Judge Desai returns home

Judge Siraj Desai thanked his supporters on his arrival at Cape Town International Airport on Sunday following allegations of raping a South African woman in India.

Desai first met family and friends in the VIP lounge at the airport.

He then spoke to the media flanked by his wife, Faiza, Dumisa Ntsebeza of the Foundation for Human Rights and family friend Anwar Nagia, amid a strong police presence.He thanked everybody, including his lawyer, for the support they had given him, saying his wife had been "a pillar of strength".

He then switched to Afrikaans and repeated his appreciation, adding: "I want to thank all the friends who called me and offered their support. It is difficult to sit in a cell in a foreign land and the messages of support made the experience easier."

While he spoke, Desai's wife stood next to him and at one stage she took his hand. She appeared tense and Desai looked very tired.Ntsebeza told the media: "This is not the time for asking questions."

Among the people at the airport to show support were Ebrahim Rasool, the leader of the African National Congress in the Western Cape and members of the Western Cape Judo Club, where Desai's wife is the manageress.

The club manager, Godfrey Kleinsmith, said he and 25 judo students had come to offer their support.Desai appeared in an Indian court on Friday and was granted bail of R1 500.

Bela-Bela-based Aids activist Salome Isaacs had accused him of raping her in his hotel room in Mumbai last Sunday but later withdrew the accusation.Desai denied any wrongdoing.

Desai, who got bail Friday after being in jail since January 18, was arrested after a fellow delegate to the World Social Forum, Salome Isaacs, charged him with rape.

Salome Isaacs has since withdrawn the charge, which Desai has denied. After his release, Desai recounted some of the more "humbling" moments of his incarceration.

"I sent many people to prison in my life, but I never knew exactly how serious prison life really is," Desai told the Afrikaans daily Beeld here.

He referred to his five nights in Mumbai cells as "the longest week of my life". Desai said he took one look at the holding cell after his arrest and refused to sleep there.

"The 10-foot-by-10-foot cell had a stone floor and nothing else -- no stool, bed or mattress. I told them if they wanted to put me in there, they would have to carry me in."

"They were confused. They are not used to resistance. They made me understand that even famous prisoners like Indira Gandhi had slept on the floor."

"Later I was taken to another police station. There I slept on a bench in a gymnasium. They took away my wedding ring, watch and shoes. I never knew one could be so helpless without your shoes. I'm not really a barefoot youngster!"

Two alleged fraudsters in the cells befriended the judge. They showed him how to flush out the filthy toilets with a bucket of water before a person could use them.

One of the alleged fraudsters also used his own money, of which he had plenty, to buy food for Desai after his money ran out.

"There was 'roti' and curries wrapped in newspaper. It was hot, but I took my chances with it!"

Desai also learnt quickly that Rs 10 given to a "street urchin" could get him tea without sugar (the judge is a diabetic) at any time.

"I know one thing I won't get in a South African prison is tea," he joked.

Ironically, Desai, in one of his official community organisation capacities in South Africa, has been fighting for the improvement of prison conditions in South African cells.

Recounting his first court appearance Monday morning, Desai said tongue-in-cheek that he was a bit irked that the large media contingent that descended on the court ignored him, concentrating only on Isaacs.

"Strangely enough, the media descended on the complainant (Isaacs). They thought I was just another Indian appearing in court. I was completely irked, because nobody took any photos of me!"

Intervention by a close friend, advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza and the South African Consul-General in Mumbai, Pieter Coetzee, helped change prison conditions for Desai.

"The second night I slept like a baby for 10 hours continuously (on the mattress arranged by Coetzee.)"

By the third day he was beginning to feel quite at home "like a real jailbird", Desai told Beeld.

A visit by veteran women activists Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Fatima Meer helped change things in prison even more. Now the policemen allowed me to use the showers intended for officers