NEW DELHI: Twenty-nine years after an Uttarakhand man died due to an altercation over a Rs 500 watch, the Supreme Court has finally closed the case and allowed the last remaining convict to walk free after altering his sentence from rigorous imprisonment of five years to the period already undergone.
“At this distant point in time, we are of the view that it would meet the ends of justice if we alter the sentence of imprisonment from rigorous imprisonment for five years to the period already undergone, while maintaining the conviction,” the bench said in its June 25 order.
The court also stated that from the materials on record, it is seen that the appellant was, at that point of time, 33 years old. Today, we are in 2026, almost three decades have gone by since then.
The appellant (Mathu alias Jagdish) is now well over 60 years of age. We have also noted the genesis of the altercation between the deceased and the accused, which escalated into a scuffle, leading to the fall of the deceased into a dry canal, the bench noted.
The top court further clarified that the convict had served sufficient time in custody, and modifying the punishment to “period already undergone” would meet the ends of justice.
With the alteration, the convict is now free to walk out, bringing closure to the case after years of litigation.