In Brief
A 60-year-old teacher was assaulted by the Sarpanch and a Gram Panchayat member over a school attendance dispute in 2005. The appellant was convicted for assault, abusive language, and criminal intimidation under the IPC. The High Court upheld the conviction with a three-month jail sentence and Rs. 800 fine. On appeal, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction but modified the sentence. Since the appellant had already served one month of jail time and had no prior criminal record, the Court reduced the remaining jail sentence to zero and increased the fine to Rs. 15,000 as a substitute punishment. Non-payment within one month would revive the remaining sentence.
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