North Lakhimpur, June 15 -- Crippled by age, ailments, poverty, and deprivation, two elderly women from rural Lakhimpur, Assam have been shuttling an 80 km distance almost twice a month to appear in court hearings for a case in which they were wrongly implicated.

For the past fourteen years, Laheswari Chutia (87) and Pratibha Chutia (71) have attended court sessions in North Lakhimpur, seeking acquittal for a case they knew nothing about.

This situation reflects the state's apathy and law enforcement's insularity in delivering justice within a society that has always held the elderly in high regard.

On June 16, 2011, police picked up Laheswari Chutia and Pratibha Chutia in Chawuldhowa, Lakhimpur district, while they were traveling in a...