Undertrial jailed for 38 years to be heard along with others

New Delhi, Mar 31 (UNI) The Supreme Court today directed that the case of Jagjivan Ram Yadav who has been in jail without trial for 38 years shall be heard along with other similar matters.

The court had taken suo moto notice of a UNI report, published on Feb. 6, on the illegal detention of the 70-year-old man since 1968.

Yadav was earlier ordered to be released on bail by the Supreme Court last month as the Sessions judge, Faizabad had refused to grant him bail on the plea that the case record was not available.

A bench comprising chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, Mr. Justice C.K.

Thakker and Mr. Justice R.V. Raveendran today adjourned the hearing after hearing the amicus curiae Vijay Hansaria who submitted that other cases of similar nature were also pending in this court.

Jagjivan Ram Yadav's plight came to light when Faizabad district judge rejected his bail application as no case record was made available to the court since it was missing from the police file.

The trial court could neither grant him bail nor expedite the trial because no case record exists.

Arrested in 1968 for killing his neighbour's wife and a case registered against him, Jajivan was sent for medical treatment to Varanasi in December that year after his mental health deteriorated.

According to Faizabad District Jailor Subhash Chandra, Jagjivan was sent to Varanasi for treatment after his mental health deteriorated, on the basis of an administrative order dated December 7, 1968.

"We came to know about him in July last year when he was sent back from a Varanasi hospital. We are just custodians of the man so we wanted to know from the court, under what authority should we keep in jail," claimed Chandra.

UNI AKS/SC RP HT1848