Noting that polluters of the judicial firmament are required to be shown no leniency to maintain the sublimity of the institution, and recourse faith in general public in the administration of justice, a Delhi court on Friday dismissed the plea moved by Ansal brothers seeking suspension of the seven-year sentence awarded to them in the Uphaar evidence tampering case.
The order was passed by Additional Sessions Judge Anil Antil, who dismissed the pleas of Ansals and the other accused, while noting the antecedents of the convicts, the impact of the public confidence in courts and more importantly the absence of any extraordinary circumstances meeting suspension of sentence.
‘Grave nature’
“...the crime involved in the present case is of a very grave nature, suspending sentence at this stage is not only against the established principles of criminal law but also shake the confidence of general public in the judicial system,” the order noted, while adding that it was trite to say that if the judiciary as an institution began to lose confidence of the public, our cherished value of democracy shall come under serious threat.
The court also noted that the age of the convicts cannot by itself be the sole criterion to grant them relief, more so when the appellants themselves were involved in the procrastinated trial of the case. Medical status of the convicts also showed that besides suffering age-related ailments, no other diseases cited required immediate or urgent invitation, the court noted.
Additional Public Prosecutor had earlier told the court that punishment to the convicts provided a solace to the victims in the case and reinforced their faith in the justice delivery system.
A Delhi court had sentenced Sushil and Gopal Ansal to seven years in prison for tampering with the evidence in the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy case.
