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The Bombay High Court on Tuesday made it clear that it will not allow foreign lawyers to represent the convicted British paedophiles - Duncan Grant and Alan Water --during their appeal.
A division Bench of Justices S Radhakrishnan and Roshan Dalvi took exception to the letter by a British NGO 'Fair Trials Abroad' to the chief justice. The NGO had stated that they wanted to engage British lawyers to represent Grant (63) and Waters (59) before the High Court.
"We don't want communication from other agencies. You can't write such letters to the court," Justice Radhakrishnan noted and added, "Tell your clients that we are no more their colony."
However, defence counsel Taraq Sayed told the court they had no intention of engaging foreign lawyers.
In March 2006, after a 15-month trial, the Sessions Court had convicted Grant, Waters and their Indian associate William D'Souza for sexually abusing young children at the Anchorage shelter houses set up by Grant and Waters in Mumbai and neighbouring Alibaug.
The Britons were sentenced to six years' rigorous imprisonment and fined 20,000 pounds each, while D'Souza was handed out a three-year rigorous jail term.
The convicted accused have appealed against the conviction in the High Court.