Court: Convicts deserve opportunity to reform

NEW DELHI: Convicts deserve an opportunity to reform, a Delhi court said while awarding sentences to four men for offences of robbery and criminal conspiracy.
The court of additional sessions judge Neeraj Gaur had in February this year convicted Rahul, Manish and Sonu under sections 392 (robbery), 120B (criminal conspiracy) IPC, Section 120B IPC and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the Indian Penal Code.Another man, Kanhaiya was convicted for offences under Section 411 of the IPC.
Advocate Fahad Mustafa Khan who represented two of them submitted before the court that the convicts may be dealt with leniently as they belong to lower socio-economic strata of the society and have responsibilities to bear.
"I have considered the rival submissions and gone through the record. The mitigating circumstances in favour of the convicts are that they are of young age; they have shown remorse for their act; no previous conviction has been proved against the convicts; they are having the responsibility of their respective families; there are chances of their reformation and they belong to a lower socio-economic strata of society," said the court in the order dated May 18.
Noting that the convicts do not have the paying capacity to pay compensation to the victim(s) who suffered loss of property/cash amounting to Rs 10.5 lakh, the court said that 50% of the fine on the convicts would be awarded to the victim.
The court sentenced Rahul, Manish and Sonu to undergo imprisonment already undergone by each of them and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on them. It also sentenced the three for offences under Section 120B IPC to undergo imprisonment already undergone by each of them and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000. It further sentenced Kanhaiya, Rahul, Manish and Sonu under Section 411 of the IPC to undergo imprisonment already undergone by each of them and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Kanhaiya.