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The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to grant the relief of 'exemption from surrender' to an Indian Army Officer convicted in a dowry death case, despite his counsel highlighting the officer's service in 'Operation Sindoor', a recent military operation against Pakistan.
A Bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and K Vinod Chandran directed the officer to surrender within two weeks, rejecting the plea for protection from arrest. The counsel appearing for the officer submitted that his client is a black cat commando in the Indian army who participated in Operation Sindoor. However, the Court rejected his argument and stated that having served in Operation Sindoor doesn't give the accused officer any immunity from committing atrocities at home. Notably, the bench remarked that the fact that he's served in the army only shows how fit and capable the officer is of having strangulated his wife to death. The Court also observed that an exemption from surrender is granted in cases involving less serious offences than those presently alleged against the accused officer. After hearing submissions, the Court agreed to issue notice to the respondent State of Punjab on the officers' plea but refused to grant him any protection from surrender. The accused officer had moved a plea challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court's decision in having refused to grant him relief from surrender. The accused officer had earlier been convicted by a Punjab court for having committed dowry death under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He then moved an appeal against conviction in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The High Court granted him relief by suspending his sentence (until his appeal stood pending) after he had served over three years of imprisonment. However, the High Court dismissed his appeal last month and upheld the conviction, sentencing him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. (ANI)
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