Khalil Chishti, a microbiologist, was arrested and charged with murder in 1992 after a brawl in the western Indian city of Ajmer which he was visiting for a family wedding. He was convicted in 2010 by a local court and given a life sentence.

After freeing him on bail last year on account of his age, the Supreme Court quashed the murder charge but upheld a conviction for voluntarily causing hurt, the Press Trust of India reported.

"Truth has prevailed in the end," Chishti told AFP after the verdict, which ordered authorities to return his passport. "I will be going to my country after an endless wait."

President Asif Ali Zardari had raised Chishti's case during his meeting with Manmohan Singh earlier this year.