I feel vindicated: Jethmalani

NEW DELHI, JULY 25. The former Union Law Minister, Mr. Ram Jethmalani, today said he felt vindicated with a Mumbai court dismissing the case against the Shiv Sena supremo, Mr. Bal Thackeray, as time- barred, a view which he had maintained all along.

``I feel vindicated,'' the former Minister said and added ``I had told the Home Ministry exactly the same when my views as Law Minister were sought.''

About the criticism aired by certain lawyers on his views about the case, he said, ``I pity some lawyers claiming to be experts in criminal law who have publicly declared that there is no limitation for any criminal offence. I think they did not read the law for the last 26 years since Section 468 of the Criminal Procedure Code was enacted,'' he said.

Section 468 of the CrPC provides: ``No court shall take cognisance of an offence of a category specified in sub- section (2) after the expiry of the period of limitation. The subsection (2) of Section 468 says (a) the period of limitation shall be six months if any offence is punishable with imprisonment with fine only, (b) one year if the offence is punishable with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, and (C) three years if the offence is punishable with imprisonment for a term exceeding one year but not exceeding three years.''

A Mumbai court while dismissing the case today said ``the offence cannot be taken cognisance of as it is time barred... therefore, the accused is released and the case is closed.''

- PTI

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