NEW DELHI: Palanisamy, a vegetable vendor and a resident of Theni district who was incarcerated for 451 days consequent upon his conviction for possessing 43 counterfeit currency notes of Rs 10 denomination breathed a sigh of relief as the Supreme Court recently reduced his jail term and ordered for forthwith release.
“The charge against him is only under Section 489C of the IPC. He was found to be in possession of 43 counterfeit notes of the denomination of Rs 10. He was a vegetable vendor. The main accused is A3. Considering the aforesaid aspects, we are inclined to modify the sentence to the one already undergone while retaining the conviction.
The appeal is allowed in part by modifying the sentence of 5 years imposed by the High Court to that of the period already undergone. The appellant shall be released forthwith, if not required in any other case,” a bench of Justices M M Sundresh and J B Pardiwala said.
Palanisamy had approached SC against Madras HCs on October 24 2019 order of reducing his seven-year imprisonment sentence to five years. The trial court convicted him on January 8, 2014, and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment.
Challenging HCs order, Palanisamy had submitted that he was an illiterate person, earning his livelihood as a vegetable vendor. He had also confessed that he was given 24 bundles of counterfeit currency notes of Rs 10 denomination by the absconding accused Kabeer. He confessed that he and Kalaai in September 2022 had taken out one bundle, divided it among themselves and attempted to circulate the same in the market.