Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 10 (IANS) The Supreme Court Thursday permitted octogenerian Pakistani virologist Mohammad Khalil Chisty to visit his country during the pendency of his appeal against his conviction in a murder case and life imprisonment. It slated the final hearing of the appeal for Nov 20.

An apex court bench of Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice J. Chelameswar permitted Chisty to visit Pakistan keeping in view his age and the fact that he had been in detention in Ajmer for the past 20 years during trial.

As a condition to let him to go to Karachi, from where he hails, the court directed Chisty to deposit Rs.5 lakh with the apex court registry within two weeks and upon reaching Karachi, to deposit his passport with the Indian consulate there.

The court said Chisty would return to India Nov 1 and fixed Nov 20 as the date for the final hearing of his appeal challenging the Rajasthan High Court order upholding his conviction and award of life imprisonment.

Additional Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran’s plea seeking some kind of assurance from the Pakistani government guaranteeing his presence in India as and when required by the court, did not find favour with the court.

Parasaran’s plea for court asking Chisty to provide two sureties of Rs.10 lakh each from two Indians too was not accepted by the court.

Justice Sathasivam drew the attention of Parasaran to Chisty’s affidavit in which he “assured that he would abide by the condition in pursuance to the permission to visit Pakistan”.

The court told Parasaran that Chisty was an eminent scientist and was more than 80 years of age and had not moved out of Ajmer for 20 years. The court said that Chisty was more of an academician.

As court ordered permitting Chisty to visit Karachi, Parasaran told the court that it should be recorded that Chisty’s case should not be treated as a precedent. The court accordingly recorded this in its order.

Chisty was sentenced to life imprisonment for the death of a person in a brawl with him when he was visiting Ajmer in April 1992. He was granted bail by the apex court April 9 which asked him to make a separate plea for permission to visit Pakistan.