Brothers of potato trader sent to 3-yr RI

The court of JMIC Ram Pal has sentenced two brothers to three years of rigorous imprisonment for allegedly preparing a bogus affidavit as part of criminal conspiracy to usurp the house of their third brother at 10, GTB Enclave, here.

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Gurmeet Singh, a potato trader, had lodged a complaint against his elder brother Pritpal Singh and younger brother Navdeep Singh and wives of both brothers. An FIR had been lodged against the four under Sections 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, 120-B, 454 and 380 of the IPC in June 2011. Almost 14 years later, the court has held the brothers guilty while their wives have been acquitted.

The court has sentenced Pritpal Singh and Navdeep Singh to two years of RI under Sections 120-B, 420 and 471 of the IPC and three years under Sections 467 and 468 of the IPC. The court has also asked them to pay a fine of Rs 7,000 each.

Gurmeet Singh had alleged that he had purchased a plot vide a sale deed registered in the office of Sub Registrar, Jalandhar, in 1992. Thereafter, he had constructed H No.10, at GTB Enclave. He had applied for electricity connection which was installed in 1997. At the time of filing application for installing electricity connection, a copy of the sale deed was attached with the application.

The complainant said he came to know that Pritpal Singh, his elder brother, who was having family dispute over business partnership with him, had fraudulently filed an application with PSEB, Model Town, Jalandhar, requesting them to change electricity connection in the name of Pritpal Singh by tendering a false and fabricated affidavit on behalf of the complainant, which was signed in Gurmukhi script and was attested from a notary.

In 2008, he said when he came to his house in Jalandhar from Bengaluru, he came to know that Pritpal Singh had attempted to get electricity meter installed in his name. He filed a complaint with the police but due to shortage of time, he along with his family had to return to Bengaluru. However, prior to this, Pritpal and other family members had assured him that Pritpal or anybody else would not do any act to alter anything in the house of complainant or carry out any change in the ownership record.

In July 2010, when Gurmeet along with his family came from Bengaluru to stay in the house at Jalandhar, he found that the lock of the main gate was changed. He alleged that his brother Pritpal and his family members were occupying the house. When they checked the house from inside, they found that main almirah in a bedroom was lying open from where some precious items were found missing.

He said when he enquired about the same from his brothers Pritpal, Navdeep and their wives, they forcibly pushed him and his family members. It was after this episode that an FIR was lodged and a trial was conducted.