Soni Sori Case: An open letter to the SC judges

More than 200 eminent citizens and civil rights groups write an open letter to the judges of the SC
Hardnews Bureau Delhi

Even as Soni Sori, a young tribal teacher from Dantewada, continues to be lodged in Raipur Jail on what is perceived as a frame-up by the state government, a group of eminent citizens from all across the spectrum have written an open letter to the judges of the Supreme Court (SC). The letter asks for serious attention to the grave injustices unleashed by the state machinery. The hearing in the case is scheduled to begin on January 25, 2012, in the SC. Here is the full text of the letter signed by CPM Politburo member Brinda Karat, Aruna Roy and Farah Naqvi from the National Advisory Council, eminent historian Romila Thapar amongst many others.

OPEN LETTER TO THE HONOURABLE CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA AND HONOURABLE JUDGES OF THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

As citizens, we look to you, Honourable Judges of the highest court of law in our land, to protect the rights of those who stand powerless, marginalised by society due to their class, caste, gender or ethnic origins. In particular, we believe that sometimes only the Supreme Court can safeguard the right to life of citizens, when every other avenue has failed to do so.

This is especially so in the case of Soni Sori, a tribal woman on whom gross sexual torture has been inflicted while in police custody in Chhattisgarh. We write to you with deep dismay at her continued vulnerability despite her repeated pleas for protection from various courts, and urge you to give serious attention to the grave violation of the rights of a tribal woman undertrial, the facts and documents regarding which are pending before the Supreme Court in the case. (WRIT PETITION (CRL) NO. 206 OF 2011 ). Briefly: 

Soni Sori is a 35 year old adivasi school teacher and warden of a government‐run school for tribal children in Jabeli, Dantewada ‐ one of the few operational schools in the area, till the Chhattisgarh Police forced her to flee from Dantewada in early September 2011. She has been arrested and is being tried as a suspected Maoist supporter in several cases.