An army officer, sentenced to two-year jail for corruption, got relief from the Armed Forces Tribunal which has condoned his remaining two-month rigorous jail term.
In its judgement on the appeal filed by Captain Kulwant Singh against the two-year jail term in April, the Tribunal observed that, “No useful purpose will be served by subjecting him to such imprisonment at this belated stage.
“Therefore, purely on humanitarian grounds we condone the two months imprisonment. Accordingly, appeal is permitted to the extent of condonation of two month’s rigorous imprisonment.”
Singh, a Sena medal awardee, was charged with deceit and dishonest misappropriation of government money while he was posted at Allahabad in September, 1998.
He was tried by the general court martial after Rs 10.5 lakh, part of salary of troops of his unit, went missing from his custody while performing the duties of an adjutant of 312 Field Regiment in Allahabad.
Singh was tried by a general court martial, which in 2002 sentenced him to two-year rigorous imprisonment and cashiering.
The officer, however, approached the Allahabad High Court which granted him bail.Keeping in view the fact that Singh was granted bail from May 2002 to November 2003, and was not taken into custody thereafter to serve the remaining two months of his sentence,the Tribunal said, “We feel no useful purpose will be served by subjecting him to such imprisonment at this belated stage.”
-via Samay Live
