Former Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Udaybhan Karwariya, sentenced to life in prison for the 1996 murder of a Samajwadi Party legislator, was released from prison on Thursday following his pardon by Governor Anandiben Patel.

Naini Central Jail senior superintendent Rang Bahadur Patel told PTI, "The release orders of Udaybhan Karwariya were received on Wednesday evening. Acting on the order, he was released on Thursday morning." The governor, using powers conferred on her under Article 161 of the Constitution, had passed an order to release Karwariya after accepting the state government's recommendation for his premature release.

Article 161 empowers the governor of a state to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any convict against any law relating to a matter to which the executive power of the state extends.

Prayagraj's senior superintendent of police and the district magistrate made the recommendation to release Karwariya, citing his good conduct in jail, officials said.

The pardon order was issued last week.

An additional sessions judge in Prayagraj sentenced Karwariya to life in prison on November 4, 2019, for the August 1996 murder of Samajwadi Party MLA Jawahar Yadav.

Yadav was shot dead in Prayagraj and a case was registered against Karwariya, his brothers Kapilmuni Karwariya and Surajbhan Karwariya and another.

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