Taking a lenient view, Metropolitan Magistrate Arvind Bansal released central Delhi resident Deepak by setting off the jail term awarded to him against the time he had spent behind bars during the trial, after he had pleaded guilty to the offence.
"Considering the young age and the future of the convict, the court is of the considered opinion that the interest of justice would be met if the convict is sentenced to imprisonment already undergone for the offence," the judge said.
According to the prosecution, Deepak had in March 2011 stolen the mobile phone of the complainant Nisha Srivastava from Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station here.
During the trial, the police had told the court that they had arrested Deepak after conducting their investigation in the matter.
Deepak had initially disputed the charges filed against him, but later on, during the course of the trial, he voluntarily pleaded guilty.
During the sentencing, the counsel on behalf of the accused had sought leniency for him, saying the accused was the sole earner in his family and he had faced trial for two years and had already served time in jail.
