that were made by me during an interview after my release from prison. I wish to clarify that I did not mean to be disrespectful to the Indian judiciary, I am a law abiding man with utmost respect for judiciary. If my remarks hurt anyone, please accept my deepest apology," Chishty said in the statement released after reaching Pakistan.
Chishty came for a wedding to Ajmer on April 9, 1992. During an altercation on April 19, 1992, one Syed Mohammad Idris died. Chishty was one of the accused in the case.
Since then, he was not allowed to move out of Ajmer. He was in judicial custody and released on bail after 15 days. On January 23, 2011, he was convicted and handed a life sentence. Last Thursday, the SC allowed him to return to Pakistan on humanitarian ground.
