Innocent Indian in US Jail for 43 Years: After spending more than four decades behind bars for a crime he did not commit, Subrahmanyam Vedam, an Indian-origin man, has finally been declared innocent by the US justice system. Yet, his freedom remains uncertain as US immigration authorities continue to pursue his deportation — a move that two separate courts have now temporarily blocked.
The emotional case of Vedam, now 64, has sparked outrage and empathy across the world, symbolizing both the flaws and the hope within America’s criminal justice system. His story is being widely discussed under the global headline: “Innocent Indian in US jail for 43 years.”
Two Courts Intervene to Stop Deportation
On Monday, an immigration judge granted a stay on Vedam’s deportation, preventing his removal until the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) reviews whether his case should be reopened. The same day, the US District Court in Pennsylvania also ordered a halt to the deportation process, effectively allowing Vedam to remain in custody within the United States until a final decision is made.
The case now lies with the BIA, and according to NBC News, a ruling could take several months. For Vedam and his family, this delay offers a glimmer of hope that justice will finally be complete — not just through his release, but by recognizing his right to remain in the country he has called home since infancy.
Freedom Followed by Re-Arrest
Subrahmanyam Vedam was officially released on October 3, 2024, after serving an unimaginable 43 years in prison. However, his moment of freedom was short-lived. Just as he stepped outside the prison gates, agents from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained him once again, placing him in a deportation center in Louisiana.
Today, even after his innocence has been proven, Vedam remains in custody — this time not as a convict, but as a detainee awaiting the outcome of a bureaucratic battle between justice and immigration law.
The 1980 Murder Case That Changed His Life
The story began in 1980, when Vedam was a 19-year-old student at Pennsylvania State University. He was accused of murdering his classmate and friend, Thomas Kinsor.
Reports say that Vedam had asked Kinsor for a ride to purchase some items and was last seen with him before Kinsor went missing. A few days later, Kinsor’s van was found parked outside his apartment, but he himself had disappeared.
Nine months later, hikers discovered a decomposed body in a wooded area, later confirmed to be Kinsor’s. He had been shot dead. Because Vedam was the last person seen with Kinsor, police immediately considered him a suspect — despite the lack of witnesses or concrete evidence.
Convicted Twice Without Proof
Despite his consistent claims of innocence, Vedam was convicted twice — once in 1983 and again in 1988 — and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
No eyewitnesses placed him at the crime scene, and no forensic evidence directly tied him to the murder weapon. Yet, the prosecution built its case on circumstantial evidence and what was later revealed to be suppressed information.
For more than four decades, Vedam maintained that he was innocent and had been framed because of investigative bias and racial prejudice that often surrounded cases involving minorities in the 1980s.
New Evidence Reveals a Shocking Truth
In August 2024, new forensic testing brought a turning point. Ballistics experts determined that the gun used in Kinsor’s murder did not match any weapon linked to Vedam. The discovery directly contradicted the prosecution’s earlier claims and proved that the weapon in question could not have been in Vedam’s possession.
Further investigations also revealed that the prosecution had deliberately withheld key evidence during the original trials — evidence that could have exonerated Vedam decades earlier. The court, upon reviewing these findings, immediately vacated his conviction and ordered his release.
What should have been a moment of relief and closure instead became another ordeal as immigration officials detained him almost instantly after his release.
Family’s Reaction: “Deportation Would Be Another Injustice”
Vedam’s sister, Saraswati Vedam, expressed both gratitude and frustration in a public statement.
“We are thankful that two courts have recognized the need to stop his deportation,” she said. “Sending him to India now would be another grave injustice. He has lived his entire life in the United States — the country that wrongfully imprisoned him for 43 years.”
Saraswati added that her brother was only nine months old when their family moved legally to the US. Their father was a professor at Penn State University, and the family had been permanent residents ever since.
“He grew up here, studied here, and was part of this community. Deporting him now makes no moral or legal sense,” she said.
Why the US Government Wants Him Deported
According to reports, ICE is basing its deportation case on an alleged 40-year-old drug-related offense connected to Vedam’s early youth — an accusation that legal experts argue should no longer be relevant, especially given his wrongful imprisonment and proven innocence in the murder case.
Vedam’s lawyers contend that deportation under these circumstances would be unconstitutional.
“He lost 43 years of his life for a crime he didn’t commit,” said one of his attorneys. “He spent those years educating himself and helping other inmates earn their GEDs. Using an old, unrelated charge to justify deportation now is an absurd misuse of justice.”
A Lifetime Behind Bars for a Crime He Didn’t Commit
While in prison, Vedam became known for his calm demeanor and intellect. He completed several degrees and volunteered to teach basic education courses to fellow inmates.
“He was a teacher, a mentor, and a source of hope for hundreds inside those walls,” a former warden told NBC News. “It’s hard to imagine that someone like him was ever considered a murderer.”
For 43 years, he waited for the truth to emerge. Every appeal was rejected until the new forensic evidence came to light in 2024 — evidence that finally shattered the foundation of the state’s case against him.
Legal Experts Call for Full Compensation
Civil rights organizations and legal reform advocates have now taken up Vedam’s cause, demanding that the US government not only release him from custody but also compensate him for his wrongful imprisonment.
Under existing US law, exonerees are entitled to compensation — but the process varies by state and is often lengthy. Advocates argue that Pennsylvania owes Vedam a significant settlement, possibly running into millions of dollars, for his wrongful conviction and decades of suffering.
“Forty-three years of wrongful imprisonment is not just a mistake — it’s a catastrophic failure of justice,” said Professor Alan Berger, a criminal law expert at Columbia University. “The least the system can do now is to restore his dignity and ensure he’s not deported to a country he barely knows.”
Public and International Reactions
The case has sparked outrage on social media and among human rights groups worldwide. The hashtag #JusticeForVedam has trended across platforms, with many users questioning how a supposedly advanced justice system could allow such a miscarriage to persist for decades.
Indian diaspora organizations in the US and UK have also voiced their concern, urging the US Department of Justice to drop all deportation efforts and issue a formal apology.
“He is an American in every sense — except on paper,” said a statement from the Indian American Human Rights Council. “The United States must correct this injustice completely, not partially.”
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A Lifetime Stolen, A Future Uncertain
For now, Vedam remains at a Louisiana detention facility, waiting for the Board of Immigration Appeals to determine whether he can stay in the country. Legal experts predict that the case could become a landmark for wrongful conviction and immigration reform.
Meanwhile, his family continues to fight for his freedom.
“He has already paid the price for a crime he didn’t commit,” Saraswati said. “He deserves peace, not another battle.”
A Global Symbol of Justice Delayed
The story of Subrahmanyam Vedam — the innocent Indian in US jail for 43 years — has become a symbol of resilience and faith in truth. From being falsely branded a murderer to emerging as a victim of one of the longest wrongful incarcerations in US history, his journey reflects the deep cracks that still exist in modern justice systems.
As the world watches, the hope remains that America will now do what it should have done decades ago — deliver not just freedom, but justice.
