Prayagraj: In a significant move, Governor Anandiben Patel, acting on the advocacy of Uttar Pradesh’s Yogi government, has ordered the release of BJP leader and former MLA Udaybhan Karwariya, who was convicted in the murder case of SP MLA Jawahar Pandit. The Governor used her powers under Article 161 of the Constitution to pardon his sentence.
Following this approval, the Prison Administration and Correctional Services Department has issued an order for the release of Udaybhan Karwariya from Naini Central Jail, Prayagraj. However, his release is subject to there being no other grounds for detention. The decision to waive his sentence and release him was based on advocacy by government officials and his good conduct during incarceration.
Case against Udaybhan Karwariya
Udaybhan Karwariya, along with his elder brother Kapil Muni Karwariya, younger brother Surajbhan Karwariya, and relative Ramchandra Tripathi alias Kallu, were convicted by the Allahabad trial court on November 4, 2019, for the murder of former Jhunsi MLA Jawahar Pandit. The incident, in which Jawahar Pandit was fatally shot with an AK-47 in the Civil Lines area in August 1996, led to their imprisonment.
Udaybhan Karwariya and his brother have been in jail for the past decade, with Udaybhan surrendering in court in January 2014 following a non-bailable warrant. Vijma Yadav, the wife of Jawahar Pandit and currently a Samajwadi Party MLA from the Pratappur assembly seat in Prayagraj, expressed surprise at the decision to grant premature release to former MLA Udaybhan Karwariya.
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