Jaipur, Sep 19 (IANS): The Rajasthan High Court has reduced the punishment of a convict in an appeal filed around 35 years ago by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar when he was a practicing lawyer.

A single bench of Justice Mahendra Goyal gave this decision while disposing of the appeal of convict Gurudayal Singh. In 1989 Dhankhar, as a lawyer, had presented this appeal in the high court on behalf of Singh.

While giving the verdict on the appeal, the division bench of Justice Mahendra Goyal said that Gurudayal Singh's age was 43 when he was arrested, but today he is about 80-years-old.

"The accused is going through the trauma of this case being pending for the last 35 years. In such a situation, while maintaining his conviction and limiting his punishment to the punishment he suffered, this appeal is partially accepted and disposed of," said the court.

Advocate Bhavna Chaudhary, appearing on behalf of Gurudayal Singh, said that this incident took place on March 5, 1988. That day, Pritam Singh had lodged a report at Kishangarh Bass police station in Alwar district that Gurudayal Singh had injured Rajendra Singh by attacking him with a knife.

The police arrested Gurudayal Singh on March 13,1988. When Rajendra Singh died during treatment, the police filed murder case against Gurudayal Singh. But on March 10, 1989, the court found Gurudayal Singh guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced him to four years' imprisonment.

The appellant remained in jail for about two months and 19 days. After that he got the benefit of bail. During this time, Singh filed an appeal in the high court against the decision of Additional District Judge Kishangarh in 1989 and finally his plea was disposed of after 35 years on Monday.