Bihar Octogenarian Gets Three-Year Rigorous Imprisonment In 34-Year-Old Case

Patna: The frail, old man clad in a yellow dhoti and a white undervest with a gamchha (thin cotton towel) thrown on his left shoulder, a walking stick in one hand and a pair of slippers in another caught everybody's attention at the Hajipur court in Vaishali district of Bihar.

Bent forward from his waist, 84-year-old Deep Rai trudged with two people supporting him from both sides. A police man carrying a rope and handcuffs walked behind him. After taking a few steps, he sat down on the side of the pathway leading out of the court to rest and catch his breath. His gait, low spirit, and tiredness indicated that it was the end of the road for him.

Minutes ago, he had been convicted on Monday by the Additional District and Sessions Judge Manoj Kumar Tiwari in a 34-year-old case of attempt to murder, possessing illegal firearms and murderous assault on a couple.

The judge scheduled the pronouncement of the quantum of punishment for Tuesday, when Deep was handed over three years' rigorous imprisonment. However, the court gave him the option of provisional bail under the sections of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), following which he was released from custody and allowed to go home. He now has an opportunity to move the Patna High Court against the conviction.

Though the long arm of law did catch up with him, his slow plod also symbolised the snail's pace of the Indian judicial system.

Someone made videos of Deep, which went viral on various social media platforms, drawing diverse opinions ranging from inescapable justice, facing the consequences of karma, reaping in old age what you sow when young, to the need to show leniency to the elderly.

The case was from the Jurawanpur police station area. Deep and four others first threw glass shards outside the house of neighbour Adalat Rai and his wife, and then assaulted and fired at them when they objected to it. They suffered serious injuries in the attack, but survived.

Based on Adalat's complaint, an FIR was registered against them on May 10, 1992, under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting while armed with deadly weapons), and the Arms Act of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Deep was 50 at that time.

The police submitted a charge sheet in 1993, and the case dragged on in the court for more than three decades. Four of the accused died during the trial, while Deep survived and was finally convicted. He has been sent to jail and out on bail all this while.

Jurawanpur station house officer (SHO) Abhishek Ojha told ETV Bharat that he had no idea about the case before seeing videos of the old man on social media.

The case, the delay and the circumstances have left a lingering question before everybody, especially with four persons dying before the case concluded. Though Deep got punished, is it justice in the true sense, or a travesty of justice due to the prolonged delay?

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