NEW DELHI, Mar 24:
Sentencing a man to seven years rigorous imprisonment for robbing a businessman at gunpoint, a court here has voiced concern over “deteriorating” law and order situation in Delhi and said immediate steps should be taken for safety and security of citizens.
Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau convicted Pratap Nagar resident Sunil Kumar for robbing Praveen Parashar with an attempt to kill or grievously hurt him with the pistol.
The court, however, gave benefit of doubt to co-accused Sonu and Rajender Kumar and acquitted them in the case.
38-year-old Sunil, who was on a scooter, stopped the car of the victim and robbed Praveen of his gold chain and Rs 21,000 and threatened him not to report the matter to the police.
“The deteriorating law and order problem of the city is a matter of serious concern and immediate steps are required to be taken at all levels for ensuring security and safety of the citizens. Instances of young persons getting involved in criminal activities of robbing innocent persons by putting them under threat of death, are also on rise.
“Trigger friendly criminals unhesitatingly and indiscriminately use dangerous firearms on helpless victims who may or not offer any resistance thereby spreading terror in society and adversely affecting social order and faith of people in the system,” the court said.
It refused to take a lenient view, saying Sunil was a bad character of Gulabi Bagh Police Station and was involved in 17 other criminal cases and the manner in which the offence has been committed by him in broad daylight showed that he has no respect for law and legal process.
“He has an impression that perhaps the legal system of this country is incompetent to hold him back for his illegal activities…
“While committing robbery in broad daylight, a person who publicly and openly declares himself to be the supremo of the area needs to know that it is not he but the law which is supreme and it is the Rule of Law which reigns and not him as was declared by him to the victim. He is, therefore, not entitled to any leniency,” the judge said.
The court awarded him jail term, saying there was a need to keep Sunil “out of circulation” and also clarified that this sentence will run consecutively to the punishment awarded to him in another criminal case. It imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him.
According to the prosecution on the morning of September 8, 2012 when Praveen was going in his car, Sunil and Sonu conspired and stopped his vehicle, robbed him of his gold chain and Rs 21,000 on gun-point.
They told the victim that he had been following him from his house and he would be killed if he disclosed the incident to police, it said.
They had also checked Praveen’s briefcase which was lying in the car but could not find any valuable in it.
Their third associate Rajender was accused of possessing the stolen property i.E. Gold chain of the victim. (PTI)
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