Incidents of undertrials assaulting each other in jail vans are a "serious security issue", a Delhi court has said while refusing to show leniency to a prisoner who had attacked co-inmates.
The court upheld the two-year jail term of convict Bharat Yadav, saying he deserved substantial punishment as he not only picked up a quarrel with fellow prisoners in the van but also injured them with a surgical blade.
"It is also proved that the accused had not only picked up a quarrel with the co-undertrial prisoners (UTPs) while travelling in the jail van but he also inflicted injury by the means of surgical blade.
"It is also proved that appellant (Yadav) was carrying the blade while travelling in the jail van. Such type of incidents raise serious security issue qua the UTPs travelling in the jail van, thus to my mind appellant deserves some substantial punishment," Additional Sessions Judge Pawan Kumar Jain said.
The court passed the verdict while dismissing the appeal filed by Yadav against his conviction and sentence awarded by a magisterial court. It also imposed Rs 5,000 fine on him.
According to the police, the incident took place on March 5, 2012, when UTP and complainant Israr along with others was being taken to Rohini court from Tihar Jail in prison van.
When the van reached Madhuban Chowk, Yadav picked up a quarrel with Israr and on raising objection, he was assaulted by the convict by a surgical blade which he had concealed in his mouth, it said.
Yadav also assaulted other prisoners who had intervened to save the victim.
Prosecution said blade was recovered from the possession of Yadav and all the injured persons were taken to the hospital for treatment.
Yadav's counsel sought a lenient view for his client, saying that he has already been acquitted in the murder case for which he was arrested.
The court noted that the convict has already served 19 months in jail during pendency of trial and took him into custody to undergo the remaining five months imprisonment.
