MUZAFFARNAGAR: After 400 court hearings spanning over 26 years, Ram Ratan, now 70, has been absolved by a local court of charges made by UP police that he was in possession of a ‘katta’ -- a country-made gun -- way back in 1996.
After the order by the ADJ-11 court in Muzaffarnagar on Friday, Ratan, who works as a daily wager, said, “There is nothing much to rejoice about. The fake case ruined my life, exhausted all my funds. My children couldn’t continue with their studies. Half of my life has been wasted in attending court hearings.”
On the morning of November 2, nearly three decades ago, Ratan was picked up by local police after they got a “tip-off” that he had a katta with him in his house. “Since that very day, I have been telling officials that I was framed and that I was a victim of village politics. I was innocent.”
