The Madras High Court has come to the rescue of a convict affected by HIV by modifying the punishment of imprisonment imposed on him in two cases for the charge of misappropriating the funds of a cooperative bank. The court ordered that it would be sufficient if he paid fine amount of ₹5,000 each in both the cases.
Justice M.V. Muralidaran passed the order purely on humanitarian grounds. The judge pointed out that the trial courts had convicted the former bank secretary in both cases and ordered him to undergo imprisonment for one year. However, on appeal, the first appellate court had commuted the period of sentence to one month.
Allowing the present revision petition, the judge said, the prosecution had not disputed the claim of the petitioner affected by HIV and counting his days. Hence, taking into consideration the nature of the disease and the sufferings undergone by the convict, the judge said, it would suffice if the petitioner pays the fine amount alone.