'Make amends to him for injustice': Video of 84-year-old Bihar man sentenced to rigorous imprisonment in 34-year-old case draws sharp reactions

A court in Bihar's Vaishali district on Tuesday sentenced five members of a family, including an 84-year-old man, to rigorous imprisonment in a 34-year-old attempt to murder case.

District and Additional Sessions Judge-I Manoj Kumar Tiwari awarded 10 years of imprisonment each to four convicts, while octogenarian Deepa Rai was sentenced to three years in prison. However, Rai was granted provisional bail due to his old age.

Several videos of the frail man unable to walk are doing rounds on social media. Rai was accompanied by two people to the court as he struggled to walk on his own.

The incident also sparked sharp reactions from the law fraternity.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising urged Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to take suo motu notice of the matter.

"Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, while you swear in five new judges, please take suo moto notice of the report below. The man needs to be released on grounds of age alone and the legal system must make amends to him for the injustice and its own indifference and delay. Money does not compensate for a single day of freedom lost," she wrote in a post on X.

The court has imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on each of the five convicts-Deepa Rai, Jagdish Rai, Naresh Rai, Nagdev Rai and Nakeshwar Rai.

"The convictions were made under provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 148 and 307, as well as Section 27 of the Arms Act. The court granted provisional bail to the elderly convict Deepa Rai," Additional Public Prosecutor Khwaja Hasan Khan said.

What is the case about?

The case relates to an incident that occurred on November 10, 1992, in Jurawanpur village.

Adalat Rai and his wife, Ramsakhi Devi, were sitting outside their house when Deepa Rai and his family members reached there with arms and began scattering broken glass on a pathway. When the couple objected, they were assaulted and later shot at, resulting in injuries.

Police submitted the chargesheet in March 1993, and charges were formally framed on June 17, 1999.

During the prolonged trial, four of the accused died.