Bengaluru, July 6 -- Seventy-two-year-old Saibanna Ningappa Natikar walked out of Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara Central Prison on Saturday, July 4, after spending 37 years behind bars, making him one of the longest-serving prisoners in the country. Released on the grounds of good conduct along with 23 other life convicts, Saibanna's freedom marks the end of a prison term that has drawn attention to questions of punishment, rehabilitation and criminal justice in India.

With long white hair, a flowing beard and slow, measured steps, Saibanna emerged from prison after nearly four decades of incarceration. Prison officials described him as the country's longest-serving inmate, while Director General of Prisons Alok Kumar said Saibanna had m...