New Delhi:  A man has been sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment for trying to kill a minor boy, by a Delhi court which said having regard to the nature of injuries received by the victim, the convict does not deserve any leniency.

Additional Sessions Judge Illa Rawat handed down the jail term to Nanhe, a vagabond, for stabbing the 11-year-old boy for money in northwest Delhi and held him guilty of the offence under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC.  

“On the basis of the testimonies of the witnesses examined by the prosecution, the documents placed on record and from the admission made by the accused himself, I am of the considered opinion that the prosecution has successfully proved the guilt of Nanhe,” the judge said and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on him.

The court also awarded the victim a compensation of Rs one lakh under the Victim Compensation Scheme, to be paid by the District Legal Service Authority (DLSA).  

“The victim has undergone considerable physical and mental trauma on account of the injury sustained by him.  Accordingly, it is deemed appropriate to recommend to the Secretary, DLSA, North West, to award compensation of Rs 1 lakh to the victim under Victim Compensation Scheme,” the court said.

While convicting Nanhe, the court noted that he had admitted that he was under the influence of alcohol and had stabbed the victim.

It rejected Nanhe's contention that he did not intend to kill the child, saying he could not prove the same.  

According to the prosecution, on January 6, 2013, the minor boy went to a park near his residence in Sultanpuri here, to play with his friends. While, he was standing outside the gate of the park, Nanhe came there and stabbed him with a knife.

A complaint was lodged by victim's elder brother Sumit, who was an eye-witness, alleging that the minor was talking to his friend when Nanhe, a beggar, came and suddenly stabbed him, the prosecution had said, adding that the victim was taken to a nearby hospital where he was admitted for four days and had to undergo surgery.

The victim, in his statement, had said that Nanhe asked him for some money and on his refusal, he stabbed him and ran away.

Nanhe had claimed that he was falsely implicated and sought leniency from the court on the ground that he was a beggar and had remained in custody for over an year.