Postman convicted of submitting fake delivery report, gets one-yr jail

Judicial Magistrate First Class, Jawali, on Thursday convicted a postman for filing a false report regarding the delivery of a registered letter. The accused, Kushal Singh, was sentenced to one year's imprisonment and fined Rs 26,000.

The case originated from a complaint lodged by Jalam Singh, a resident of Chabuyan, Jawali, after court directions. On February 2, 2009, he filed an FIR at Jawali police station, alleging that the postman deliberately submitted a fake report due to a personal land dispute. At the time, the accused was posted in the Jonka-Ratial sub-post office.

According to the prosecution, the court had issued summons through registered posts to Jalam Singh and his brother. Instead of delivering the letters, the postman falsely marked them as "Refused" by the addressees. This act hindered legal proceedings in the ongoing civil suit.

During the police investigation, it was confirmed that the refusal report was fabricated. Based on the evidence, the court convicted the accused under Sections 167, 177, 420, 465, and 466 of the Indian Penal Code.

Assistant District Attorney Ravi Kumar represented the prosecution and confirmed the conviction, terming it a serious breach of official duty and trust.