ALL Ian Stillman has ever wanted to do is to help others. Yet his dedication to humanity has earned him considerable suffering, thanks to the creaking legal system of the country where he chose to dedicate his efforts.

In the latest ludicrous twist in a tale of mounting unfairness, the deaf charity worker, who is serving a ten-year jail sentence in India on drugs charges, has lost his right to appeal.

A judge in India's Supreme Court has decided not to grant him leave to appeal against his sentence, imposed in June last year for the alleged possession of 20 kilograms of cannabis, which was found in a taxi in which Mr Stillman was travelling.

In a statement, the judge dismissed the appeal on the grounds that Mr Stillman, who has been profoundly deaf since childhood, was merely hard of hearing. More astonishingly, the judge also said it was commonly known that deaf people were used as drug carriers.

The plight of Mr Stillman, who had a leg amputated after a road accident and also suffers from diabetes, has touched many hearts. Nearly 3,000 people have signed a petition calling for his release, support which is heartening to Mr Stillman's parents, who live in York.

The latest grim setback for Mr Stillman and his supporters heightens the injustice which has been done to this caring man. Even before the charity worker lost his appeal, Stephen Jakobi, director of Fair Trials Abroad, called his case "the worst miscarriage of justice I have dealt with".

Mr Stillman has always protested his innocence, yet the Indian authorities seem minded to ignore his suffering.

The health of this dedicated man is far from robust. Mr Stillman's wife told this newspaper last week that she feared her husband could die in prison. This latest setback will only heighten her fears.

It is now time for the Government to make more strident efforts on Ian Stillman's behalf.

Prime Minister Tony Blair himself should become openly involved in a case of great injustice to a citizen of this country. Ian Stillman deserves no less an effort.

Updated: 12:41 Tuesday, May 07, 2002