Chandigarh: Held guilty of stalking, youth out on probation

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune news service

Chandigarh, August 17

After holding him guilty under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint) and 354D (stalking) of the IPC, a local court here has released a youth on probation to give him a chance to reform.

The court also acquitted the youth for the offence punishable under Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

The police had registered an FIR and arrested the accused in September 2017 following a complaint by the girl, who was a student of a government school.

The girl had alleged that accused Ratandeep, along with two other accused, followed her when she was returning from the school.

She claimed that Ratandeep stopped her near the Sector 41/42 roundabout and told her to accept her offer of friendship.

She alleged that when she refused, the accused forcibly took her to the nearby park and threatened her.

When someone came for my help, the accused also injured him, she said, adding that when she raised the alarm, the accused ran away from the spot.

Defence counsel Baldev Sharma, however, argued that the prosecution had failed to establish the case against the accused.

After hearing both sides and considering evidence led by the prosecution as well as defence of the accused, the court held Ratandeep guilty for the offence under Section 341 and 354D of IPC. However, he was acquitted of the charges framed under Section 506 of the IPC due to lack of evidence

While pronouncing the sentence, the court observed that “the convict is first time offender and also of young age”.

“Therefore, the circumstances warrant that convict should be given one chance to reform his ways and to live peacefully in society,” the court observed.

“Resultantly, instead of sentencing the convict at once, I order him to be released on probation on furnishing probation bonds in the sum of Rs20,000 with one surety in the like amount with an undertaking not to repeat the offence and to maintain peace and good behavior during the next six months,” read the order.