Ambala: A local court on Wednesday sentenced seven convicts — including Anil Kumar, son of former Ambala City BJP MLA Master Shiv Prasad — to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment for attempted murder and criminal conspiracy in a 2020 case.Ambala district additional sessions judge Sampreet Kaur referred to Supreme Court judgments, emphasizing that punishment must be proportionate to the gravity of the crime and reflect society’s demand for justice, as she pronounced the order.Anil and the other convicts — Rohit, Devender, Jitender, Sukhwinder Singh, Jatin Kumar and Darpan Kumar — have been fined Rs 20,000 each. If they don’t pay the fine, they will have to undergo an additional two months of simple imprisonment. Sukhwinder has been convicted under Section 25 of Arms Act as well, and sentenced to three years’ RI along with a fine of Rs 5,000. The court directed that Rs 1 lakh of the fines would be paid to the injured complainant Rajesh Kumar Ahluwalia as compensation.During the hearing, defence counsel sought leniency, arguing that several convicts were sole breadwinners of their families, had dependent children or elderly parents, and had no previous criminal record. Anil’s counsel submitted that he was 67 years old and suffering from various ailments and Sukhwinder’s counsel stated that he had already been in custody for more than six years.Opposing their pleas for leniency, the prosecution argued that the gravity of offence warranted strict punishment to deter similar crimes in future.
