C. V. Govindappa
& Ors Vs. State of Karnataka [1998] INSC 33 (22 January 1998)
Chief
Justice of India, M. Srinivasan Srinivasan, J.
ACT:
HEAD NOTE:
THE
22ND DAY OF JANUARY, 1998 present :
Hon'ble
the Chief Justice Hon'ble Mr. Justice M. Srinivasan Mr. S. S. Javeri, Sr.
Advocate, Mr. Mohan V. Kataria for Mr. Ashok K. Sharma, Advocate with him for
the appellants. Mr. Kh. Nobin Singh, Mrs. Manjula Kulkarni for M. Veerappa,
Advocates for the respondent
The
following Judgment of the Court was delivered:
The
appellant is challenging the judgment of the High Court of Karnataka convicting
him for offences under Sections 302, 304 and 498-A I.P.C. and sentencing him to
imprisonment for life for the offence under Sections 302 IPC and rigorous
imprisonment for two years and payment of fine of Rs. 1000/- for the offence
under Section 498-A IPC with a direction that the substantive sentence of
imprisonment were to run concurrently. The High Court reversed the Judgment of
the Sessions Judge at Chitradurga acquitting the appellant and his mother Thimmakka.
The appeal by the State against the appellant's mother before the High Court
was dismissed and in fact the acquittal of the appellant's mother by the
Session's Court was not seriously challenged in the High Court.
2. The
appellant married Yashodhamma in September 1976.
Even
before the marriage there was demand for dowry of jewels and Rs. 50, 000/- in
cash and only a part thereof was paid. The remaining part was being paid in instalments.
the appellant was repeatedly demanding payment of dowry in cash and also
jewels. he was treating his wife with cruelty as evident from letters written
by her to her relations. Though there were tow children, the appellant did not
stop the ill- treatment of his wife. on 26.1.1984 there was a quarrel between
husband and wife which was noticed by the neighbors.
In the
evening between 5 and 5.30
P.M. the appellant's
wife came running out of the house with flames on her clothes and dashed
against the scooter of the appellant kept in front of the house. she fell down
and rolled on the ground. The appellant came out of the house and restored the
scooter to its stand but did not take steps to save his wife and went away
after merely touching her. The neighbours who were present made all attempts to
put out the flames by wrapping her in a rug and removing the burning clothes
for her body.
An
auto rickshaw was brought by one of them and she was taken to the Government
hospital.
3.
Even before that the appellant's wife had told the neighbours that her husband
had poured kerosene oil on her and set fire. While going in auto-rikshaw she
was repeatedly saying that her husband had burnt her. She was admitted in the
hospital by PW 12 to whom the appellant's wife had two days before the incident
given a sum of Rs. 100/- and addresses of her brothers with a request to inform
them in the event of anything untoward happening to her. PW -12 sent telegrams
to the relatives of the appellant's wife. The appellant went to the hospital
later in the night and saw his wife in the ward. He scolded PW 12 Krishnaveni
fro staying in the hospital by the side of his wife and told her that whatever
had happened and his wife should be properly advised.
4. On
27.1.1984 the statement of the appellant's wife was recorded by PW 27, P.S.I.
Extension Police Station, Devangere. The appellant was arrested on the same day
in the hospital where he was undertaking treatment as an indoor patient. The
appellant's wife died on 28.1.84 at about 12.30 AM. After completion of investigation the appellant and his mother stood
charged with offence under Section 302 and 408A IPC.
5. The
Court Session disbelieved the evidence adduced by the prosecution and accused.
On appeal the High Court set aside the judgment of the Court of Sessions and so
far as the appellant is concerned, convicted bin an aforesaid.
6.
Though the High Court refused to accept the credibility of the statement
containing dying declaration escorted by PW 27 and also the entry in the
Accident Register of the hospital containing the version given by the deceased,
accepted the evidence of PWs 2, 13 and 14 and then factum of dying declaration
made to them by the deceased. The High Court has found that the evidence of the
aforesaid three witnesses is quai natural and there is no reason whatever to
reject the same. Consequently the High Court found no difficulty in accepting
the declarations made to those witnesses.
7.
Before us it is vehemently contended by the learned counsel for the appellant
that there are several loopholes in the case of the prosecution which make it
unworthy of acceptance. According to learned counsel the evidence of PWs 12 to
14 is of no value as there is no explanation for their not taking any steps to
inform the police immediately.
It is
also contended that there is no explanation for non- examination of the two
persons who were sent by PW 12 to give message to the incident. It is further
argued that the evidence of the doctor PW 6 who admitted the deceased in the
hospital proved that she was not in a position to speak at all and she could
not therefore have made any statement immediately prior to the admission in the
hospital to PWs 12 to 14. It is also submitted that the appellant was himself hospitalised
fro treatment of burn injuries in his left hand which he sustained when he
attempted to save his wife. A comment is also made with regard to non-seizure
of material objects in the house of the appellant. It is argued that the High
Court had no justification to reverse the order of acquittal passed by the
Court of Sessions which was passed on a detailed reasoning.
