After a six-year trial, assault convict’s sentence out: Stay in court for a day

KOCHI: A judicial first class magistrate court in Kochi awarded simple imprisonment to a Thammanam native by asking him to remain in the court for a day. Venugopal was convicted for assaulting his neighbour, a retired Intelligence Bureau officer, in 2016.

Venugopal, who resides at the Labour Colony Road, was found guilty under IPC Section 323 for causing hurt voluntarily. The maximum punishment under it is one-year imprisonment or a fine of Rs 1,000. The trial that commenced in November 2016 ended on August 30, 2022. Seven witnesses and as many documents were examined.

The prosecution case was that, after his neighbour informed the police about Venugopal’s assault on wife, he abused the former IB officer in public and assaulted him in front of a ration shop on May 7, 2016. He sustained injuries. The case was registered against Venugopal and he was apprehended on May 24, 2016. He was granted bail the same day.

During the trial, one eyewitness was examined but she did not support the prosecution version while another said he had only hearsay knowledge about the incident.

“The evidence of the complainant regarding his injury, the incident and the version that it was done by the accused were corroborated by the medical evidence as well. Though the other eyewitnesses did not support the prosecution case, it cannot be said that the proof available before the court is unreliable. In fact, causing pain is sufficient to attract IPC Section 323,” Magistrate Selmath R M observed.