October 4, 2024

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Lost my best years, says man who waited for days to walk free after bail | India News

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AGRA: Thirteen convicts, who spent between 14 and 20 years each in prison despite being juveniles at the time of committing the crimes, walked out of prison on Monday night in Uttar Pradesh, several days after the Supreme Court granted “interim bail” to them.
Some of the convicts TOI spoke to bemoaned the “loss of their childhood”, but said they were looking forward to rebuilding their lives. Others were uncertain if they would be able to leave their “tainted past” behind.
Aadil Khan, who was 16 when he was sent to prison along with his father Dilshad in 2000, said he had not taken the defence of juvenility as he was not aware of the juvenile delinquency laws. “I dropped out of school early and didn’t know much. In jail, there were hardened criminals all around. I was young and it was mental torture for me to spend so many years alongside them. But the presence of my father in jail protected me somewhat,” he said.
Khan, now 37, said he is looking forward to starting the next chapter of his life. “I have lost my best years. I often dreamt of what I would do if I got out of jail. Perhaps, I will take up farming” he said.
Another 16-year-old inmate at Agra Central Jail who was granted bail was Waliuddin (who only uses his first name). Lodged in prison since August 2009, Waliuddin walked out on Monday, clutching a treasured photo of his mother. “It was her photo that gave me the strength to face my circumstances. My family is poor and they were able to visit me only a few times in all these years,” said Waliuddin, now 28. “I want to put the past behind me,” he added.
Teju Singh, 40, has already learned some stitching work in prison. “I have to live with a tainted name, but I’m hoping to earn a decent living with my new skill,” said Singh, who was booked in a murder case in 1998 when he was 16. He was in prison since 2009.
For Shahidul Hassan, a “new beginning” means being a father to his two children, whom he has seen after 12 years. “I had a 2-year-old son and a 3-month-old daughter when I was put behind bars,” said Hassan, a resident of Bulandshahr. Hassan was booked for murder in 1999 when he was 15. He was bailed out in 2001 but convicted and sent to jail a few years later in 2009.
Hassan was jailed along with his brother Shahid, who was only 13 at the time of committing the crime. “Without legal aid, I would have spent the rest of my life in jail,” said Shahid.



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