By IANS,
New Delhi : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Wednesday issued notice to the Uttarakhand government after taking notice of media reports of an innocent man serving a life term in place of the real convict in the state.
“The NHRC has issued notice to Uttarakhand’s chief secretary calling for a factual report within two weeks. The commission has also directed its director general (investigation) to send a team today for spot enquiry,” an NHRC statement said.
According to media reports, Raj Kumar and Faisal were awarded life sentence for a murder 14 years ago. However, Raj Kumar cajoled another man Kiran Singh, from Uttar Pradesh, to go to jail in his place.
He had promised Kiran that he would arrange for his release within a week. Both Faisal and Kiran have spent the past 14 years in the Haridwar jail.
A few days ago, the local court received a letter from Faisal in which he disclosed that the real convict, Raj Kumar, was roaming free while Kiran was serving his sentence.