Leniency a "misplaced sympathy": court

Showing leniency would be a case of misplaced sympathy, a Delhi court today said while refusing the benefit of probation to Rajya Sabha MP and Congress leader Rasheed Masood and two former bureaucrats who were sentenced to four-year jail term in a corruption case.
"In view of the cirsumtances of the case where the deserving students of the state of Tripura were fradulently denied their due entitlement in medical/dental college pursuant to a conspiracy, taking a lenient view shall be a case of misplaced sympathy with the wrongdoers," Special CBI judge J P S Malik said.
Masood and co-convicts Gurdial Singh, a former IPS officer, and retired IAS official Amal Kumar Roy, the then Secretary of Tripura Chief Minister Sudhir Ranjan Majumdar, had urged the court to release them on probation.

Masood had argued that he is 67 years old, having a medical history and is suffering from various ailments including coronary and heart problems.
He had also argued there has been no other complaint against him or any prior conviction and if given a severe sentence, he would lose his Rajya Sabha seat.