Saibanna Lingappa Natekar from Jewargi, who spent 37 years in prison after being convicted in three murder cases, was among 24 life convicts who were released from Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison on Saturday on the grounds of good conduct after serving long prison terms.He is one of India’s longest-serving prisoners.Natekar, a high school dropout, was working as clerk at a cooperative society and was initially imprisoned for killing his first wife after suspecting her of having an extramarital relationship.Natekar was first convicted in 1993 for the 1988 murder of his first wife, Malkawwa. Later, while out on parole, he remarried. In 1994, he murdered his second wife, Nagamma, who he allegedly found with another man, and their minor daughter, Vijayalakshmi, who reportedly tried to intervene, leading to a death sentence that was upheld by the Karnataka High Court.In 2005, he filed a mercy petition that remained pending for over seven years. The prolonged delay, coupled with his illegal solitary confinement for over a decade, became key grounds for legal intervention.In 2023, the High Court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment, citing the inordinate delay in deciding his mercy plea, unlawful solitary confinement, his advanced age, and more than 35 years he had already spent in prison.With 37 years of continuous incarceration, Natekar’s case is considered one of the longest prison terms served in India and has become a landmark in debates on prisoners’ rights, delayed mercy petitions, and the constitutional limits of capital punishment.Manikantha’s story of hopeAnother case that drew attention was that of Manikantha, a resident of Chikkamagaluru, who spent 15 years in prison after being convicted in a murder case. Speaking to the media after his release, he expressed regret over his actions and urged people not to let anger lead them into crime.During his imprisonment, he worked in the prison bakery for ten years and earned a livelihood. He also revealed that his longtime girlfriend stood by him throughout his sentence. While out on parole, the couple got married, and they now have a four-year-old child.“No one should commit a crime in a moment of anger,” Manikantha said, appealing to the public to choose peace over violence. Published - July 05, 2026 08:45 pm IST