Court calls murder case ‘rare’, hands out 20-year rigorous imprisonment

TNN May 7, 2012

NEW DELHI: A trial court has sentenced a 29-year-old man to 20 years in jail for murdering a person after robbing him of Rs 2.5 lakh at gunpoint and injuring his son.

Terming the case "rare" and observing that the man was a "desperate" criminal for whom life had no value, additional sessions judge (ASJ) Kamini Lau ordered that convict Anil Kumar should not be given any remission till he undergoes an actual sentence of 20 years in jail. Besides the jail term, the court also imposed a fine of Rs 22,000 on him.

"I am of a considered opinion that this case cannot be put on the same pedestal as other ordinary murder cases. It is also true that punishment in every case does send a message to the community at large. Hence, this case can be easily classified as a rare case which calls for the exercise of alternative options by the court," the judge said, awarding 20 years' rigorous imprisonment to Kumar.

Kumar was facing trial for murdering Krishan Kumar Bansal and injuring his son while robbing them in daytime two years ago in the capital.

The court refused to show any leniency to Kumar, saying the courts of law cannot ignore the conditions prevailing in the country, where the law-and-order situation has deteriorated in the recent past.

"Young persons are robbing innocent victims by putting them in fear of death with indiscriminate use of dangerous weapons on them, whether or not they offer any resistance, thereby spreading terror in the society and adversely affecting the social order and faith of the people in the system," ASJ Lau said. The incident took place on May 10, 2010, when the victim's son, Nitin Bansal, came to his office in Tri Nagar here after withdrawing Rs 2.5 lakh from bank. Kumar entered Bansal's office and after brandishing a pistol, snatched the bag containing money from them and tried to flee on his motorcycle.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-07/delhi/31610052_1_jail-term-asj-lau-murder

Woman acquitted after facing trial for 15 years

TNN | May 4, 2012

NEW DELHI: For 15 years she faced trial allegedly for bootlegging but when the time came for producing the case property - seized liquor - police could only produce empty cans before the court. 

With the mysterious disappearance of the seized illicit liquor and no other evidence at hand, a trial court has acquitted a woman saying the "improper condition" of the case property was fatal to the prosecution's case. Delhi resident Naresho was booked by police in May 1997 under the Punjab Excise Act after the alleged recovery of 75 pouches of illicit liquor from her. 

She had pleaded innocence, denying the allegation of recovery of liquor from her. 

During the trial, police could not produce the illicit liquor and the pouches were found to be empty. Taking a stern view, metropolitan magistrate Ashu Garg said, "When the case property was produced in the court, it was found that all the pouches were empty and the plastic can was damaged and in empty condition. 

"In such a case, there would always be a doubt as to the contents of the seized can."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Woman-acquitted-after-facing-trial-for-15-years/articleshow/12987674.cms