Pawan
@ Tamatar Vs. Ram Prakash Pandey & Anr [2002] Insc 272 (10 May 2002)
Syed
Shah Mohammed Quadri & S.N. Variava S. N. Variava, J.
1) By
this Petition the applicant (who was Respondent No. 2 in Criminal Appeal No.
880 of 2001) seeks review of judgment and order dated 31st August, 2001. Parties are being referred to in their capacity in
Criminal Appeal No. 880 of 2001.
2)
Briefly stated the facts are as follows:
The
Petitioner is the informant and husband of one Shrimati Hem Lata Pandey. The
said Hem Lata Pandey had appeared as an eye witness against the accused of
Respondent No. 2 viz. one Shri Vinod Kumar, in a trial for murder of the wife
of Vinod Kumar.
Vinod
Kumar was convicted by the trial court and sentenced to life imprisonment. Vinod
Kumar was granted bail by the Appellate Court. The said Hem Lala Pandey, on
coming to learn that Vinod Kumar had been granted bail, approached the
Government for protection. She also filed a petition before the High Court of
Judicature at Allahabad. The petition was disposed of with
a direction to the Home Secretary to consider the representation of the lady.
In spite of all this no protection was given to the said Hem Lata Pandey.
3) It
is claimed that on 31st
January, 2000 the
informant was working along with his wife and two servants in his own field.
Respondent
No. 2 and Vinod Kumar came to the field and opened fire with their guns at the
said Hem Lata Pandey. As a result of this the said Hem Lata Pandey received gun
shots wounds on her chest and died on the spot. A case has been registered
against Respondent No. 2 and Vinod Kumar under Section 302 read with Section 34
of the Indian Penal Code.
4)
Respondent No. 2 moved an application for bail. This was rejected by the
Session Court on 13th
July, 2000. Respondent
No.2 then moved an application for bail under Section 439 of the Criminal
Procedure Code before the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad. The High Court directed release of
Respondent No. 2 by order dated 29th September, 2000. Against the order dated 29th September, 2000, the petitioner filed an SLP before
this Court. By order dated 31st August, 2001 this Court cancelled the bail,
inter alia, on the ground that under Section 437 of the Criminal Procedure Code
if a person has been previously convicted of an offence punishable with life
imprisonment then that person shall not be released on bail unless there is no
reasonable ground for believing that the person has not committed the offence
and that there are special reasons to do so.
5) By
this Review Petition it is being pointed out that the facts mentioned in the
order dated 31st
August, 2001 pertain
not to the applicant but to Vinod Kumar. It is submitted that the provisions of
Section 437 Criminal Procedure Code do not apply as the applicant has not been
tried or convicted in any other matter.
6) Mr.
A.S. Pundir, who appears for the State, fairly admits that the facts mentioned
in order dated 31st
August, 2001 do not
pertain to Respondent No. 2 but pertain to co-accused Vinod Kumar. In this view
of the matter we set aside the order dated 31st August, 2001 and restore Special Leave Petition
(Criminal) No. 1970 of 2001 to the file of this Court.
7) We
now take up Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No. 1970 of 2001. The question is
whether the order of the High Court granting bail to the applicant can be
sustained.
8) Mr.
Pundir points out that even prior to the present case Respondent No. 2 has been
involved in the following two cases :
(i)
Case Crime No. 104/97 for the offences under Sections 143, 323, 504, 506, 352, 427
I.P.C. of Police Station Pokhraj, the said case ended in submission of a final
report.
(ii)
Case Crime No. 228/98 for the offences under Sections 147, 148, 452, 382, 504,
506, 427 I.P.C. of Police Station Kokhraj (Kaushamibi) charge sheet was filed
on 11.10.1998 and the case is pending trial in the Court.
9) It
is also to be seen that Respondent No. 2 is the main accused in the killing of Smt.
Hem Lala Pandey. The High Court had granted bail on the following grounds:
"It
is not disputed that the investigation of the case has been entrusted to C.B./C.I.D.
by the order of the Chief Minister, Copy whereof is annexure-10. It is also not
disputed that the C.B./C.I.D. normally takes an year or so in concluding the
investigation. The allegations of ailment of the applicant are not specifically
denied. Only this much is stated that documents are forged and have been
prepared to obtain bail.
Considering
facts and circumstances of the case, I am of the view that the applicant may be
released on bail." 10) In our view these are not grounds on which bail
should be granted in a case of such a serious nature. It is to be seen that two
witnesses have already retracted their statements. There are still eye
witnesses, who have directly connected Respondent No. 2 and assigned a specific
role to Respondent No. 2 in the murder of the deceased. So far as the ailment
of Respondent No. 2 is concerned, it is not of such a nature as to require him
to be released on bail. Respondent No. 2 can always apply to the Jail authorities
to see that he gets the required treatment. It is pertinent to note that in the
Review Petition it has not been stated that the applicant still needs medical
treatment. It is not stated that he has not received proper medical treatment
from the Jail authorities.
11)
For the reasons aforesaid we set aside the order of the Allahabad High Court
dated 29th September, 2000. The appeal stands disposed of accordingly. There
will be no order as to costs.
....J.
(SYED
SHAH MOHAMMED QUADRI) J.
(S. N.
VARIAVA) May 10, 2002.
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