Punjab and Haryana HC Reduces 76-Year-Old Woman's Sentence in 2008 Drug Case

The Punjab and Haryana High Court reduced the nine-month sentence of a 76-year-old woman convicted in a 2008 drug case to the nearly three months she had already served. Justice Vinod S. Bhardwaj upheld the trial court's guilt findings but cited her age, first-offender status, and prolonged legal proceedings as mitigating factors. The court emphasized that criminal law aims to be reformative as well as retributive and noted the contraband was not of commercial quantity. The fine imposed remains unchanged.