IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Criminal Revision No.1832 of 2005 Date of Decision 01.12.2010 Sukhdev Singh @ Sukha ...... Petitioner VERSUS State of Punjab ...... Respondent CORAM:- HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE A.N.JINDAL Present: None for the petitioner. Mr.Amit Chaudhary, Asstt. Advocate General, Punjab, for the respondent-State. ***** A.N.JINDAL, J: Challenge in this petition is to the judgment dated 16.07.2005, passed by Addl. Sessions Judge, Mansa, dismissing the appeal against the judgment dated 14.11.2003, vide which the trial Court, convicted and sentenced the petitioner-accused (herein referred as 'the petitioner) to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of one year and to pay a fine of Rs.5,000/- under Section 61(1)(c) of Punjab Excise Act (for brevity 'the Act'). The allegations against the petitioner are that he was apprehended while operating the working still and thereby distilling illicit liquor in his house. The lahan and illicit liquor were recovered from his possession. He was charged, tried convicted and sentenced accordingly. Even otherwise, on scrutiny of the impugned judgment, it transpires that the evidence, as led by the prosecution, appears to have been appreciated in the right perspective. No such illegality much less irregularity or perversity was found or detected in the conduct of trial or Criminal Revision No.1832 of 2005 -2- procedure which may result into miscarriage of justice, therefore, the findings returned by the Courts below regarding conviction do not call for any interference at this revisional stage. Now coming to the quantum of sentence, it is noticed that the occurrence took place way back in the year 2003. The petitioner has already suffered a lot of agony due to the pendency of proceedings in the Courts for the last seven years and the sword of sentence remained hanging over his head since then. He has already undergone about three months of the substantive sentence. Under the peculiar circumstances of the present case, it would be in the fitness of things to reduce the sentence to some extent. Resultantly, this petition is dismissed with the modification in the sentence which is reduced to six months without any alteration in the sentence of fine. Copy of the judgment be sent to the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mansa, for compliance. (A.N.Jindal) Judge 01.12.2010 mamta-II