Friday, November 23, 2018

Don’t make theft victims feel like accused: Ahmedabad court

A city sessions court has said that the victims of theft should not be made to feel as if they are the accused when they come seeking custody of their stolen belongings.
Additional sessions judge P C Chauhan ordered to return 14.3 kg silver plates to a trader from Piplag village of Amreli district, Nirmal Vala (39). He had been asking for the silver plates since the person who looted them was nabbed and the valuables were recovered.

When Vala first requested the metropolitan court to return the muddamaal, his application was rejected on the ground that the receipt furnished by Vala showed that he had bought 18 kg silver, and the recovery was 14.3 kg. moreover, the notice issued to the accused was not served.

The sessions court was not happy with this decision and said, “In present times, incidents of loot continue to occur in which innocent complainants’ valuable goods are stolen. To get the stolen goods back, the complainants have to go through legal procedure as if they themselves are accused.”

Suggesting such treatment for victims be avoided, the court further said that a trial court cannot deprive the owner only on the ground that the notice issued to the accused has not been served. That an accused person’s “no claim” on muddamaal has not come on record should not be an excuse to refuse custody of a person’s belonging to him.

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