Today, On 3rd June, The Supreme Court denied a convict’s request for more time to surrender, dismissing his claim of being unable to walk. The Court remarked that walking is not a requirement in jail, emphasizing that the inability to walk is not a valid reason for an extension.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court, on Monday unimpressed by a convict’s request to extend the time given to him to surrender before a trial court for imprisonment. The convict challenged his conviction before the Supreme Court, arguing that he was unable to walk properly due to paralysis in his legs, as evidenced by medical reports.
The vacation Bench of Justices PV Sanjay Kumar and Augustine George Masih, however, noted that such a medical condition, not a valid excuse to avoid imprisonment.
The Bench made it clear that the convict’s inability to walk, not a valid ground for delaying the surrender and subsequent imprisonment.
Justice Kumar expressed his frustration openly, stating,
“You claim you are unable to walk and hence need an extension. But in jail, walking isn’t required; one primarily sits.”
He further highlighted,
“If walking is an issue, arrangements can be made to transport you to jail. That’s hardly a valid reason to request more time before surrendering.”
Ultimately, the bench upheld a previous decision from May 21, which allowed the petitioner two weeks to surrender, firmly stating,
“Once the court has specified a two-week period for surrender, compliance is expected. Inability to walk doesn’t justify an extension.”
In 2007, following a dispute, a petitioner who was a B.Tech student at the time, charged with shooting another student from the same college.
By 2013, the trial court found him guilty under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as Sections 25 (1-A) and 27 of the Arms Act of 1959, sentencing him to a decade in prison and imposing a monetary fine.
On April 30 of the current year, the High Court of Telangana confirmed the decision of the trial court. The convict since escalated the matter to the Supreme Court, where it remains pending.
On May 21, the petitioner’s counsel told a Bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal that the petitioner would surrender before the trial court within two weeks. The Court then scheduled the appeal for hearing in July 2024, based on this undertaking.
Subsequently, the convict filed an application requesting an extension of time to surrender. However, this application dismissed today.