Justice Delayed: 104-year-old Lakhan Lal Declared Innocent After 43-Year Fight for Justice

In a classic case of justice delayed but not denied, a 104-year-old Indian prisoner serving a life sentence for murder and attempted murder was declared innocent after fighting a legal battle for 43 years.

The Allahabad High Court acquitted Lakhan Lal, a resident of Kaushambi district, Uttar Pradesh, of all charges at the age of 104.

In 1977, he was imprisoned for the murder of Prabhu Pasi, a fellow villager, and sentenced to life imprisonment by the district court in 1982.

Hoping for justice, Lakhan Lal challenged the district court’s ruling in the Allahabad High Court.

However, his release was delayed despite the Allahabad High Court acquitting him, due to some technical issues cited by prison officials. His family made relentless efforts to seek justice on his behalf. They approached the Supreme Court, the Chief Minister, and the Law Minister, and even sought assistance from the District Legal Services Authority. Despite their efforts, they could not get him released from prison. It wasn’t until the District Legal Services Authority Secretary, Purnima Pranjal, and legal advisor, Ankit Maurya, appealed to the Allahabad High Court and submitted a complaint to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that the court ordered his immediate release.

He was finally released on Tuesday.

Lakhan Lal Was Happy To Be Home

Lakhan Lal expressed his immense happiness at having been granted justice after such a long legal fight, and his family was overjoyed at his release. Afterward, he went to his daughter’s house. He failed to recognize some of his relatives on seeing them after a very long time. 

This case again raises concerns about the backlog of cases in Indian courts and the time taken to obtain relief through legal proceedings.

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