India court orders Christian freed on bail after 10 years in prison

One of seven Christians sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a Hindu swami in eastern India, Gornath Chalanseth, has been freed on bail by India’s Supreme Court May 21. The seven continue to maintain their innocence. However, only Chalanseth’s bail application was filed in the Supreme Court – after Odisha High Court had rejected it for a second time last December. Once given bail, there is no deadline to return to jail unless ordered by the Supreme Court.

A former Supreme Court Justice Cyriac Joseph and former Kerala High Court Justice P K Shamsuddin, have criticized the delays in hearing the men’s appeal. “This (delay) is a failure of the judicial system. In the judicial process, appeal could be delayed for many reasons. But in this case there are no (technical) reasons to keep it pending. It seems to be deliberately delayed, perhaps so that it is brought before a suitable judge,” remarked Justice Joseph a year ago.

“When we were convicted (in 2013), it was a shock. It was very stressful for me when I put behind bars for murder, despite being innocent” Chalanseth told World Watch Monitor as he walked free. “10 years, five months and six days [in prison]…I thank God for the freedom. My joy has no words.” Chalanseth received an emotional welcome at the iron gate of the district jail in Phulbani (headquarters of Kandhamal district) where over two dozen members his family had gathered for hours impatiently since morning. “This is the happiest day of my life,” said Rutha, Gornath’s wife as she waited for her husband’s release clutching a bouquet of flowers in her hands. All Chalanseth’s four children, including his married daughter Santilatha, had joined his three brothers, sister and stepmother who had undertaken a five hour journey from Kotagarh area to be at the jail to welcome Gornath as he stepped into freedom – on the May 9 order on a plea by the legal team of New Delhi-based Alliance Defending Freedom.

“The only one missing here is our grandfather – 90 year old Bachan Chalanseth. He is too old to make this long journey,” explained Nithaniel Chalanseth, eldest of his three sons, who had been busy rushing around to get the bail order executed. “I have only faint memory of the days when our father was taken away,” remarked a beaming 17-year old Shisir, who completed school exams two months ago. “But now it is a day of great joy for us as papa is going to be with us.

” After greeting his family, Chalanseth was ushered into a nearby church and shouted his thanksgiving, tears of joy running down his cheeks. He, along with six others – Bhaskar Sunamajhi, Bijay Sanseth, Buddhadev Nayak, Durjo Sunamajhi, Sanatan Badamajhi and mentally challenged Munda Badamajhi – was convicted to life imprisonment by the third judge on their case, after the first two had been transferred away from it. “Gradually I found solace in prayer. Prayer gave me peace of mind and I always remained disciplined in the jail,” Gornath said. Impressed by his conduct, jail officials made him ‘wall guard’ to watch over 40 prisoners in the Phulbani jail that had over 400 prisoners.