Lucknow, March 7 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought the Uttar Pradesh government's reply on steps it has taken to rehabilitate Vishnu Tiwari, a man who spent 20 years in jail for a false rape case filed against him. The NHRC has also asked what the government was doing all these years and why the Sentence Review Board did not assess his case. The NHRC observed that it appears to be a case of 'non-application' of the section 433 of CrPC, under which the government reviews and sanctions early release of prisoners, who deserve leniency on ground of health, good conduct and various other reasons. It further observed that, "In many such cases, there may be prisoners older than 75 years of age and dying in the jails. It clearly depicts the ineffectiveness of the Sentence Review Board." The commission has issued notice to UP's chief secretary and director general of police, seeking their response in six weeks. "The report must include the action taken against the public servants responsible in this case and steps taken for the relief and rehabilitation of the victim to compensate, to some extent, for the trauma, mental agony and social stigma he has suffered during these years," the commission said in the letter. Meanwhile, Vishnu, who was finally released from jail on Friday, found several government officials reaching out to him offering help. Additional chief secretary (home) Avanish Kumar Awasthi asked district magistrate of Lalitpur, Annavi Dinesh Kumar, to provide all help to Vishnu under the government schemes. Officials were working to give him ration card, MGNREGA job card and benefits under the Ayushman Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna. District magistrate Lalitpur told reporters, "Directives have been issued to provide benefits of government schemes to Vishnu. It will be done in a week." Vishnu Tiwari was arrested on September 16, 2000 after being booked for rape and atrocities under the SC/ST Act. Three years later, he was convicted for rape by a Lalitpur court and sentenced to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment. He was further convicted under the SC/ST Act and sentenced to life imprisonment. All sentences were to run concurrently, as per the directions of the trial court. On January 28 this year, a high court's division bench declared him not guilty. The court observed that the FIR had been lodged three days late, there were no injuries on the private parts of the woman "who is said to have been thrashed". The court said that there "was a motive on the part of complainant that there was a land dispute between the parties". The court also said that the woman's husband and father-in-law had lodged the complaint and not her. The woman is no longer alive. /IANS