Uttar Pradesh: 108-year old granted bail in murder case

Lucknow, Jun 19: Freedom at last, is what can be the perfect cliche for Brij Bihari Pandey, who has been released from Gorakhpur district jail, at the age of 108 years. Pandey, who was serving a sentence for murder was freed following a special bail granted to him by the Allahabad High Court.

In his verdict announcing the release of Pandey, Gorakhpur District Magistrate Hari Om said, "Brij Bihari Pandey was jailed in 2009 after being convicted along with 15 others for the murder in 1987 of four persons in Maharajganj over inheritance of a Hindu religious institution."

It was not that he was in prison, for a very long period. He had spent slightly less than a year in jail as an undertrial in 1988 and after almost 21 years was convicted along with others to life imprisonment.

As his health began to deteriorate, largely due to age, an application was moved for his release on grounds of infirmities and illness.

Hari Om said, "The man was released on Friday evening following a bail order issued by the Allahabad High Court on grounds of ill-health due to old age.

Pandey's application for release was sought by the jail authorities, who were finding it difficult to arrange for his medical requirements.

IANS quoted Jail Superintendent Shiv Kumar Sharma, as saying, "Pandey had been quite unwell for the past few months and it was becoming increasingly difficult to take care of him as we had to shift him from the jail hospital to the local civil hospital for specialised treatment. Therefore, we moved an application for his bail, that was kindly granted by the high court."

He added, "His bail documents were signed by his grandson who specially came down from Maharajganj to escort him back home."

OneIndia News