A Kerala Court Sentenced Resident Of A Flat & A Caretaker To 2 Years In Jail For Assaulting A Courier Delivery Boy

In a recent incident, a court in Kerala sentenced a resident of a flat and a caretaker to two years in jail for assaulting a courier delivery boy and a man who intervened to stop the attack.

According to the prosecution, the accused verbally abused and physically assaulted the delivery boy at the office of a professional courier service after he failed to deliver a package earlier in the day. The delivery boy was prevented from completing the delivery as he had not signed the visitor's book maintained at the flat. When another man tried to intervene and address the accused's misbehavior and verbal abuse, he too became a target of the attack.

On July 13, Sessions Judge Sunil Berchmans Varkey convicted the flat resident for the offense of obscene acts and songs under the IPC. The court sentenced the flat resident (first accused) to one month of simple imprisonment for verbally abusing the delivery boy by using inappropriate language in Malayalam. Additionally, both the flat resident and the caretaker were sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment and were fined ₹10,000 each for causing grievous harm.

However, both accused individuals were acquitted of the charge of culpable homicide. The court reasoned that although the accused had struck one of the victims with a helmet, they did not seem to be aware that such an injury could potentially be fatal.

The delivery boy, named Dileep, was employed at a courier agency called Professional Couriers. According to the prosecution, Dileep had visited Unihome Residency to deliver a package belonging to the first accused on February 5, 2019. At the time, he inquired with the caretaker if it was necessary to fill out the visitor's book since the delivery would not take much time. The caretaker became angry and forcefully snatched the package from the delivery boy's hands. Later that day, the flat resident went to the courier agency to inquire about the delivery boy. When the delivery boy returned to the office in the evening after completing his deliveries, both the caretaker and the flat resident grabbed his shoulder and used obscene language to berate him for "causing trouble in the morning."

Witnessing the altercation, a passerby attempted to intervene but ended up being assaulted by the accused. As per the complaint, the passerby was struck near his eye with a helmet, and the accused twisted his hand while kicking him on his chest and abdomen.

The prosecution alleged that both accused individuals attacked the passerby for questioning their inappropriate behavior towards the delivery boy. However, the accused persons denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty before the court. Despite their defense, the court found the witnesses' statements and legal precedents convincing and ultimately pronounced both accused individuals guilty.