Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Savita Rao reduced truck driver Joginder Singh's sentence observing that he has to look after his family and has no criminal antecedents either.
"Singh is facing trial for the last more than 18 years and is not a previous convict. He has already remained in judicial custody for 22 days and has the responsibility of his wife, three children and aged father, while he is the sole bread earner of his family.
"Convict is sentenced to undergo simple imprisonment for one month and to pay a fine of Rs 1,000," the judge said.
Police had said Singh, while driving his truck in a rash and negligent manner, crushed Dhramveer to death in January 1993.
During adjudication of the case before the magisterial court, Singh had admitted that he was driving the truck but not in a negligent manner.
The magistrate, however, had convicted and sentenced Singh to six-month in jail on the basis of the testimony of prosecution's witnesses.
Singh, aggrieved by the conviction and sentence order passed by the magistrate, had moved the sessions court which, after going through the trial court record, upheld his conviction but reduced the sentence awarded to him.
