A Delhi court sentenced conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar to eight years of rigorous imprisonment last week for impersonating a Supreme Court judge and attempting to influence judicial proceedings to secure bail in another criminal case.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Harshita Mishra of Tis Hazari court sentenced Mr. Chandrasekhar on August 29 under Sections 170, 189 and 507 IPC.
The court found the objective was to influence a judicial proceeding related to his liberty and secure bail. The accused made multiple calls to a judicial officer on April 28, 2017, allegedly posing as a Supreme Court judge from South India and using a regional accent to make the impersonation appear genuine, according to the sentencing order.
“The sentence must reflect that the criminal justice system distinguishes between an isolated unlawful act and a deliberate sequence of acts designed to manipulate, intimidate or interfere with the lawful functioning of public institutions. Where distinct criminal wrongs are deliberately committed, each substantial wrong must be adequately reflected in the punishment. The deliberate, calculated and deceptive manner in which the offences were committed by the convict in this case warrants a sentence commensurate with the gravity of the attack upon the rule of law and the administration of justice,” the court observed. The court also warned about the growing risks posed by technology, including AI-generated voices, fabricated videos and synthetic communications, which could make impersonation of judges and other public officials increasingly convincing.
