SULAKHAN SINGH Vs. STATE OF PUNJAB

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS is an appeal against judgment dated 7.7.1997 of the Court of Additional Sessions Judge, Amritsar whereby accused-appellant was convicted for offence under Section 307 IPC and was sentenced to undergo RI for 10 years and to pay fine of Rs. 1,000/-. In default of payment of fine to further undergo RI for six months.

(2.) PROSECUTION case against accused-appellant is that he was levelling various allegations against his daughter-in-law Varinderjit Kaur and even had told her husband several times that she had been indulging in immoral trafficking. Then there was an alteration on 23.1.1997 at about 9.00 a.m. between the accused and his son Iqbal Singh who is husband of Varinderjit Kaur. Thereafter at about 10.30 a.m. on that very day, when Varinderjit Kaur was sitting on a bed in her residential room on the ground floor in the area of Gali Masit Wali, Manna Singh Chowk, Amritsar, then accused came from outside. He sprinkled kerosene oil on her legs and set her on fire. Varinderjit Kaur raised alarm. Her mother Bachan Kaur and sister Jasbir Kaur arrived. They saw the occurrence and extinguished the fire. Varinderjit Kaur sustained injuries. She was taken to hospital where she was medically treated. Case for offence under Section 307/498-A/500 IPC was registered at her instance. It was investigated. Accused-appellant was challaned. He faced trial. After trial, he was convicted and sentenced as aforesaid.

(3.) I find that accused-appellant had suffered imprisonment for more than one year as undertrial prisoner and after his conviction by the Court of Additional Sessions Judge, Amritsar. It will not be appropriate to send him to jail at this later stage to undergo remaining sentence. The injured can still be compensated with compensation.