THE Indian Government could be asked by the Foreign Office to release deaf charity worker Ian Stillman, his family said today.

Ian, 51, is serving a ten year sentence in an Indian jail after being convicted of cannabis possession, a charge he has always denied.

His sister, Elspeth Dugdale, said files of information about his case have been handed to the Foreign Office.They will be studied before the British Government decides if it will back the call for a pardon.

"What we want is for the Foreign Office to say categorically that they will back an application for a Presidential pardon," said Elspeth.

"The case would then be submitted up to a panel of Indian ministers who would consider it, but to get to that stage we must have the backing of the British Government."

Ian, whose parents live in Tadcaster Road, York, and who had a leg amputated after a road accident, moved to India 27 years ago and set up a charity working to teach independence skills to the country's deaf.

His wife and two children live in India.At his trial, he was denied a sign language translator, effectively excluding him from taking any part.

Human rights lawyer Stephen Jakobi has called it the worst miscarriage of justice he has seen.

The Evening Press has been campaigning for his release, and so far has collected more than 5,000 signatures on a petition.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has been contacted and asked if he will meet Political Reporter Adam Nichols and receive the petition. His spokesman said today the request was still being dealt with.

Elspeth said: "The fact is this is a deaf man who has had an unfair trial.

"The Foreign Office needs to take some time looking at all the paperwork of the case, but we are hopeful that they will come back to us and say we have their backing."

Ian's family are looking for a Presidential pardon after an appeal against his conviction failed.

A Supreme Court judge refused to believe he was deaf, despite medical evidence proving it.

The Evening Press petition can still be signed at offices in York and Malton, where multiple copies can be collected. It can be also be printed off from the campaigns section of this website.

Updated: 09:12 Wednesday, June 26, 2002