In Brief
The appellant, a senior citizen, was convicted of criminal breach of trust and cheating (Sections 409 and 420B IPC) relating to an incident from 1991-92, though the complaint was filed belatedly in 2004. He argued the offence was compoundable under the Criminal Procedure Code and sought compounding. While acknowledging the compoundable nature, the Court held that it retained discretion to refuse compounding where public interest was involved. Considering the appellant's age, the Court partly allowed the appeal by modifying the sentence imposed rather than allowing full compounding.
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