Court discharges British national booked for IGI trespass

A Delhi court has discharged a British national of Indian origin of charges of criminal trespass and cheating, saying it appeared to be a "bona fide mistake" for him to enter the wrong terminal at the Delhi airport.

The accused, Arvinder Singh Paul, was arrested from the IGI airport on October 16 after the CISF complained that he had entered Terminal 3 on the basis of a cancelled ticket to London.

The counsel for the accused said he had entered Terminal 3 with his wife and daughter who were to go to London, as he was unaware that his flight to Amritsar was from another terminal.
 

"There is nothing on record to show that the accused had dishonest intention to breach airport security or to dishonestly deceive the airport officials, rather he had gained entry after his tickets were duly checked by the concerned officials," Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gurmohina Kaur said while discharging the accused.

The judge said "it appears that there was bona fide mistake that the flight was scheduled to depart from Terminal III which he was not aware...and, therefore, it cannot be held that to be that accused had fraudulent or dishonest intention and committed the office of criminal trespass as alleged."

Advocate Sufiyan Siddiqui, appearing for Paul, said his client had earlier booked three tickets to London, including for his wife and daughter. Later, he cancelled his ticket and booked a ticket to Amritsar for himself, he said.

While the flight for his wife and the daughter was scheduled to depart from Terminal 3, his flight to Amritsar was scheduled from Terminal 1, the counsel said, adding he was unaware of this.

The accused claimed that he had shown the e-ticket of his domestic flight at the gate but was apprehended on the charge that he had used his cancelled ticket to London to enter Terminal 3. He was released on bail later.