Court grants bail to theft accused with rider to plant 2 saplings

ACCUSED IS BEING RELEASED ON BAIL SUBJECT TO CONDITION THAT HE SHALL PLANT TWO SAPLINGS AT A VACANT PUBLIC LAND, COURT OF JUDICIAL MAGISTRATE OBSERVED

MOGA: A court in Moga granted bail to a theft accused on the condition that he will plant two saplings at a public place.

The court has fixed the next hearing on July 17 when the accused, Kulwinder Singh alias Bhinda (23) of Dagru village in the district, will have to produce the photograph of plantation and the bill of purchase of saplings.

Kulwinder was arrested on March 24 for stealing a motorcycle in February.

A case was registered against him under Section 379 (punishment for theft) of the Indian Penal Code at the Moga (city) police station. He was in judicial custody since March 24.

The court of judicial magistrate (1st class, Moga) Supinder Singh observed, “The accused is being released on bail subject to the condition that he shall plant two saplings of his choice at a vacant public land or on his own land, without claiming any right over the tree or the land in future, in case of public land, on furnishing bail bonds in the sum of r50,000 with one surety in the like amount.”

“When we talk about criminal justice system, we generally think about rights of the accused and the victim. We do not give due importance to the collective consciousness of the society, the rights of the common man to live in a safe environment besides our collective interests,” the court order reads.

“As offence is not merely an offence against a particular victim, it is an offence against the state as well and it has wide ramifications upon sense of security and collective consciousness of the society itself,” the judge goes on to say.