A murder committed 46 years ago, when Narsingh Singh alias Ramesh Singh was only 28, has continued to haunt him into his 74th year, with the Uttar Pradesh government rejecting his plea for premature release from prison.
Singh, a resident of Kanpur Nagar and currently lodged in Etawah district jail, was convicted in connection with the murder of a man who was shot dead on September 8, 1980. According to a government order issued on August 14, 2026, Singh and five co-accused were involved in the killing.
The case dates back to a time when Singh was 28. A Kanpur court subsequently convicted him in the murder case and sentenced him to life imprisonment on April 30, 1983, under sections 148, 201 and 302/149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The Allahabad high court upheld the sentence on February 28, 2019.
More than four decades after the crime, Singh sought premature release. However, his plea failed to find favour with the authorities, who considered not only his conduct in prison but also the nature and social impact of the offence.
The government order records that as of August 1, 2024, when Singh was 74, he had undergone six years, one month and 20 days of actual imprisonment. After adding the remission earned by him, his total period of imprisonment stood at seven years, one month and nine days.
The police and district magistrate of Kanpur Nagar did not recommend his premature release. The authorities observed that the offence had seriously affected society and that his release could send an adverse message. They also noted that there was no sufficient basis to recommend his premature release despite his age and the period already undergone.
The premature-release matter was subsequently considered under the applicable provisions and ultimately rejected by the governor.
