The Indian Government has been ordered to hear an appeal against the conviction of North Yorkshire arms smuggler Peter Bleach.

The Indian Supreme Court has ruled that the case should be heard after its summer vacation this year.

Bleach, a former pupil of St Peter's School, in York, who lived in Fylingthorpe, near Whitby, has been in a Calcutta jail for more than six years for his part in an arms drop in West Bengal.

He has expressed fears that it could be years before his appeal is heard, despite the Indian Government being contacted by senior British ministers urging it to act.

And he threatened to start a hunger strike to protest at the amount of time it was taking.

Today's news has been welcomed by Bleach's 80-year-old mother Oceana, who lives in Brompton-by-Sawdon, near Scarborough.

She said: "I appealed to the Indian Government months and months ago to intervene, but I never got any reaction at all.

"If what I am told today is true, then I am really hopeful that I could see my son soon. It really is very terrible that he is still there, but I now have substantial hope.

"I know that Peter will be relieved to hear this."

Bleach was sentenced to life imprisonment for his part in the arms drop.

But five Russian accomplices, who received the same sentence, were released at their Government's request.

Requests by Britain's Foreign Secretary Robin Cook and Home Secretary Jack Straw received no response.

Information from Bleach's legal representative Deepak Kumar Prahladka, received by the Evening Press today, said: "A divisional bench...asked the respondents to file replies to the petition within six weeks and ordered that the case be listed before it after the summer vacation."

The petition, drawn up by Mr Prahladka and Bleach, who has studied Indian law during his time in prison, points out that the five Russians have been released and asks for the same treatment for Bleach.

Bleach's friend and campaigner Richard Stansfield said: "The petition asks why Peter should still be in prison when the others aren't, and I understand from this that the Supreme Court has asked the home ministry to get on with it."

Updated: 11:32 Tuesday, May 01, 2001