After 20 years in prison, UP man acquitted of rape
Vishnu Tiwari, a man from Uttar Pradesh who spent 20 long years in prison over a false rape case before being pronounced innocent by the Allahabad High Court earlier this year, finally walked out of the Agra Central Jail on Wednesday evening. Tiwari, 43, said yesterday that he would now go home - a village in UP's Lalitpur district. Here's his story.
He was arrested in 2000, booked for rape
Two decades ago, Tiwari was accused of rape by a woman from his village. She claimed he had assaulted her when she was going from her home to work in the fields. Tiwari was arrested on September 16, 2000, and booked for rape and atrocities under the SC/ST Act. Three years after that, he was convicted of rape by a court in Lalitpur.
He had been sentenced to life imprisonment
The Lalitpur court had sentenced Tiwari to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment. He was further convicted under the SC/ST Act and sentenced to imprisonment for life. All the sentences were to run concurrently according to the directions of the trial court. Last evening, Tiwari walked out of the prison gates holding his release order in his hands. No one came to receive him.
'Nothing to look forward to'
Interacting with the media, Tiwari said he had no expectations from life after his 20-year-long prison term. "What should I look forward to? My body is broken and so is my family. I only have a younger brother. I am not married," he told NDTV. "Today, before leaving, I got Rs. 600 from the jail administration. That is all I have," he said yesterday.
Tiwari was acquitted by Allahabad HC in January
In January, while acquitting Tiwari in this case, the Allahabad High Court had observed that the available medical evidence showed that no signs of forcible sexual intercourse were found. The court further noted, "Factual data also goes to show that there are several contradictions in the examination-in-chief, as well as cross-examination of all three witnesses (sic)."
'The accused is acquitted'
"In view of the facts and evidence on record, we are convinced that the accused has been wrongly convicted. Hence the judgment and order impugned is reversed and the accused is acquitted," the court had declared in its order.
Tiwari lost his father, brother while he was in prison
Tiwari had a reputation of a well-mannered prison inmate with a penchant for cooking. While in prison, he used to eagerly wait for his father's visits. However, around six years ago, his father stopped coming to the jail. He later learned that his father had passed. Tiwari also lost his brother in that period. He could not attend his father's or his brother's funeral.
Human rights activists seek compensation for Tiwari
Following his release, many traders and philanthropists in Agra have come forward to offer work to Tiwari. In fact, some human rights activists have also reportedly approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) seeking compensation for his sufferings.
