A Delhi court has said the law must change with passage of time and the Parliamentarians should enhance punishment to teach a lesson to the offenders.
Advocating death penalty for crimes against senior citizens which have acquired "epidemic" proportions, a Delhi court has said the law must change with passage of time and the Parliamentarians should enhance punishment to teach a lesson to the offenders.
Citing legislative steps to provide stricter punishment for sexual offences, Additional Sessions Judge Narinder Kumar said lawmakers should provide for capital punishment in cases where senior citizens are robbed and looted.
"If present remedy to prevent or curb the crime is inadequate, concerned authorities have to ponder over for a better remedy. Even a doctor would enhance the dose of the drug to provide relief to his patient. After all, epidemics require urgent and serious remedies," the judge said while sentencing two youths Sunil Kumar and Arjun Sharma to ten years in jail for robbing a 70-year-old woman at knife point after trespassing her house.
"Having regard to gravity of nature of sexual offences, Legislature has taken steps to provide for stricter punishments for the criminals.
"This court feels that our wise representatives in the Parliament should provide for capital punishment of death in such cases also where senior citizens are the victims, so as to teach a lesson to the offenders and to deter others from indulging in crime against senior citizens," the court said.
The judge lamented that senior citizens are being targeted by criminals day and night and it cannot be said that they are fully safe.
"State is duty bound to ensure their safety," he underlined and deplored the rising crimes against elderlies as being an "epidemic which require urgent and serious remedies".
The prosecution case was that on the night of May 19, 2009, Dayawati was returning to her house from her shop in Christian Colony in Karol Bagh when she was asked by Sunil, Arjun and Ravi (absconding) about a woman living in the same building.
As she stopped to give them an ear, one of them closed her mouth and tied her hands and feet. She was taken inside her house, where her jewellery was removed. She was confined to her bathroom while the trio decamped with Rs75,000 and other valuables from her house.
The court noted that Dayawati was a senior citizen who was earning her livelihood by running a shop near her house and was living alone.
Under the Indian Penal Code, offence of robbery entails rigorous imprisonment for a maximum term of ten years with fine.
He said "the manner in which the old helpless lady was blindfolded, confined in the bathroom and robbed, gives a jolt to the judicial conscious of the Court."
The judge said "law has to change with the passage of time. Its object is to maintain peace in the society and punish the wrongdoers."
The court also imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on Sunil while Arjun was handed down a fine of Rs51,000.
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