New Delhi: A Haryana government official
has been convicted for driving his wife to commit suicide by a
Delhi court following the testimony of the couple's children,
but escaped with a shorter jail term after his two daughters
pleaded for leniency for their sake.
Based on the deposition of two children, Additional
Sessions Judge (ASJ) Pawan Kumar Jain convicted Haryana
government's Irrigation Department official Thakur Parsad
Singh, a father of four, for driving his wife to commit
suicide by often beating her up under the influence of liquor.
The court, however, showed leniency and sentenced him
to a three-year jail term on fervent pleas of Jain's children,
whom he described as the "real victims", and also directed
District Legal Service Authority (DLSA) to pay compensation to
them.
"Considering all the facts, especially that the
children of the convict themselves appeared in the court and
requested for a lenient view, I am of the view that convict
deserves mercy. I sentence the convict for a period of three years
rigorous imprisonment and impose a fine of Rs 3,000," the ASJ
said.
Considering that Singh's four children will be left
with no one to take care of them, the court also recommended
compensation for them and asked DLSA to determine the same.
"They (children) were forced to work in their
childhood when they were supposed to go to school. In fact,
the children are the real victims of the crime, who were not
only deprived by the love and affection of their parents but
they were also forced to spend their life on the mercy of
their 'mausa' (husband of mother's sister) and were forced to
work for their livelihood," the court said.
PTI
First Published: Monday, September 26, 2011, 18:42