Attending the court every day may be considered equivalent to simple imprisonment of one day, a city court has observed while letting off a man on probation after holding him guilty of assaulting another man. The trial had been going on for 11 years.

Metropolitan magistrate Jagminder Singh let off south-west Delhi resident Lalit Kumar on probation, and also on grounds of being the sole earner of the family. The court said he had apologised for his behaviour.

“The convict submits that he is facing trial since 2001 and continuously appearing before court. Attending the court on each date may be considered equivalent to simple imprisonment of one day,” said the court. The court also noted that he had faced the trial for 11 years.

The case dates back to September 10, 2000, when Lalit, a teacher by profession, had abused and assaulted Bihar native Mohan Kumar. The prosecution had told the court that Lalit assaulted Mohan with a dangerous weapon when the victim had gone to his cousin’s house, where the accused was also present.

The court convicted Lalit for beating up Mohan, but held that there was no sufficient evidence to conclude that a dangerous weapon had been used.