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The United Kingdom is again trying to secure the release of its citizen Peter Bleach, convicted in the Purulia arms drop case.
Bleach -- serving his sentence in Kolkata's Presidency Jail since December 1995 -- is reportedly suffering from tuberculosis.
Bleach has, through the chief justice of the Calcutta high court, once again sought a hearing from Justice A K Ganguly.
In a petition dated September 3, 2002, Bleach stated that he has 'discovered additional documentary evidence, which could provide additional evidence for the proper adjudication of the matter'.
Incidentally, British High Commissioner Sir Rob Young visited Bleach in prison on September 3. It was the first time since Bleach's incarceration that such a high-ranking British official had visited him.
Later, referring to the release of his five Russian co-accused, Sir Rob confirmed that Britain has been seeking similar treatment for Bleach.
Bleach's illness is an additional ground for his immediate release, Sir Rob added.
The President had permitted 'remission' of the sentence of the five Russians after the case was pursued at the highest levels. They were released on July 22, 2000.
However, the Centre has shown no inclination to give Bleach a favourable hearing.
'Remission' is different from 'pardon' in the sense that the accused continues to remain convicted, explains Deepak Prahladka, a legal activist who has been actively pursuing Bleach's case.
"Immediately after the release of the Russians, I had requested President K R Narayanan to extend the same treatment to Bleach since he was charged, tried, convicted and sentenced for the same offences," Prahladka said.
However, the petition was rejected by the home ministry, which argued that Bleach's appeal is pending before the courts.
But Prahladka is not convinced with this argument. "In this changing world political scenario, holding back Bleach for an unresolved crime is a bad example," he said.
In fact, the government does not even know who the arms were meant for, leave alone the entire conspiracy.
Prime accused Kim Davy, a Dane, managed to escape the clutches of the law enforcement agencies and India has not been able to secure his custody as it does not have an extradition treaty with Denmark.
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