In Brief
The appellant was convicted under the Kerala Abkari Act for illegal possession of 4.5 litres of arrack and 3.750 litres of Indian Made Foreign Liquor found during an Excise Inspector's search. The trial court sentenced him to one year imprisonment and Rs 1,00,000 fine. The High Court reduced imprisonment to nine months. The Supreme Court held that the appellant had already spent 35 days in custody before trial. The Court modified the sentence to reduce imprisonment to the period already undergone, while confirming the penalty amounts, finding this proportionate to the offence's gravity. The appeal was partly allowed."
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