Man acquitted in 15-year-old cheating case

A man, jailed for three years for dishonestly selling a plot to a woman 15 years ago, has been acquitted by a sessions court which held the complainant's story as doubtful.
Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala freed Jaipur native Madan Singh while allowing his appeal against the magisterial court's order which had sentenced him to three years rigorous imprisonment for the offence of cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
"I find the whole story of the complainant (woman) of paying money against transaction of purchase of a land is doubtful and is not proved on record beyond reasonable doubts.

"In that situation, there cannot be any ground to raise assumption of guilt of appellant (Singh) for the offence of cheating... Hence, this appeal is allowed," the judge said.
The sessions court was hearing an appeal filed by Singh against a trial court order which had convicted him for dishonestly selling a 200 sq yards piece of land for Rs 10 lakh to the woman in east Delhi in 1999.
Singh contended that the woman who was known to him for over three decades had falsely implicated him and denied any money transaction with her.

He said he was employed with a company which was functioning on the rented land of a trust and there was already a dispute between the company and the trust.

He said that the trust wanted the company to vacate the land and being the legal representative of the firm, he was implicated in several others cases also which were decided in his favour.
The woman had lodged the complaint in 2001 alleging that Singh had offered her the land for Rs 10 lakh in 1999. She said that after she made a payment of Rs 6.5 lakh, she found out that she was cheated by him as the land did not belong to him.