Mafia Don and Ex-MLA Vijay Mishra Gets Life Sentence in 46-Year-Old Prayagraj Court Campus Murder Case
In a major judgment delivered after nearly five decades, the special MP-MLA court in Prayagraj on Wednesday sentenced jailed mafia figure and former four-time MLA Vijay Mishra, along with three other convicts, to life imprisonment in a sensational murder case dating back to 1980.
The killing had taken place in broad daylight inside the district court campus, creating panic and shock across the city at the time.
Apart from awarding life imprisonment, the court also imposed a financial penalty of Rs 1 lakh each on all four convicted individuals.
The other three accused sentenced in the case are Jeet Narayan, Santram, and Balram.
A day earlier, the court had found all four guilty of murdering 35-year-old Prakash Narayan Pandey on February 11, 1980.
While pronouncing the conviction, the judge had reserved the order on punishment and fixed Wednesday, May 13, 2026, for announcing the sentence.
According to case records, Prakash Narayan Pandey, a university student, had reached the district court in Prayagraj to seek bail in a criminal matter lodged against him.
Investigators said he had a longstanding hostility with the accused Santram and Balram, which eventually turned deadly.
The prosecution stated that the attackers opened fire on Pandey inside the court premises, killing him on the spot in one of the most shocking incidents witnessed inside a judicial complex in Uttar Pradesh during that period.
After the murder, the victim’s elder brother, Shyam Narayan Pandey, registered an FIR at Colonelganj Police Station.
However, despite the gravity of the crime, the trial faced extraordinary delays over the decades after crucial original records and the case diary reportedly disappeared.
For years, the case remained stuck in legal uncertainty because of the missing documents. Later, authorities reconstructed the case file, allowing the long-pending trial to resume and finally reach its conclusion nearly 46 years after the murder took place.
The Rise of Vijay Mishra: From Local Strongman to Political Power Broker
Vijay Mishra has long been regarded as one of eastern Uttar Pradesh’s most controversial political figures.
Originally emerging from the Bhadohi region, Mishra gradually built a reputation as a powerful local strongman before entering active politics.
Over the years, he transformed his influence into electoral success and served four terms as MLA from the Gyanpur Assembly constituency in Bhadohi district.
Despite facing numerous criminal allegations, he managed to maintain significant political clout in the region for decades.
Authorities have linked Mishra to a long list of serious criminal cases ranging from murder and extortion to land grabbing, kidnapping, and financial fraud.
Law enforcement agencies have repeatedly described him as a mafia operative who allegedly controlled networks involved in intimidation, property disputes,s and organised criminal activities across parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Officials said Mishra currently has around 83 criminal cases registered against him.
These include allegations related to murder, robbery, kidnapping, rape, extortion, cheating, ng and illegal occupation of properties.
At present, the former MLA is lodged in Agra Central Jail, where he remains imprisoned in connection with multiple criminal proceedings.
The verdict in the decades-old murder case is being seen as one of the most significant judicial outcomes involving a former mafia-linked politician in Uttar Pradesh in recent years.
Legal observers say the judgment also highlights how even long-delayed cases can eventually overcome procedural setbacks and missing records.
