For the Uttar Pradesh Police, this was a case too revealing. When Sher Bahadur Singh — also known as Shera — came out of the Lucknow District Jail on Wednesday, it was after nearly 20 long years — longer than he would have spent had he been given life imprisonment.

But he was an undertrial — fighting to prove his innocence in 67 cases the police had slapped on him. Acquitted in the very last one on Tuesday, he was discharged.

Of the cases, three were under the Gangster Act, over ten pertained to firing on the police. Then there were cases under the NDPS Act, Arms Act — all because of “political vendetta”, said Singh.

The police maintain that he is indeed a criminal, but are not sure of the total number of cases against him. Their records mention 49 — 41 lodged at the Banthara police station and eight at the Sarojini Nagar police station.

“Shera had been in jail for a long time, we have to verify old records,” said Sadhu Ram, SHO of Sarojini Nagar police station. Asked how a criminal can manage to get an acquittal in so many cases, Senior Superintendent of Police, Lucknow, Akhil Kumar, said he did not have the details of Singh’s cases as were “lodged several years ago”.

“But we will see how he got acquittal in all the cases. Action will be taken against police officers if negligence was found on their part,” he added.

The details of the case in which Singh was acquitted by a fast track court on Tuesday are interesting.

... contd.