India's oldest prisoner was freed from a jail in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh at the age of 108, after serving time for committing multiple murders, it was reported Saturday, according to dpa. Brij Bihari Pandey was convicted along with 15 men for the 1987 murders of four people over the inheritance of a Hindu religious institution, the IANS news agency reported. The trial went on for more than two decades, until 2009 when the court convicted him and the other accused to life imprisonment. "The man was released on Friday evening following a bail order issued by the high court on grounds of ill-health due to old age," district official Hari Om told IANS. Pandey's release was sought by prison authorities, who found it difficult to provide medical treatment. The centenarian convict could hardly speak, but managed to express his delight by smiling and hugging his fellow inmates. "God is great, thank you," Pandey reportedly said upon his release from jail.
