Vikram has been in custody since his arrest in 2006 for posting the hate mail on Yahoo. A trial court found him guilty, but his sentencing has been postponed since 2007.

In his 11-page letter, Subbarao praises Obama for his work as an effective and successful Civil Rights lawyer who taught US Constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for over 10 years, apart from his other achievements as US Senator, as an accomplished writer and “above all as an impressive orator of modern times”.

Pleading for “personal attention”, the letter says it would be “in conformity with the principles and values articulated by you to persuade the people of the United States to choose you as their President to bring about the change felt necessary”.

Subbarao has also stated his belief that a fair trial was denied to his son under the US law by the trial court and writes that many correspondence to officials of the the Bush administration, US Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and US Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey highlighting Vikram’s case had fallen on deaf ears and even his letters were not accepted by them. He has pleaded that the President take appropriate action to preserve and promote respect for the administration of justice in the United States and also to secure justice for Vikram so that his freedom and dignity are restored to him.

Vikram, a Navi Mumbai resident who went to study applied mathematics at the Purdue University, was arrested on April 14, 2006, and charged on 11 counts including charges under US Code 871 that deals with threats to the US president. Subbarao (67), who flew to the US to bail out his son is fighting a lone legal battle. US authorities have reportedly subjected him to humiliation by forcibly taking away his passport and initiated Removal Proceedings (deportation).