Thane, Dec 27
A court here in Maharashtra has convicted a 66-year-old man on the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment for the term which he has already undergone in jail since his arrest in April 2015.
In the order passed on December 21, a copy of which was made available on Monday, District and Additional Sessions Judge Rajeev P Pande convicted the accused, Dilip Bansaram Sharma alias Dileep Bangali under Indian Penal Code Section 304 (II) and also imposed a fine of Rs 500 on him.
The court noted that the accused was arrested on April 22, 2015 and has been in jail since then.
“As such, the ends of justice would be served, if the accused is awarded punishment for the term during which he was in jail since the date of his arrest and he can be awarded the punishment for the period which is undergone by him in the jail,” the court said.
Additional public prosecutor Sachin Kulkarni told the court that on April 21, 2015, the victim, Maruti Nayaran Shirke, and the accused were travelling in a local train compartment meant for disabled persons.
Shirke and the accused (who was wearing saffron clothes) had a quarrel over some issue following which the latter attacked the victim on his hand with a knife.
When the train reached Ambernath railway station, the victim, whose hand was profusely bleeding, was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead by doctors.
Later, the Ambernath police traced the accused and arrested him.
While the prosecutor sought severe punishment for the accused, the latter’s counsel prayed for leniency, saying he was aged and suffered from various ailments.
The judge said there is sufficient evidence on record to prove that the accused was responsible for Shirke’s death, though there was no intention of the accused to cause the victim’s death by the assault.
