Professor Illina Sen, the wife of human rights activist Binayak Sen, said that she was not planning to leave the country, and the couple did not need "certificate of patriotism" from anyone.
Binayak Sen was recently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a local court in Chhattisgarh on the charge of sedition.
Illina, who was here to attend conference organised by Indian Association for Women's Studies, refuted the reports that she was going to emigrate. "Had it been a plan, I would have left India 20 years back," she said. "Binayak and I need no certificate of patriotism," she added.
Illina also alleged that in Chhattisgarh, she was constantly under surveillance. "My phones are tapped," she claimed.
There is no evidence against Binayak and all charges are fabricated, she said.
Expressing hope that the high court, where Sen has filed appeal, will acquit him, she asked, "But what if one spends 20 years and comes out clean. Who will compensate for 20 years of mental agony and blot?"
Illina met her husband on December 27 at jail in Raipur. She said that senior counsel Ram Jethmalani -- who has volunteered to defend Sen -- was waiting for English translation of the 90-page verdict and would certainly defend him in the court.
