S Gopal Puri
Jawali : In a significant ruling, the Court of Judicial Magistrate Shashikant in Jawali sentenced an accused involved in illegal liquor smuggling to one year of imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹15,000. The court further directed that in case of failure to pay the fine, the convict would undergo an additional one-month imprisonment.
The prosecution was represented by Assistant District Public Prosecutor Ravi Kumar, who informed the court that on August 8, 2011, at approximately 5:45 PM, Head Constable Rajinder Kumar of Police Post Fatehpur was on routine patrol duty near the PWD Rest House, Fatehpur, along with his team.
During the patrol, they noticed a man, later identified as Bantu, a resident of Ghanor, carrying a white plastic can. Upon seeing the police team, Bantu attempted to flee the scene, raising suspicion.
The police apprehended him and checked the plastic can he was carrying. Upon inspection, it was found to contain five litres of illicit liquor. Bantu failed to produce any legal documentation for the possession or transportation of the alcohol. Subsequently, an FIR was registered against him at Police Station Jawali under relevant sections of the Punjab Excise Act.
As per the prosecution, the accused has over 15 previous cases registered against him under the Excise Act, making him a habitual offender in such violations.
After careful examination of the statements of witnesses, as well as the arguments from both the prosecution and the defence, the court delivered its judgment on Wednesday, finding the accused guilty and awarding the aforementioned sentence.
