Clerical Error Ruins 17 Years of Innocent Man’s Life; Acquitted After Nearly Two Decades in Uttar Pradesh

A clerical error of a police official cost a man almost two decades of his life. Rajveer Singh Yadav was arrested for a crime that he never committed. To prove his innocence , it took him 17 years. The case began on August 31, 2008, when four men from Nagla Bhant village in Mainpuri - Manoj Yadav, Pravesh Yadav, Bhola Yadav, and Ramveer Singh Yadav - were charged with murder by Mainpuri police under IPC section 307 (attempt to murder) and the SC/ST Act after a fight that was purportedly related to an election dispute. Soon after, the Gangster Act was added. The police arrested Rajveer instead of his brother Ramveer due to one clerical mistake made by a cop. He was in jail for 22 days after being arrested.

The cop admitted his mistake within a week, but the case in the court went on for 17 years, wrecking his livelihood, education of his children, and peace of mind. Now, the 55-year-old man has finally been acquitted. A Manipur Court on July 26, declared Rajveer innocent and ordered action against the police official who made this mistake. The court highlighted that the cop’s ‘gross negligence’ led an innocent man to suffer for nearly two decades.

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Speaking with The Times of India, Rajveer, who is father of three daughters and a son said, “I kept insisting I wasn't the one. But they didn't listen. They just picked me up and sent me to jail. I fought the case for 17 years. At the time, no one even knew who had filed the case - they just saw my name and dragged me in. I couldn't work. I couldn't educate my children. I lost everything. I somehow managed to get my daughters married. My son had to drop out. We were destroyed. I just want the officers who did this to me to be held accountable. At the very least, I should be compensated for what I've gone through.”

Back in 2008, the gang chart was prepared by the then SHO of Mainpuri Kotwali, Omprakash. He made a critical error: instead of Ramveer, he wrote Ramveer’s elder brother Rajveer’s name as accused. Rajveer’s lawyer Vinod Kumar Yadav said  that after this mistake, the case was handed to sub-inspector Shivsagar Dixit, the then SHO of Dannahar police station.

Rajveer was arrested on December 1, 2008. He pleaded from prison before the Agra special Gangster Act court, claiming he had been falsely named. The concerned officers were summoned by the court. Inspector Omprakash acknowledged Rajveer's name was "added by mistake" in front of the judge on December 22. On the same day, the court issued his release order. Even the SSP of Mainpuri received a letter from Judge Mohammed Iqbal, who was then handling Gangster Act cases, suggesting that the negligent police officers be disciplined. However, SI Shivsagar Dixit still filed a chargesheet against Rajveer in spite of the court's admission and the judge's warning, and the case went on for 17 years.