Apna Ghar case: CBI court defers sentence to April 27

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, April 24

The CBI on Tuesday sought maximum punishment for the nine convicts in the Apna Ghar sexual abuse case, as special CBI Judge Jagdeep Singh deferred pronouncing the quantum of sentence to April 27.

Jatinder Kumar, a CBI counsel, submitted the act committed by the convicts was unpardonable and a message should be sent to society by awarding maximum punishment to them.

Defence counsels, however, submitted the court should take a lenient view in awarding sentence as the convicts were sole breadwinners of their families. Some of them have the responsibility of their parents, and they have to bear the expenditure of their children’s higher education, they submitted.

On April 19, the CBI court had convicted nine persons, including Apna Ghar caretaker Jaswanti Devi, her son-in-law Jai Bhagwan, brother Jaswant Singh, daughter Sushma alias Simmi, driver Satish and his sister Sheela, for rape, gangrape, immoral trafficking, hurt, grievous hurt, molestation, causing abortion without woman’s consent, unlawful compulsory labour and treating children with cruelty.

Apna Ghar counsellor Veena was held guilty of causing miscarriage without woman’s consent, unlawful compulsory labour, criminal intimidation and treating children with cruelty.

Roshni was convicted of getting involved in taking away a child born to an inmate of Apna Ghar and forging the birth certificate, while Ram Prakash Saini, who was associated with Jaswanti and was working in Apna Ghar, was convicted of making an inmate work at his house without paying the remuneration.