New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has upheld a four-year jail term of a man, held guilty of selling fake currency notes in the national capital.
Justice ML Mehta upheld the sentence of city resident Bhura, dismissing his plea against the trial court`s verdict.
"Keeping in view the nature of offence committed by the appellant, the sentence imposed on him is just and meets the ends of justice," said Justice Mehta.
The court upheld the trial court`s verdict, accepting Additional Public Prosecutor Fizani Hussain`s argument that Bhura committed an economic offence, prejudicial to the economy of the country.
Justice Mehta rejected Bhura`s counsel argument that the FIR was lodged after a delay of three hours which casts a shadow on the prosecution case and that no independent witnesses were roped in by the police.
"I find no merit in the plea that there was delay in the lodging of FIR. There are certain procedures that had to be followed and a gap of three hours from the time of occurrence cannot be termed as inordinate delay," Justice Mehta said.
Acting on a tip-off, a police team had arrested Bhura while selling the fake currency notes near a cinema hall in Sunder Nagri area on April 6, 2007 and had recovered 29 fake Indian currency notes of Rs 1,000 denomination and 38 fake notes of Rs 500 denomination from him.
On December 22, 2010, the trial court had held him guilty of the offence and sentenced him to four year rigorous jail term and had imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on him.
PTI
