Teja
Singh Vs. State of Punjab & Ors [1997] INSC 70 (24 January 1997)
MADAN
MOHAN PUNCHHI, K.T. THOMAS Thomas
J.
ACT:
HEAD NOTE:
This
appeal is by special leave granted to the appellant Teja Singh who is the
maternal uncle of Balwant Singh who died of injuries on 9.4.1987. Police challaned
three paternal uncles of Balwant Singh (Kehar Singh, Bachan Singh and Jit
Singh) besides some others. The Sessions Court convicted those three uncles of Balwant
Singh under section 302 read with Section 34 and under section 201 read with
section 34 of the Indian Penal Code. They were sentenced to undergo
imprisonment for life and a fine of Rs.500/- (Rupees five hundred only) each on
the first count and rigorous imprisonment for six months and a fine of Rs.
200/- (Rupees two hundred only) each on the second count. But the High Court
allowed their appeal and acquitted them.
The
incident which led to the death of Balwant Singh son of Didar Singh took place
during the early hours of 9.4.1987. Didar Singh and appellant Teja Singh and
the three respondents herein are the sons of one Bhagwan Singh. After his death
disputes arose between Didar Singh and one other respondent Bachan Singh in
respect of a landed property. On the previous day of death of Balwant Singh
there was an altercation and a brawl between Bachan Singh and Didar Singh over
construction of a structure made by Bachan Singh. A Police complaint was made
by Didar Singh thereon and a case was registered against the accused persons.
Prosecution
case is that Balwant Singh went to their tubewell on his scooter during the
early hours of 9.4.1987 as per his usual practice. When he reached there, the
three respondents and their companions confronted him and forcibly took him and
his scooter in a tractor trolly and decoyed him to a far away place. On the
way, they killed Balwant Singh and threw his dead body on the side of Patiala Sarhind Road, about 12 kms. away from the tubewell.
The
main items of evidence which prosecution adduced against the accused against
the following: (1) Balwant Singh died of injuries inflicted on him during the
early hours of 9.4.1987; (2) Narinder Singh (PW6) brother of Balwant Singh saw
the accused persons forcibly taking the deceased in a tractor trolly. PW6
conveyed the said information to his uncle PW2 who, in turn, informed the local
Panchayat Member (PW5) Mohinder Singh; (3) dead body of Balwant Singh was found
lying on the roadside near which his scooter was also lying; (4) Labh Singh
(PW7) saw the accused throwing a dead body on the road side ruing the early
hours of the occurrence day; (5) Amar Singh (PW9) saw the tractor trolly at
about 4.30 a.m. near the place (where the dead body was later found) and all
the accused were sitting inside the trolly; (6) The extra-judicial confession
made by the accused to Bhajan Singh (PW8).
Sessions
court did not accept the evidence of PW7-Labh Singh, PW8-Bhajan Singh and
PW9-Amar Singh. However, learned Sessions Judge relied on the evidence of Narinder
Singh (PW6) as corroborated by Teja Singh (PW2) and Mohinder Singh (PW5). Even
so, benefit of doubt was given to the accused persons except Kehar Singh, Bachan
Singh and Jit Singh.
Accordingly,
those three were convicted and sentenced as aforesaid.
The
Division Bench of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana while acquitting the
convicted accused, totally rejected the evidence of PW7-Labh Singh and the
testimony of PW8-Bhajan Singh (who spoke about the extra-judicial confession).
But nothing was said about the evidence of PW2, PW6 and PW9 for acquitting the
accused. The Division Bench highlighted three features of this case, which are:
(1) there were over 10 injuries on the dead body which in the opinion of the
doctor could have been caused in a motor accident; (2) accused had no reason to
anticipate that Balwant Singh would go to the tubewell during the untimely
hours; (3) No blood was noticed on the tractor trolly of the accused when it
was seized by the police. These three features persuaded the Division Bench to
reach the conclusion that the accused would not have committed the murder of Balwant
Singh.
Autopsy
on the dead body of Balwant Singh was conducted by Dr. Om Prakash Goyal (PW1).
As the ante-mortem injuries noticed by the doctor on the dead body have some
implications as to the conclusions to be drawn, we reproduce them below:
"Swelling
9 cms x 9 cms on the left temporal region extending to left parietal margin. On
dissection there was extensive hameotoma underneath. Muscles were contused.
There
was irregular horizontal line of fracture on left temporal bone going downwards
and towards the base of the skull. The fracture was turning transversely,
through both the anterior craneal fosse extending to the right zygomatic bone.
There was extensive collection of blood in cranial cavity and corresponding
there tissue was contused.
2.
Abrasion 3 cms x 1 cm at the base of neck left side, 8 cms medial to the tin of
the shoulder joint. On dissection clavicle was found fractured.
3.
Multiple abrasions on back of left fore-arm.
4.
Multiple abrasions in an area of 9 cms in diameter on right lateral side of
abdomen, 4 cms above the right iliac crest.
5.
Multiple abrasions on an area of 4 cms in diameter on right lateral side of
abdomen, 4 cms above the right iliac crest.
6.
Abrasions 5 cms x 3 cms on front and lateral aspect of right knee.
7.
Abrasion 1 cm x 1 cm on front and medial aspect of right foot, 4 cms below
medial malleolus.
