Bhatinda Immigration Fraud Case Upheld by High Court
The conviction and sentencing of Charanjit Kaur serve as a reminder of the ongoing issue of immigration fraud in the region, with the court relying on a Supreme Court judgment that emphasizes the importance of holding perpetrators accountable, even in cases with defective investigations.
A 74-year-old woman, Charanjit Kaur, has been convicted of cheating two men out of Rs 15 lakh by promising them Canadian visas in 1999, with the Punjab and Haryana High Court upholding her conviction and reducing her sentence to one year of simple imprisonment.
The case dates back to 1999 when Pritpal Singh and Jagjit Singh paid Charanjit through her relative Gurlabh Kaur after being promised Canadian visas. The complainants alleged they were made to wait for 36 days before being abandoned. A case was registered in Bathinda in 2000 and the women were convicted in 2008. The conviction was upheld by the Bathinda sessions court in 2009.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has now upheld the conviction, citing the need to "nip this evil in the bud" and rejecting the woman's contention that she was too old to be imprisoned. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 3 lakh to be paid to the complainants as compensation. In a separate incident, an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) was injured in an encounter with robbery accused in Bathinda on Sunday night.
The court's decision highlights the importance of addressing immigration fraud and ensuring that those who engage in such activities are held accountable. The reduction in sentence takes into account Charanjit's advanced age, but also emphasizes the need for justice to be served in such cases.