UP Man’s 17-Year Battle Over Clerical Error Ends
Innocent Man Endures 300 Hearings, Jail Time
In Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh, 62-year-old Raj Vir finally found justice on July 24, 2025, after a 17-year legal ordeal sparked by a police clerical error. Wrongly accused under the Gangsters Act due to a name mix-up, Raj Vir’s life unraveled over a mistake that cost him 22 days in jail, nearly 300 court hearings, and immeasurable personal losses.
The saga began on August 31, 2008, when a Kotwali inspector mistakenly recorded Raj Vir’s name instead of his brother Ram Vir in a Gangsters Act case. The error branded Raj Vir a criminal, despite his clean record. “My client kept pleading his innocence, but no one listened,” said his lawyer, Vinod Kumar Yadav. Arrested and jailed for 22 days, Raj Vir secured bail, only to face a grueling legal battle across courtrooms in Agra and Mainpuri, where the case was transferred in 2012.
The prolonged fight drained Raj Vir’s savings and fractured his family. His son, Gaurav, dropped out of school to work as a farm laborer, while his two daughters, one specially-abled, navigated life amid their father’s legal turmoil. “He could hardly focus on his family,” Yadav added, noting the emotional and financial toll.
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Special Judge Swapna Deep Singhal’s July 24 ruling brought relief, exonerating Raj Vir and condemning the police’s “gross negligence.” The court highlighted how an innocent man suffered for nearly two decades due to an unchecked error. Yet, for Raj Vir, now weathered and living quietly in Mainpuri, the victory is bittersweet. Lost years, a tarnished reputation, and strained family ties cannot be undone.
“Justice came, but it should not have taken 17 years,” Yadav said. “No innocent person should endure such a fight to clear their name.” The case underscores the devastating impact of clerical errors in the legal system, leaving Raj Vir to rebuild from the ashes of a mistake that was never his.
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