Calcutta HC trims jail term of two in 2008 bizman assault case

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has upheld the conviction of two men for causing grievous injuries to a businessman in a daylight assault in North 24 Parganas in 2008, but reduced their jail sentence to the period already undergone, citing the long passage of time since the incident.

The bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh held that the prosecution had proved the charges beyond a reasonable doubt through the testimony of the injured victim, corroborated by eyewitnesses and medical evidence, and declined to interfere with the finding of guilt recorded by the trial court.

The incident occurred on June 12, 2008, when the victim was attacked near a market area while out shopping. He was struck on the head with a wooden stick and a bicycle pump, collapsed with severe bleeding injuries, and was rushed by local residents to Dr B.N. Bose Hospital. He was later referred to another hospital, where he remained under treatment for more than a month. Medical records showed that the victim suffered multiple lacerated wounds, including a fracture of the skull. He survived the assault and later testified during the trial.

During the appeal, the convicts argued that inconsistencies in witness accounts regarding the weapons used and the sequence of events weakened the prosecution’s case. The High Court rejected this contention, observing that minor discrepancies did not affect the core version of the incident and that the injured victim’s evidence carried substantial weight.

On sentencing, the court noted that more than seventeen years had passed since the incident and that both convicts had already spent a little over one month in custody.

Holding that no useful purpose would be served by further imprisonment, the court reduced the sentence to the period already undergone. The convicts were directed to furnish personal bonds of Rs 10,000 each for two years. The court clarified that involvement in a similar offence during this period would lead to cancellation of the bond and a six-month jail term.