An Ambala court has convicted and sentenced two men to two years of imprisonment for desecrating a statue of Jesus Christ at a Catholic church in Ambala Cantonment in 2021.
The court of judicial magistrate first class (JMIC) Akshay Arora pronounced the judgment against Sandeep Kumar and Ravinder Singh, both residents of Ambala Cantonment. While the conviction was handed down on March 7, the quantum of sentence was announced two days later. The detailed order was made available on Friday.
The duo was sentenced under Sections 153-A (promoting enmity) and 452 (house-trespass), read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They were also found guilty under Sections 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship) and 427 (mischief).
The convicts were accused of damaging a 5.5-ft-tall statue of Jesus Christ (Sacred Heart Statue) at the entrance of the Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in the early hours of December 26, 2021, shortly after Christmas celebrations had concluded. Built in 1848, the church is a landmark, established when the East India Company shifted its base from Karnal to Ambala.
Seeking leniency, Sandeep told the court he was a Haryana PWD employee and the sole breadwinner for his wife and daughter. Ravinder similarly pleaded for mercy, stating he supported his widowed mother, a heart patient.
The defence argued for the “benefit of doubt”, claiming the prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence and lacked eyewitnesses who saw the accused at the spot.
The prosecution, however, presented 16 witnesses, including complainant Father Patros Munda, besides CCTV footage and photographs. The court ruled that the prosecution successfully established a “chain of circumstances” proving guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The court observed that the accused, acting with common intention, spread hatred toward Christianity by trespassing and vandalising the statue.
“This act is prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different groups, castes, or communities as it disturbs or is likely to disturb public tranquility,” the court held.
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