8. We
are unable to accept any of the contentions urged by the appellant's learned
counsel. Before adverting to the circumstances pointed out by him we would like
to refer to a clinching circumstance which is evident from the conduct of the
appellant soon after the incident. it should be pointed out that the appellant
had no specific case whatever as to how his wife died. His wife was aged 25 at
the time of death and there is no doubt whatever that her death was unnatural.
There
is no case before the Court that she died on account of any accident of by
committing suicide.
9. It
is admitted that the appellant did not take his wife to the hospital or make
any attempt to get any medical aid for her when he know that she was suffering
from burns. he had seen her admittedly lying on the ground with flames, yet he
did not take any steps to help her or take her to the hospital.
10. It
is worthwhile to refer to the following questions put to the following
questions put to the appellant under Section 313 Cr. P.C. and the answers given
by him.
Q. 46:
It is in evidence of PWs 12 to 14 that there was scooter in front of your house
at that time and due to rush of Yashodhamma running out she hit the scooter and
it fell by its side. What do you say? Ans. It is false. I tried to put out the
fire at that time. I sustained burn injury to my left hand.
Q. 47.
It is in evidence of PWs 12 to 14 that Yashodhamma got up and went in front of
the house of PW 12 and fell on the road and started rolling. What do you say? Ans.
She was lying on the road.
Q. 48.
it is in evidence of PWs 12 to 14 that you came out of your house and instead
of attending to your wife, you lifted and stationed the scooter and touched
your wife yashodhamma with your left hand and went inside the house. What do
you say? Ans. I tried to put out the fire and at that time I sustained an
injury to my left hand.
Q.57.
it is in evidence of PWs 12, 14, 15 and 16 that around 5.45 P.M.
they
reached the hospital and got Yashodhamma shifted to the Causality Medical
Officer. What do you say? Ans. It is false. When went to the hospital, Yashodha
was in the ward.
11. If
the appellant's wife died on account of an accident or by committing suicide,
the appellant would have certainly attempted to put out the flames and take her
to the hospital. The above answers given by the appellant show that he was
totally indifferent. That conduct of the appellant is undoubtedly a
circumstance to be taken into account for deciding the question whether the
appellant was guilty.
12.
The evidence of PWs 12 to 14 has been accepted by the high court and in our
opinion nothing has been placed on record to show that any of the three witness
is motivated to speak against the appellant. Their neighbors have witnessed the
incident, after the wife of the appellant came running out of the house and
fell on the ground. Attempt has been made before us to discredit their evidence
by contending that none of them took any steps to inform the police. We do not
find anything unnatural in the conduct of PWs 12 to 14.
They
were more keen on the appellant's wife being taken to the hospital and given a
proper treatment and inform her close relatives. Information to the police was
given by the doctor in the hospital who is examined as PW 6. Immediately after
admitting the appellant's wife in the hospital PW 6 sent a memo to the Sub
inspector of police. Learned counsel for the appellant made a comment that the
said memo marked as Ex. P.6 does not contain any statement that the appellant
set fire to his wife or was responsible for the burn injuries suffered by her.
There is no merit in this contention. The memo is in a prescribed from found in
a book obviously kept by the hospital. One of the forms is filled up and sent
by the doctor to the Sub inspector of police. It was not necessary at all to
mention all the statements made to the doctor by the persons who brought the
patient to him in that memo. It was not part of his duty.
13.
The learned counsel for the appellant argued that the appellants wife was not
in a position to talk even to the neighbours when they tried to put out the
flames. According to learned counsel the evidence of PW 6 to the effect that
auto rickshaw driver told him that she was not in a position to talk when she was
brought to the hospital would lead to the inference that she was not in a
position to talk even when she was proceeding to the hospital or before that.
There
is absolutely no substance in this contention. Even assuming that the deceased
was not in a position to speak when she reached the hospital, it cannot be said
by any stretch of imagination that she was not in a position to speak either in
the auto rickshaw or before that.
14.
There is no merit in the contention that the messengers sent by PW 12 to Bangalore
to inform the relatives of the deceased about the incident have not been
examined. Their evidence would if at all be only that they were informed by PW
12 about the same. it would not help the court in any manner to decide t he
issue. We have no hesitation to agree with the High Court that the evidence of
PW 12 to 14 is acceptable and sufficient to prove the statements made by the
appellant's wife soon after the incident that it was the appellant's wife soon
after the incident that it was the appellant who set fire on her after pouring
kerosene on her.
15.
There is no substance in the argument that the appellant himself was undergoing
treatment in the hospital for injuries suffered by him when he attempted to
save his wife. The only piece of evidence to show that the appellant was in -
patient in the hospital is the deposition of PW 28 who arrested there. It is
also stated by PW 28 that the appellant had burn injury on his left hand and he
was admitted to the hospital. There is nothing on record to show the extent of
the injuries in the hand of the appellant or the necessity for his admission in
the hospital as inpatient. We have already pointed out that the appellant did
not take any step to put out the flames or save his wife. In the circumstances
we are unable to accept the contention of the appellant's counsel in this
regard.
16.
After going through the entire evidence, we are of the opinion that the
conclusion arrived at by the High Court is unassailable. There is no merit in
the appeal and it is hereby dismissed. The accused is on bail; the same is
cancelled. He shall surrender and undergo sentence.
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