An Ambala court docket has convicted and sentenced two males to 2 years of imprisonment for desecrating a statue of Jesus Christ at a Catholic church in Ambala Cantonment in 2021.
The court docket of judicial Justice of the Peace top quality (JMIC) Akshay Arora pronounced the judgment towards Sandeep Kumar and Ravinder Singh, each residents of Ambala Cantonment. Whereas the conviction was handed down on March 7, the quantum of sentence was introduced two days later. The detailed order was made accessible on Friday.
The duo was sentenced below Sections 153-A (selling enmity) and 452 (house-trespass), learn with Part 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They had been additionally discovered responsible below Sections 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship) and 427 (mischief).
The convicts had been accused of damaging a 5.5-ft-tall statue of Jesus Christ (Sacred Coronary heart Statue) on the entrance of the Holy Redeemer Catholic Church within the early hours of December 26, 2021, shortly after Christmas celebrations had concluded. Inbuilt 1848, the church is a landmark, established when the East India Firm shifted its base from Karnal to Ambala.
In search of leniency, Sandeep instructed the court docket he was a Haryana PWD worker and the only breadwinner for his spouse and daughter. Ravinder equally pleaded for mercy, stating he supported his widowed mom, a coronary heart affected person.
The defence argued for the “good thing about doubt”, claiming the prosecution relied on circumstantial proof and lacked eyewitnesses who noticed the accused on the spot.
The prosecution, nonetheless, introduced 16 witnesses, together with complainant Father Patros Munda, in addition to CCTV footage and images. The court docket dominated that the prosecution efficiently established a “chain of circumstances” proving guilt past affordable doubt.
The court docket noticed that the accused, performing with frequent intention, unfold hatred towards Christianity by trespassing and vandalising the statue.
“This act is prejudicial to the upkeep of concord between completely different teams, castes, or communities because it disturbs or is prone to disturb public tranquility,” the court docket held.
