Maharashtra: 35 Year Old Gets Two Years 'Rigorous Imprisonment' For Throwing A 'Slipper' At Judge

The accused Ganesh Laxman Gaikwad who was undertrial has been held guilty of offences punishable under sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty) and 294 (obscene acts or words in public) of the IPC according to a PTI report. 

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Mumbai: A 35 year old undertrial labourer was sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment for allegedly throwing a slipper at a district judge and verbally abusing him in Maharashtra's Thane district.

The accused Ganesh Laxman Gaikwad who was undertrial has been held guilty of offences punishable under sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty) and 294 (obscene acts or words in public) of the IPC according to a PTI report. 

On June 28, 2019, Gaikwad  from Navi Mumbai produced in the court of district and additional sessions judge R S Gupta for a hearing the additional public prosecutor S M Dandekar told the court. The accused informed the court that the advocate assigned to him by the court wasn't attending the hearing. 

To this judge informed the accused that the court will assign him another advocate and the hearing can be held on the next date. 

Enraged by the judge's decision, the accused removed one of his slippers and hurled it at the judge and also started to verbally abuse him. 

According to the PTI report, the judge noted that the offence committed by the accused was a serious one and he did not deserve any sympathy.

Rigorous imprisonment includes is given to offences of serious nature such as house trespass (Section 449) or giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence (Section 194). During this period the convicts are made to do hard labour such as breaking stones, digging the earth, agriculture, carpentry etc. The imposition of hard labour is expected to have a deterrent effect on criminal behaviour.