After two decades of being wrongly accused of a double murder, Bheema Jatav finally received justice but freedom still eludes him. On April 29, Additional Sessions Judge Shiv Kumar Tiwary acquitted Jatav in the long-pending case dating back to 2003. However, Jatav remains in Dasna jail due to a separate case pending in Hapur.
The acquittal was made possible through the efforts of a lawyer assigned under Uttar Pradesh’s Legal Aid Defence Counsel System (LADCS), which provides free legal assistance to those who cannot afford it. The original case involved the murder of two men found near a forest in Noornagar, identified as Ankit Gupta and his friend Monu.
Jatav was arrested in 2004 based on a police tip-off and charged with murder, evidence tampering, and illegal possession of a firearm.
Assistant legal defence counsel Vichitra Kumar highlighted critical flaws in the prosecution’s case, including heavy reliance on an extra-judicial confession and inconsistent witness statements. The court also questioned the timeline and the circumstances around the alleged murder weapon recovery. These discrepancies led to Jatav’s acquittal on all charges.
Despite his acquittal, Jatav remains behind bars due to another case. Over the years, he has faced multiple arrests and bail violations, often unable to afford private counsel. His mother, the only family he has, is elderly and unable to assist with legal procedures.
The LADCS, introduced across UP district courts in 2023, aims to uphold the right to free legal aid, especially for the economically disadvantaged. Ghaziabad’s district legal services, led by chief legal defence counsel Kiran Pal Singh, has actively worked on over a thousand cases, including 50 jail visits in 2024-25, resulting in 260 case resolutions so far.
