“Gender no reason to differentiate on sentencing”: Delhi Court
Rejecting the convicts’ plea for probation, Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana of Patiala House Courts, Delhi, emphasized that the threat of counterfeit currency notes endangers the country's economic stability.
A Delhi Court on Tuesday observed that a convict cannot claim any preferential treatment on account of her gender and sentenced the two convicts to five years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 35,000 each to a woman and her accomplice.
Rejecting the convicts’ plea for probation, Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana of Patiala House Courts, Delhi, emphasized that the threat of counterfeit currency notes endangers the country's economic stability.
The Counsel for the two convicts sought leniency in the conviction of Neetu @Radha, as she was a woman.
To this, Court noted that “the partners in sin, who lay equal stakes in profit, cannot now disassociate themselves while reaping the harvest of their sins.”
Court further stated that it did not find any plausible reason to elevate the convict Neetu @Radha solely based on her gender.
Convict Neetu, despite being a woman, chose to associate herself with nefarious criminal activities, and she cannot now claim preferential treatment because of her gender, the Court observed.
Accordingly, Court ordered both the convicts Salim and Neetu sentenced to five years of imprisonment under Section 498B (using as genuine, forged, or counterfeit currency notes or bank notes) and a one-year term under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, respectively and a fine of Rs. 35,000 each.
Case Title: State v. Salim Sheikh and Anr.