The Telangana High Court, in a recent judgment, sided with two retired police officers and modified the punishment they received for an incident 17 years ago when two undertrial prisoners had escaped under their watch. However, it ruled that the original penalty, which impacted their pensions, was “excessive” given their otherwise clean records. The prisoners escaped within the jurisdiction of Chityal police station. However, Justice Rao noted that the two officers had no other disciplinary issues during their long service. “If the punishment imposed is too disproportionate to the gravity of the misconduct proved and it shocks the judicial conscience, the penalties/punishment imposed can be interfered with,” the court held.