How Do I Start Life at 43? Vishnu Tiwari Speaks After 20 Years in Jail for a False Rape Case
Vishnu Tiwari spent 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. In 2001, he was arrested for rape and charged under the SC/ST Act. In 2003, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. But in March 2021, the Allahabad High Court acquitted him, saying the charges were false and not supported by evidence.
Now, at 43 years old, Vishnu is free, but his life is empty. His parents and two brothers died while he was in jail. He couldn’t attend their funerals or say goodbye. “What is more painful for a son than not seeing his parents for the last time?” he asked, crying.
When he was jailed, mobile phones were not common. “I had only heard of phones, there were just STD booths back then,” he said. “Now everything has changed—my village, my district—it feels like a new world.”
Tiwari is illiterate, has no job skills, and hardly any family left. “How do I live now at 43?” he asks. “I can’t even think of marriage. My only brother has become a monk.”
Tiwari was 23 years old when a woman, along with her husband and father-in-law, accused him of rape and assault while she was five months pregnant. He was arrested and later convicted. He tried to challenge the conviction in 2005, but his appeal was marked “defective” and was ignored for 16 years.
In 2021, the High Court found no medical evidence of rape. There were no injuries, no signs of force, and no sperm found. The court also mentioned a possible land dispute as the real reason behind the false accusation.
“This case was just about a fight over land and animals,” Tiwari said. “I never even talked to that woman. They used the Harijan Act to trap me and get money.”
While in jail, Tiwari often thought of ending his life. “Mata Rani came in my dreams and told me to stay strong. But there were many days when I just wanted to die. Your soul dies a little every day in prison.”
Now, he has nothing—no home, no job, no family. “Half my life is gone,” he says. “What do I live for now?”
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu notice of Tiwari’s case. It has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to explain how he was wrongly imprisoned for 20 years and what steps will be taken to punish responsible officials and rehabilitate Tiwari.
Under Section 433 of CrPC, the government has the power to reduce sentences, but this was not applied in his case. The NHRC is now demanding full accountability.
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