- A Gujarat man spent 30 years in jail for a Rs 20 bribe before being declared innocent
- Babubhai Prajapati was convicted in 2004 and sentenced to four years in jail with a fine
- His appeal in the Gujarat High Court remained pending for 22 years before the final verdict
It was a real life Shawshank Redemption of sorts, but one with an ending that would have been much nicer if the person had lived a little longer.
A man in Gujarat spent 30 years in jail for accepting a bribe of Rs 20, only to be declared innocent now. The 1994 Hollywood film also had an innocent man who spent a long time in jail.
"The stigma has been removed from my life. Even if god takes me away, I will have no sorrow," he said after the Gujarat High Court on February 4 in its verdict said he was innocent.
What Happened In 1996
Police constable Babubhai Prajapati was posted in Ahmedabad when allegations were made against him that he took Rs 20 as bribe. The charges were made under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
A chargesheet was filed against him in a sessions court in 1997. The charges were framed in 2002. Witness hearings began in 2003, and in 2004, the sessions court convicted Prajapati to four years in jail, along with a Rs 3,000 fine.
Prajapati challenged the sessions court decision in the Gujarat High Court. Thereafter, his appeal remained pending for 22 years - until February 4 this year when the verdict that said he was innocent came.
The court said there were serious contradictions in the witnesses' statements and the prosecution failed to prove the charges.
Lawyer Nitin Gandhi, who represented Prajapati, told the high court the entire case was based on suspicion.
After the judgment, Prajapati gave the poignant, prophetic lines in his lawyer's office. Then he returned home.
The very next day, he died of natural causes.
His well-wishers said it would have been a joy to see him live a little longer.
"When he came to the office yesterday, he was very happy because he had been acquitted," the lawyer said.
"I told him, 'uncle, you should apply for all the benefits you are entitled to from the government'... I called him again the next day, only to be told he died of a heart attack," the lawyer said.
With inputs from Devang Acharya
