Former Delhi High Court Bar Association President Rajiv Khosla, who was recently convicted for assaulting a woman lawyer in 1994, was let off by a Delhi court with just a fine of Rs 40,000.
The 27-year-old case came to an end on 30 November, when the court imposed a fine but did not award a sentence.
The victim, identified as Sujata Kohli, was a practising lawyer when the incident happened. She went on too become a judge in Delhi judiciary and retired as district and sessions judge, LiveLaw reported.
“For 323 IPC, Khosla has to pay a compensation of Rs 20,000—Rs 10,000 each to state and victim, and for 506 IPC, he has to pay Rs 20,000—Rs 10,000 each to state and victim within a month,” said Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gajendra Singh Nagar, The New Indian Express reported.
“The convict, who is aged 65, is being convicted for an offence which he committed 27 years ago, this is a mitigating factor to be considered at the time of deciding the punishment. The undersigned does not deem it to send the convict to imprisonments he is not convicted in any other case, in his entire life of 65 years, and he is a senior citizen."The Delhi Court order
In courtroom number 38, where Nagar passed the order, saw lawyers chanting “shame, shame, shame” and accusing the judge of favouring Kohli, reported news agency PTI.
Some lawyers reportedly climbed on the top of the tables and chairs and yelled – "Pass the order. We want to hear it."
“Why is he [Khosla] being allowed to enter the court with a crowd? He is here with hundreds of lawyers. The convict is, again and again, reflecting that he has no regard for rule of law. He loves to abuse the court,” the survivor told the court.
What Happened?
The allegations against Khosla date back to 1994, when he was a secretary of the Delhi Bar Association. He had reportedly asked Kohli to join a seminar, and when she refused, he threatened to withdraw her from the association, LiveLaw reported.
When a civil suit was filed by Kohli, her table and chair were removed from her spot, the website said. In her complaint, she said that while she was waiting for the visit of the judge, Khosla, along with his co-accused, came with a mob of at least 40-50 lawyers.
According to Kohli, Khosla pulled her by her hair, twisted her arms and dragged her by uttering abuses.
While a First Information Report (FIR) was filed in August 1994, Kohli filed another complaint in March 1995 after she was dissatisfied with the investigation.
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