Penn State Dickinson Law screens TV episode highlighting clinic work

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA—The incredible story of Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam, and the role Penn State Dickinson Law played in obtaining his release, received a well-deserved spotlight during an event held in University Park in late March.

The Law School screened the true crime docuseries It Couldn’t Happen Here, in which host Hilarie Burton Morgan explores murder cases that occur in small towns. The second episode of season four focuses on Vedam’s case, highlighting the roles of Penn State Dickinson Law Professor Gopal Balachandran and the Criminal Appellate and Post-Conviction Services Clinic he leads in securing the historic victory.

Following the screening, Balachandran, former clinic student Joshua Cunningham ’25, and Penn State Dickinson Law Professor Emeritus Thomas Place, an expert on post-conviction law, participated in a panel discussion, moderated by Lucy Johnston-Walsh, Penn State Dickinson Law associate dean for experiential education and associate professor of law.

“Seeing the episode of It Couldn’t Happen Here on Subu’s case brought back so many memories of the long fight to exonerate him,” said Balachandran. “So much had to go right for the case to turn out the way it did, but one thing is certain: The support of Penn State Dickinson Law in the work of the clinic enabled this result. I am proud to be part of this institution.”

A meticulous review of evidence

The episode reviewed the details of Vedam’s case. He lived in State College when he was convicted of first-degree murder in 1983. Just a teenager when he was arrested, Vedam was slated to become a naturalized U.S. citizen shortly after he was detained. Instead, he remained a legal permanent resident while serving more than four decades of a life sentence in prison.

Balachandran and his students took on Vedam’s case in March 2022, conducting a meticulous review of evidence and documentation. The clinic filed a Post-Conviction Relief Act (PCRA) petition containing ballistics evidence that was not presented at Vedam’s trial.

In August 2025, a judge vacated the conviction, ruling that Vedam’s Fourteenth Amendment due process rights were violated through the evidence suppression, with a reasonable probability that the withheld evidence would have affected the jury’s verdict. The Centre County District Attorney’s Office decided not to retry Vedam.

During the post-screening panel, Place offered an overview of the Pennsylvania Post-Conviction Relief Act, emphasizing its complications and nuances.

Cunningham, now a public defender, reflected on the lasting impact of working on Vedam’s case. “I feel a great deal of responsibility in my current role because of my experience on that case,” said Cunningham.

Vedam’s sister, Saraswathi, attended the event. She also appeared in the episode, and during the panel, she thanked everyone involved with the case.

One of the questions raised during the panel referenced the current immigration status for Vedam, who was born in India but only lived there briefly. Following his release last year, Vedam was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In early April, a judge ruled that Vedam could remain in the United States, but the Department of Homeland Security has appealed the decision.