IAN Stillman is today spending his 609th day in Kanda prison convicted of possessing 20kgs of cannabis.

His arrest and trial has been extraordinary.

Pulled out of a public taxi at a midnight road block, Ian claims the first he saw of the drugs was when they were presented in front of him at the police station.

Family, friends and campaigners argue that the man, who has an artificial leg, could not even physically carry the weight.

Since then, the Indian authorities have tried to discredit him, despite his nearly three decades of working tirelessly for the deaf in India.

He had been in the mountainous region of Himachal Pradesh in August 2000 in an effort to extend the Nambikkai Foundation, a charity set up by him and his wife to help the deaf.

The region has a reputation for being used by western drug smugglers. Ian's supporters believe he fell foul to police officials trying to meet set targets for dealing with the crime.

The authorities published information claiming that he was a criminal wanted by both the British Government and Interpol. Both put out press statements absolutely refuting the claims.

At his trial, despite being profoundly deaf, he was denied a sign language translator. He was effectively excluded from taking any part in it.

Even printed material was in Hindi, which he cannot read.

An appeal failed earlier this year after the judge ruled that Ian was not deaf. His findings contradicted expert medical advice which confirmed he had been profoundly deaf since childhood.

In a letter to his family recently. Ian said: "I feel utterly helpless. I don't any longer know whether a deaf person can survive in a hearing world."

Updated: 11:31 Wednesday, May 01, 2002