IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH. Crl. R. No. 65 of 2003 Date of decision: 30-8-2010 Gurdeep Singh and others … Petitioners versus State of Punjab … Respondent CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE ARVIND KUMAR Present: Mr. Harsh Aggarwal, Advocate, for the petitioners Mr. B.S.Sra, Addl. A.G. Punjab … ARVIND KUMAR, J: This shall dispose of two criminal revisions, namely, Criminal Revisions No. 65 of 2003 and 118 of 2003 as they relate to the same incident and FIR. The present petitioners in both the revisions, i.e. Gurdeep Singh, Karnail Singh and Surinder in Criminal Revision No. 65 of 2003 and Arun Kumar, petitioner in Criminal Revision No. 118 of 2003 along with their co-accused Mohinder Singh, were tried by the court of the Judicial Magistrate I Class, Ludhiana, under Sections 473/474/420/468 IPC on the allegation that on 13.8.1994, on a raid conducted by police party of C.I.A. Ludhiana, these accused were caught red-handed while indulging in preparation of fake route permits, registration certificates of vehicles besides fake driving licences by printing fake forms and preparing fake stamps and seals at the Printing Press, namely, Suryavanshi Printing Press, Dugri Road, Ludhiana. At this stage, it may be apt to mention that during the pendency of trial, one of the accused, namely, Mohinder Singh expired and thus, proceedings qua him were abated. The learned trial Court vide judgment and order dated 13/14.3.2001 though acquitted all these petitioners of the offence under Section 473//420/468 IPC; however, convicted them under Section 474 IPC and sentenced them to undergo rigorous imprisonment for Crl. R. No. 65 of 2003 -2- two years and to pay fine of Rs.500/- each and in default of payment of fine, to further undergo RI for three months each. On appeal, the lower appellate Court upheld the judgment of the trial Court. Hence, the present revision petitions. I have heard the learned counsel for the parties. Counsel for the petitioners-accused has not touched the merits of the case and has prayed only for reduction of sentence so awarded to the petitioners on the ground that the petitioners have faced the agony of protracted trial/appeal for the last 16 years and have already undergone sentence of 4 months each and that no previous antecedents have been brought to surface so as to condemn them as habitual offenders. Counsel has left them at the mercy of the Court. The arguments have been scanned. Keeping in view the fact that the petitioners have already undergone four months of the sentence and have left themselves at the mercy of the Court, the conviction of the petitioners in both the revision petitions under Section 474 IPC stands maintained but the sentence awarded to them is reduced to the period already undergone; however, the amount of fine stands enhanced to Rs.5000/- each to be deposited within three months from today. It is made clear that in case the fine as stated above is not deposited within the time stipulated, both the revision petitions shall stand dismissed. Intimation be sent to the Registry for compliance of this order. With the above modification/direction, both the revision petitions, namely, Criminal Revisions No. 65 of 2003 and 118 of 2003 stand disposed of. August 30, 2010 ( ARVIND KUMAR ) JS JUDGE