India’s Longest-Serving Prisoner Released After 37 Years, Still Blames Wives’ 'Character'

Saibanna Ningappa Natikar, considered one of India's longest-serving prisoners, has been released from the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison after spending 37 years behind bars for the murder of his two wives and an infant daughter.
The 72-year-old was among 24 life convicts released by the Karnataka government on grounds of good conduct under a state rehabilitation initiative. Prison officials, including DGP (Prisons) Alok Kumar, noted that Natikar maintained a good record during his decades of incarceration across multiple state facilities.

A History of Violence on Parole
Natikar’s long history with the legal system began in January 1988, when he killed his first wife, Malkavva, in Kalaburagi district after suspecting her of an extramarital affair. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime in 1993.

While out on bail and later on parole, Natikar remarried and fathered a daughter. However, during a one-month parole break in September 1994, he attacked his second wife, Nagamma, with a hunting knife under similar suspicions of infidelity. 

His 18-month-old daughter, Vijayalakshmi, was caught in the attack and killed alongside her mother. Natikar then attempted suicide but survived his injuries.
Prior to his arrests, Natikar worked as a clerk in a cooperative society. He noted that the crimes cost him his livelihood and 10 acres of land, which he estimated would be worth over ₹1 crore today. Speaking to reporters outside the prison gates, he expressed that his actions had cost him everything, though he continued to defend his motives by alleging that his wives had been unfaithful, saying “I killed my wife because she had gone astray. During the first murder, the man who was with her ran away, so I killed my wife. When she got married for the second time, it was my mother-in-law who led my daughter astray. It doesn’t matter if the wife is blind or lame, but her character is important."

Solitary Confinement and the Legal Path to Release
In 2003, a trial court sentenced Natikar to death for the double murder, a punishment later upheld by the Supreme Court in 2005. He subsequently filed a mercy petition that remained pending for more than seven years before being rejected by the President of India in 2013.

The long delay in deciding his mercy plea, combined with his treatment in prison, formed the core of his final legal challenge. In August 2023, the Karnataka High Court commuted his death sentence back to life imprisonment. The court ruled that keeping Natikar in solitary confinement for over a decade without proper legal sanction was unlawful and inhumane, paving the way for his eligibility for state remission.
His release has revived discussions among legal experts and human rights advocates regarding the boundaries of prolonged incarceration, the psychological impacts of illegal solitary confinement, and how the state should balance severe past offenses against decades already served by elderly inmates.

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