Convict detained at Court as penalty

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Oct 9 : Maibam Manojkumar, Session Judge Imphal East today sentenced Om Prakash to the ‘Rising of the Court’ till 4.30 pm and slapped a fine of Rs 2 lakh for misappropriating 347.384 MTs of rice meant for the State back in 1990.
‘Rising of the Court’ refers to a nominal sentence, an imprisonment the Court awards to the guilty detaining him in the Court room. The guilty person is not allowed to leave the Court till it concludes.
The same Court had on October 4 convicted Om Prakash Singh (63) under section 406 of Indian Penal Code for committing criminal breach of trust. The convict is the  proprietor of M/S Imphal Guwahati road carrier Thangal Bazar and resident of Jhun district in Rajasthan.
Special PP CBI submitted that the convict committed criminal breach of trust in not delivering 347.384 MTs of rice worth about Rs 11,28,998 and the convict had intentionally misappropriated the same, meant for distribution to the public and prayed for granting maximum sentence.
On the other hand defense counsel of the convict contended that the convict is a senior citizen aged 63 years and has no adverse record or previous conviction except the present case and the due rice had already been deposited to the Government.
Court after going through the submissions of both parties as well as the ratio laid down by the Supreme Court and came to the conclusion that it finds no ground for releasing the convict on probation as the convict had committed criminal breach of trust by not delivering the rice.
The Court also observed that the convict has delivered all the due amount of rice to the FCS and sentenced him to ‘Till the Rising of the Court till 4.30 pm’ today along with a fine of Rs 2 lakh under section 406 IPC and in default of payment of fine, today itself, the convict has to undergo simple imprisonment of six months.