New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS) A Delhi court here let off an accused in the case of a 70-year-old man and his physically challenged daughter being burnt alive at Mirchpur village in Haryana's Hisar district in 2010, court sources said Friday.
However, the court jailed him for six months for evading court proceedings.
Jasbir, 27, had been in judicial custody but had escaped from the court lock-up May 24, 2011. He was declared a proclaimed offender.
Additional Session Judge Kamini Lau Thursday acquitted Jasbir and said a harsh view would be detrimental to the young convict. The court imposed a fine of Rs.2,000 on him.
"The convict is a young boy and has no previous criminal record. The aggravating factor is that he had escaped from the lock-up by showing gross indifference and throwing a challenge to the existing legal procedures," said the court.
Tarachand, 70, and his 18-year-old physically challenged daughter Suman were killed in the April 21, 2010 arson attack on their house and a row of other Dalit houses in Mirchpur village, about 300 km from Chandigarh.
Fifteen accused from the Jat community were tried and held guilty in the case Sep 24, 2011. Three were awarded life terms.
The court last year acquitted 82 out of the 97 accused in the case, saying the allegations levelled against them could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt.
The attack happened after a dispute between members of the Jat and Dalit communities of the village.
