Participating in Operation Sindoor doesn't give you immunity: Supreme Court to commando accused of dowry death

A trial court in Amritsar on July 2004 had convicted petitioner Baljinder Singh under Section 304-B (dowry death) of IPC for the death of his wife within two years of marriage.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to grant relief from surrender to a convict — a Black Cat commando — in the dowry death case of his wife, saying that participation in ‘Operation Sindoor’ does not grant immunity for atrocities committed at home.

A bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and K Vinod Chandran directed the petitioner to surrender within two weeks.

The court was hearing an appeal challenging a Punjab and Haryana High Court order, which had dismissed the man’s plea and upheld his conviction. The bench made it clear that it was not inclined to grant any exemption to the convict.

The petitioner’s counsel highlighted his client’s military background, noting that he had served as a Black Cat commando with the Rashtriya Rifles for the past 20 years and had participated in Operation Sindoor.

However, the SC observed that this service record did not grant him immunity for committing atrocities at home.

"This goes to show how physically fit you are and the manner in which you alone could have strangulated your wife,” the SC said.

With regard to his plea for exemption from surrender, the court observed that such relief is reserved for offences carrying lesser punishments.

“This is gruesome... the manner in which you strangulated your wife. Exemption from surrendering is in cases where punishment is for six months, one year,” the bench said.

Upon hearing submissions from the petitioner’s counsel, the court said it was willing to issue notice on the appeal but would not entertain the plea for protection from surrender. The counsel then sought time for the petitioner to surrender.

“Alright. Two weeks’ time granted to the petitioner to surrender… There is no Operation Sindoor now,” the bench said, refusing to grant any further extension.