Life term for 3 upheld for bid to kill minor after abduction

"In our view, considering the facts and circumstances of the case, there was no justification for imposing this condition (of no remission in sentence before 35 years of actual jail term).

"The same is ordered to be modified and the sentence awarded to the appellants would be imprisonment for life with fine of Rs 25,000 each...," said a bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and S P Garg, while upholding the life terms awarded to city residents Rajender Kumar, Riazuddin and Sanjeev by the trial court, but setting aside the trial court's stipulation.

"The convicts shall not be considered for grant of remission till they undergo an actual sentence of thirty five years," the trial court had ruled while sentencing the trio.

 

The prosecution case dated back to March 4, 2003 when the police had received a complaint from a Rohini resident that his seven-year-old son had gone missing.

The police found the seven-year-old boy lying abandoned near Shiv Mandir on Lawrence Road near Keshav Puram in North West Delhi next day.

After investigation, it was revealed that the boy was kidnapped by the three for a ransom of Rs four lakh but after they failed to execute their design, they had thrown the victim in a drain.

The court accepted the testimony of the victim's father who had stated that on March 5, 2003 morning he had received a telephone call at his house from the kidnappers to arrange Rs four lakh for the release of his kidnapped son or else he would be killed.

The man had also found a ransom note lying at the gate of his house after which he along with his neighbour had gone to the police station to lodge the complaint.