A 68-year-old man was convicted of a 1976 theft after confessing, bringing closure to India’s longest-running court case after 49 years.
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UTTAR PRADESH: Nearly five decades after a theft at a cooperative society in Tahrauli, the case has finally concluded, not through a prolonged trial, but through the heartfelt confession of the last surviving accused, 68-year-old Kanhaiya Lal. The case of State vs. Kanhaiya Lal, dating back to March 1976, came to a quiet but powerful conclusion in a courtroom in India, marking the end of a 49-year-long case.
Background
It all began on March 27, 1976, in the village of Tahrauli, where Kanhaiya Lal, then a Class IV employee at the Large Scale Cooperative Society (LSS), committed theft from his own workplace. According to the complaint filed by Bihari Lal Gautam, the then-secretary of the LSS, Kanhaiya Lal had stolen a receipt book and a wristwatch worth Rs 150. He had also allegedly forged signatures and misappropriated over Rs 14,000 from society members, an enormous sum at the time.
Two others, Laxmi Prasad and Raghunath, were accused of working with him in forging documents and issuing fake receipts. All three were arrested soon after the crime and granted bail.
After a long period, the files changed hands, hearings were postponed, and two of the three accused died during the long wait for trial. Formal charges against Kanhaiya Lal were only framed on December 23, 2022, over 46 years after the crime was reported.
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The Confession
On Saturday, in a routine hearing before Chief Judicial Magistrate Munna Lal, the now 68-year-old Kanhaiya Lal stood in the dock. Frail and ageing, he told the court that he wished to confess to his role in the crime due to his deteriorating health and old age. In a justice system often devoid of emotional closure, his words resonated deeply.
The court accepted his confession and found him guilty under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code:
- Section 380 – Theft
- Section 409 – Criminal breach of trust by a public servant
- Section 467 – Forgery of valuable securities
- Section 468 – Forgery for cheating
- Section 457 – Housebreaking
- Section 120B – Criminal conspiracy
Kanhaiya Lal had already served two separate jail terms of three months each during the course of the trial. Taking that into account, the court deemed it sufficient custodial punishment. He was also fined Rs 300 under each IPC section and Rs 500 under one. Failure to pay would result in three additional days of imprisonment.
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