Man gets 2 year RI for giving false evidence in court

Press Trust Of India, New Delhi, October 24, 2010

 

A Delhi court today awarded rigorous imprisonment (RI) for a period of two years, to a man convicted for deliberately giving false evidence in judicial proceedings. 

 

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Vinod Yadav refused to show any leniency to convict Jagbir Singh, as witnesses turning hostile had an adverse impact on conviction rates.

 

"This court has noticed that on account of persons deposing falsely in the court, a lot of criminals go unpunished. As a consequence thereof, the general public gets the feeling that by deposing falsely in the court of law, the accused can get away," he said.

However, taking into account the fact that the convict had two school-going children to support and had faced trial for 10 years, the court awarded him rigorous imprisonment for two years only against the maximum jail term of seven years for perjury.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict, besides ordering him to pay Rs 25,000 as compensation to the state.

It rejected a plea of the defense counsel that Jagbir be released on probation.


Jagbir was held guilty under section 197 (giving false evidence) of the IPC, following a complaint filed by Metropolitan Magistrate M S Rohilla.

Rohilla had to acquit an accused in 1999 in a case lodged under section 304A (rash and negligent act causing death) of IPC due to flip-flops by Jagbir, a key eyewitness, during the trial.

In the complaint, the magistrate had said Jagbir and Lala Ram, who were eye-witnesses in a case lodged at Bara Hindu Rao police station in 1992, had deposed falsely.

The trial against Lala Ram was abated as he died during the proceedings.

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