As an update today, this guy has been finally released on bail (after being kept for a week) but will face trial in the future. He could even face a lengthy prison sentence!
Indian court bails British eco-activist arrested for carrying satellite phone | World news | guardian.co.uk
The unfortunate irony of this is that there really is very little reason to use a satphone these days in India or anywhere else on dry-land, unless you are venturing into mountains or very remote areas! The GSM coverage (especially along the roads he would be driving on) is decent. Better still, it would be several orders cheaper, especially if one picks up a local SIM in India. (why do more people not read ppgsm?)
However, I really feel for this guy! 10 years ago I did a very similar drive to him also in a clapped out banger! Even then GSM coverage was quite continuous practically all the way! This was true apart from large chunks of desert in Pakistan (I've been told even that has changed now) and the whole of Iran, whose only network at the time was hardly existent outside the main cities, and AFIK it had no roaming agreements with any European carriers at the time.