Sentencing of ex-Army major, wife for battering kid on Aug 4

Additional Session Judge Virender Bhat had held Major (Retd) Lalit Balhara and his second wife Preeti Balhara guilty of battering the minor boy and trying to kill him after the victim's mother, herself an Army captain, had died in 2000.

The judge reserved his order on sentencing after the counsel for the convicts sought leniency for them while the minor boy's advocate demanded life imprisonment for them.

"Both the accused were produced from judicial custody. After hearing the arguments from both the parties, this court reserves order on sentence for August 4," the judge said.

The former Army major and his second wife had also been held guilty under the Juvenile Justice Act.

While seeking life imprisonment for the couple, the victim's counsel Ravinder S Garia said, "Both persons have high status in society, but have committed such a ghastly act which cannot be overlooked."

Garia demanded harshest possible punishment for the convicts saying his client has suffered permanent injury and has been left him battered baby syndrome for life.

Opposing Garia's arguments, defence counsel, however, pleaded that his clients have been in custody for three months and have also not misused the bail given to them earlier.

"They also have two other minor children, a 14-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son and there is no one to look after them," their counsel added. (More)