Six Prisoners with Death Penalty Found Innocent
After spending 16 years on death row, 6 men from Maharashtra have finally received justice. The Supreme Court has found the men innocent and cleared them of all charges.
16 years ago, 6 members of the Nomadic Tribe (NT) were sentenced to the death penalty. The men were sentenced to death for the murder of 5 family members, rape of a woman and her 15-year-old daughter, and dacoity. The case was transferred to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court on 5 March 2019, found the men innocent and ordered the Maharashtra government to search the real criminals.
The SC said that there was no proof against them. One of the 6 men was below 17 years of age. These men were very poor. The SC said that the State Police did not bother to investigate the case properly. After the crime had taken place, an eye witness had identified 4 men as the criminals, but the police did not bother finding them. They simply arrested the 6 men.
These men have spent 16 years in prison. Some of them have developed mental problems because of spending so much time in jail. The SC has ordered the Maharashtra government to pay each of the men Rs 5 lakh as compensation.
