A railway parcel clerk caught in a 1995 trap accepting a Rs 100 bribe to book a motorcycle, and convicted in 2004, has had his conviction upheld by the Jharkhand High Court, which found the demand and acceptance of illegal gratification proved on the Neeraj Dutta standard. But given that the case had run for three decades, the appellant is now over 75 and ailing, it was his first offence and he had already lost his job, the Court reduced his sentence to the statutory minimum.
The Supreme Court held that forgery and use of forged documents in judicial proceedings are serious offences but stressed proportional sentencing. The Bench reduced a five-year sentence after considering custody period, case delay, accused’s role and circumstances while maintaining the gravity of the offence.
The Supreme Court reduced the sentence of an 80-year-old accused in a 1992 homicide case to the period already undergone, citing his advanced age and long lapse of time. The Court held that sending an elderly person back to prison at this stage would be harsh, stressing that “courts are not supposed to be insensitive.”
The Supreme Court upheld the conviction of an 80-year-old man in a 1992 criminal case but reduced his sentence to the period already served, considering his advanced age and long incarceration. The Court said it would be harsh and insensitive to send the elderly convict back to jail at this stage of his life.