Ex-Sub Postmistress Seema Misra watches from distance in a car when her son plays cricket. She didn’t celebrate the birthday of her younger son for eight years because she didn’t want his friends and their mothers to come and say, ‘She’s Seema Misra’. Speaking exclusively to Asian Voice, Seema retold the story of the biggest miscarriage of justice in Britain - the Post Office Scandal.
Seema Misra was 30 years old in 2005 she joined as the sub-postmistress. Slowly her balance records stopped matching because of the faulty Horizon IT system. “I’ve put my own money in the Post Office, can you please sort this,” Seema asked the Post Office trainer, which was followed by an audit. Seema was given a warning as the shortfall of money (due to the glitch) rose to £4,000 from £100. Her home was searched, and she was interrogated. Seema told Asian Voice, “I had nothing to hide.”
In January 2008, she went to court. “I pleaded not guilty for the theft charges,” Seema said, as she explained that her first solicitor told her to plead guilty so that her sentence would be lesser than usual, but she didn’t. “Every time the case was heard, the Post Office was unable to give disclosure,” Seema added.
Her case was titled ‘Queen v Seema Misra’, not the ‘Post Office v Seema Misra’. “They play with the emotions of people; how can she fight our Queen?
“During the trial I found I was pregnant. I was eight weeks pregnant on my sentencing day.”
In imprisonment, she was forced to switch to vegetarian food (cutting away much needed protein from her diet) because she doubted the hygiene standards of the meat. “I couldn’t afford food poisoning. I was scared. If I wasn’t pregnant, I would have killed myself. I had lost faith in the system,” Seema told Asian Voice.
“I was so ashamed I went to prison. While I was away, Dev (her husband) got beaten up by local people. They hurled racially motivated abuses at him.
Seema was released with a tag after four months with a warning. She went into labour with that tag. “It was such a good moment, but such a shameful moment,” she told the newsweekly.
Her mother-in-law took care of her elder son, but Seema’s parents weren’t aware of her imprisonment. She made phone calls to them from prison saying she was well so that they felt she was alright.
Yet, no one has been punished for the IT glitch. Commenting on that, Seema said, “We want a full public enquiry. There were people who knew that this was wrong, but they still let it go. Why? The Post Office can’t even imagine what they’ve done.”
Seema feels the need for a trust to be created which can give monetary help to people who have suffered in the Post Office Scandal. “I still shiver. I would never recommend someone to work in the Post Office,” Seema told Asian Voice.
“When you know you have done nothing wrong, justice might be delayed, but don’t give up,” Seema signed off as she also cited the famous Indian saying, “Jako rakhe saiyan maar sake na koi.” (Meaning: the one who is guarded by or protected by God, cannot be killed by anyone.)
