Subramanyam Vedam, an Indian-origin man wrongfully imprisoned in Pennsylvania for over 43 years, has won a temporary halt to his deportation from the US after two courts intervened, giving him time to fight against deportation.
Washington DC (United States): Subramanyam Vedam, known as Subu, spent over four decades behind bars at a maximum-security facility in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, for a murder he never committed. Vedam was just 20 years old when police arrested him in 1982 for a killing that had taken place more than a year before. He was kept in jail without bail in violation of legal procedures while he waited for his trial. In February 1983, a court found him guilty despite the prosecution failing to present any physical evidence connecting him to the victim’s death. He received a life sentence with no possibility of release. The entire case rested on indirect evidence and circumstantial connections. Investigators had no eyewitness accounts, could establish no reason for Vedam to commit the crime, never found a murder weapon, couldn’t determine the precise date of death, and lacked any direct proof of his involvement. Although several other individuals appeared to be more likely suspects, authorities charged only Vedam with the murder.
In 2022, forty years after Vedam’s arrest, documents came to light revealing that prosecutors who brought charges against him in 1982 had deliberately hidden substantial evidence that would have proven his innocence. Vedam’s defense attorneys submitted a Brady Petition, which is the initial legal step toward clearing his name. In July 2024, more than 200 people who supported Vedam packed the courtroom as his lawyers presented the importance of this newly discovered evidence. If his original defense team had been able to access these materials, his trials in the 1980s would have had very different outcomes. Without this evidence, he couldn’t have received a fair trial.
Freed, But Not Free
A judge in Centre County scheduled three days of hearings to examine the new evidence clearing Vedam’s name in 2025. This marked the first time in his many years of unjust incarceration that Vedam had a chance to challenge his wrongful conviction in a courtroom. After several months of trial beginning in January, the judge issued his ruling in August and sided with Vedam. Following the judge’s decision, the current district attorney dismissed all charges against Vedam. However, because Vedam was born in India and holds Indian citizenship, he was immediately transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, where he remains detained since October 3.
In what appears to be a relief for Vedam, two separate courts have blocked his deportation, at least temporarily. This means he cannot be sent to India immediately, giving him crucial time to fight his case. The Board of Immigration Appeals will now review whether to reopen his immigration proceedings, a process that could take several months. During this period, his lawyers can argue that the 43 years he wrongfully spent in prison should outweigh the old drug conviction from when he was 20. The fact that both an immigration judge and a federal district court agreed to halt his deportation suggests they see validity in his circumstances. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to push for Vedam’s deportation.