8.
Abrasions 4 cms x 4 cms irregular in front of left leg just above knee joint.
9.
Abrasion 19 cms x 9 cms on lateral aspect of left ankle joint, just above
lateral malleolus. Its edge were contused.
The
walls of the ribs on the left side numbering from 5 to 10 were fractured at
multiple sides causing injuries to lungs. There was collection of blood on left
plural cavity. The spleen was lacerated badly and there was collection of blood
in the abdominal cavity." It is true, in cross-examination PW1 Doctor said
that those injuries could as well have been caused even in a motor accident.
But on a closer scrutiny of the injuries impells us to rule out the possibility
of motor accident to cause all these injuries e.g. fractures on the ribs 5 to
10 have no corresponding external injury. If those fractures were caused in a
motor accident necessarily there should have been corresponding external
injuries. But if the deceased was manhandled by the assailants with bare hands
and legs (either by stamping or by hitting on the chest when the victim is
lying) those fractures could have been caused without causing any corresponding
external injury. That apart, the minor damage noticed on the scooter is
incompatible with the theory of motor accident resulting in such number of
injuries.
The
doubt expressed by the High Court that accused had no cause to anticipate the
visit of Balwant Singh at the tubewell site is only a conjecture. Evidence
shows that deceased Balwant Singh went to the tubewell site on that morning as
per his usual practice. Here the accused are none other than his father's
brothers. It was quite probable that they knew the time when somebody from Didar's
house hold would go to the tubewell site every morning. At any rate, absence of
prosecution evidence as to the source of information for the accused regarding
deceased's visit at the tubewell is too fragile a reason for disbelieving the
prosecution story.
Similarly,
absence of blood on the tractor trolly is of no consequence. As we have
extracted the injuries above, we may point out that none of the injuries was
such as to cause bleeding out, much less any profuse bleeding. Hence, it is not
necessary that the tractor trolley should have contained noticeable blood. But
learned judges of the High Court should have borne in mind, in that context,
that when the tractor trolly was seized by the police on the next day of
occurrence (as per Ex. PQ) blood stained brick pieces were found lying therein. So it is not a
case of total absence of blood inside the tractor trolly.
While
there is no good reason for disturbing the findings of the Division Bench of
the High Court regarding the credibility of the evidence of Labh Singh (PW7)
and Bhajan Singh (PW8), we are of the view that rejection of their testimony is
hardly sufficient to upset the finding of the trial court that the accused had
forcibly taken the deceased and killed him and left his dead body on the roadside.
The
formidable circumstance for the prosecution is the evidence of PW6 - Narinder
Singh who was also at the tubewell when Balwant Singh reached by 4.00 a.m. He reported to his uncle Teja Singh (PW2) that the
accused had taken Balwant Singh in the tractor trolly and was beaten up.
Importance
of the aforesaid piece of evidence gained strength when PW2 - Teja Singh, who
is none other than the brother of accused Kehar Singh, Bachan Singh and Jit
Singh, had reported the master to the member of Panchayat (Mohinder Singh-PW5)
on the same morning itself. Nothing can be said against the evidence of PW5
which shows that Teja Singh met him at about 8.00 a.m. and informed him that
when Balwant Singh did not return to his house even after a long time from the tubewell
Teja Singh went there to enquire about it and was told by the youngster (Narinder
Singh) that the accused persons and three or four other persons had kidnapped Balwant
Singh to murder him after inflicting blows on him. Sessions Judge before whom
the above persons gave evidence placed complete reliance on their testimony.
The High Court could not point out a single reason to sideline the said
evidence.
Along
with the above, we have to consider the evidence of Amar Singh (PW9) who
deposed that he happened to come across a tractor trolly wherein the accused
were sitting near the petrol pump and the time then was around 4.30 a.m.
One
scooter and a person was found lying in the trolly and to a query made by the
witness to Kehar Singh the latter replied that as his nephew was seriously ill
he was being taken for treatment. There can be no dispute that what PW9 has
said was with reference to the date of occurrence in this case. The only reason
mentioned by the Sessions Court for not placing reliance on the evidence of
this witness is that he is a relative of Didar Singh. Firstly, it was only a
suggestion put to him in cross-examination and it was not admitted by the
witness. Secondly, even if it is so, his relationship with Didar Singh would as
well be good enough for his relationship with the accused persons who are none
other than the brothers of Didar Singh. Hence, it is no good ground for
over-looking the telling circumstance spoken to by this witness. High Court has
completely overlooked his evidence.
A
scrutiny of the evidence and consideration of the arguments addressed to us
lead us to the conclusion that the High Court has seriously committed error in
side-stepping the important evidence of PW6-Narinder Singh, PW2-Teja Singh and
PW5-Mohinder Singh, besides of PW9-Amar Singh and that the conviction and
sentence passed on the three respondents should not have been lightly
interfered with by the High Court.
We,
therefore, allow this appeal and upset the judgment of the High Court. We
restore the conviction and sentence passed by the Sessions Court on the three
respondents. We direct the Sessions Judge, Patiala to take immediate steps to put the respondents - Kehar Singh, Bachan
Singh and Jit Singh - who are accused in the case, back in jail for undergoing
the sentence.
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