After 30-year legal battle over ₹20 bribe charge, constable dies a day after acquittal

Ahmedabad (The Uttam Hindu): It is said that justice delayed is injustice, but what happened to a police constable in Gujarat has turned this adage into a painful reality. Constable Babubhai Prajapati, who spent his entire youth running from court to court for a bribe of just 20 rupees, did not live to see justice when he finally received it after 30 years. He died just 24 hours after being acquitted by the Gujarat High Court. This case not only questions the slow pace of the justice system but also testifies to the mental struggle of an honest man.

30 years of struggle and a stain of Rs 20

This entire case dates back to 1996, when Constable Babubhai Prajapati, posted at Vejalpur police station in Ahmedabad, was accused of accepting a bribe of 20 rupees. He was tried under the Prevention of Corruption Act. In 2004, the Sessions Court found him guilty and sentenced him to four years' imprisonment and a fine of 3,000 rupees. To prove his innocence, he approached the Gujarat High Court. His appeal languished for nearly 22 years. Finally, on February 4, 2026, the High Court acquitted him, finding contradictions in the witnesses' statements. The court held that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges.

'Now even if God takes me away, I don't feel sad'

This victory, achieved after 30 years, left Babubhai emotional. Following the court verdict, he arrived at his lawyer Nitin Gandhi's office. According to CCTV footage and the lawyer, Babubhai's face was filled with tears and a sense of relief. He emotionally told his lawyer, "Lawyer sir, the stigma has been removed from my life. Even if God takes me away, I won't feel sad." Perhaps he realized his purpose had been accomplished. He returned home, elated at having been vindicated.

The lawyer called to give the papers, and received the news of death

Look at the game of fate, the peace he spent three decades searching for, he got that peace only for one night. Advocate Nitin Gandhi said that the day after the verdict, when he called Babubhai to discuss the court paperwork and the arrears from the government, his family members told him that Babubhai was no more in this world. He died a natural death. The lawyer said that Babubhai was not worried about the benefits he would get from the government, his only wish was that he should not leave this world as a 'tainted policeman', and nature fulfilled his last wish.