95-year-old gets 3 yrs RI for encroachment

A 95-year-old woman has been sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment by a court here for a crime committed at the age of 50. Kailashvati Devi and another person were pulled up for encroaching on a plot of land in Lal Kothi area that is said to belong to the state government.

Kailashvati was wheeled into the courtroom Tuesday for the hearing and spent an hour calmly only to be told that she would have to serve three years in jail. Her family,however,maintained that the Jaipur Development Authority,had itself transferred ownership of the plot to Kailashvati. The JDA had earlier contended that in 1960 Kailashvati had encroached on the government land and later sold it off to Valmiki Housing Development Cooperative Society. The 95-year-old was,therefore,implicated in a case of encroaching and illegal sale of government land.

The matter is being heard in a local court since 1997 and an order was finally issued Tuesday. The judge,however,suspended the decision till June 26,to give time to Kailashvatis family to file an appeal. Kailashvati also has to pay a fine of Rs 20,000.