In a bizarre case where Diwali dinner turned deadly, the Supreme Court has restored the conviction of a constable who opened fire on his fellow officers after voicing outrage over the quality of food served in the mess. The top court found that the man had clear intent to kill—but ultimately reduced his sentence to the time he’s already spent behind bars.
The incident took place on November 5, 2010, in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, when Shamsher Singh of the 2nd Indian Reserve Battalion lost his temper over the Diwali spread and took up an AK-47 against his colleagues. What followed was a scene straight out of a nightmare: bullets flying in a dormitory, chaos erupting, and one constable—Sanjeet Kumar—suffering gunshot wounds to both thighs. He spent over a month in hospital recovering. Singh, meanwhile, kept firing even after his injured colleague was dragged to safety, only stopping when fellow jawans overpowered him.
The trial court had initially sentenced Singh to seven years of rigorous imprisonment under charges of attempted murder and illegal use of a firearm. However, the Himachal Pradesh High Court later softened the blow—downgrading the offence to causing grievous hurt and cutting the sentence to time already served.
The State didn’t let it slide and took the matter to the Supreme Court, which took a dim view of the High Court’s leniency.
The judges pointed to the weapon used—an AK-47—and Singh’s training as a constable to conclude he fully understood the potential consequences of his actions. “If you fire an assault rifle at someone, it’s not a warning shot,” the court noted in essence, emphasizing that intent to kill doesn’t require a fatal wound, only the lethal potential of the weapon and context.
Still, time had taken its toll. With the shooting over 14 years in the past and the rage behind it chalked up to an uncontrolled outburst, the court decided that Singh had paid enough for his Diwali fury. He won’t have to return to prison, having already served roughly 17 months.
Justice delivered—albeit with a side of delayed leniency.
