Anwarul
Haq Vs. The State of Uttar
Pradesh [2005] Insc
278 (26 April 2005)
Arijit
Pasayat & S.H. Kapadia
(Arising
out of SLP(Crl.) Nos. 4321-22 of 2004) ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.
Leave
granted.
Appellant
calls in question legality of the judgment rendered by a learned Single Judge
of the Allahabad High Court, Lucknow Bench affirming his conviction for offence
punishable under Section 324 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (in short the
'IPC') and sentence of one year rigorous imprisonment as imposed by the trial court.
The revision application filed under Section 397 read with Section 401 of the
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (in short the 'Code') was dismissed.
Initially
four persons had faced trial. Three of them were acquitted.
The
prosecution version in a nutshell is as follows:- On 8th of July, 1990, in the
evening Naseeb Alam (PW-1) was going to his house from Sadullanagar market. At
about 4.30 P.M. in front of Village Parsarampur on
the road, four accused persons, who were co- villagers met him. Due to old
animosity, they began to utter vulgar abuses. Upon objection, accused-appellant
Anwarul Haq inflicted blows by the knife carried in his hand, because of which
serious injuries were caused in the right hand of PW-1. Jesulla and Idrish
(PW-2) coming towards to the village from Sadullanagar reached there upon
hearing his cries, rescued him. They had seen the incident. The accused persons
fled away from the spot of the incident while threatening to kill. The accused Anwarulhaq
fled away while leaving behind his bicycle at the spot. First information
report was written by Rajkumar Srivastava, it was lodged at the police station
on the basis of which the first information report was registered on the same
day at 17.20 hours vide no. Ex.P/4. The memo for the bicycle was drawn vide
Ex.P/2. The wounded informant was sent to the Primary Health Centre, Sadullanagar
along with a written letter through the constable Chandraz Bhushan Pathak and
his medical examination was done which is Ex.P/3. After the investigations, charge-sheet
was filed for alleged commission of offences punishable under Sections 324, 504
and 506 IPC, on the basis of which cognizance was taken.
The
four accused persons faced trial for alleged commission of offences punishable
under Sections 324 read with 34, 504, 506(2) IPC.
Accused
persons pleaded innocence and faced trial. The accused persons took the plea
that they were falsely implicated because of animosity.
On
behalf of the prosecution side, the witnesses of the facts viz., PW-1Naseebalam,
PW-2Mohd. Idrish, and formal witness PW-3Dr. S.N. Pandey, PW-4Chandrabhan Yadav were examined.
Out of
the four persons who were tried, three were acquitted and only the appellant
was convicted. The three persons were acquitted on the ground that the evidence
was not sufficient so far as they are concerned. Doctor (PW-3) who had examined
the injured found the following injuries:-
1.
Incised wound of 6 Cm. x 1.5 Cm. x 1 Cm. at the wrist of right hand in frontal
portion.
2.
Complaint at the back of the chest.
Placing
reliance on the evidence of the injured, the accused was found guilty and
convicted. Trial court found that the first information report was lodged
immediately after the occurrence and there is nothing infirm to discard the
testimony of the injured witness. Accordingly the conviction was made and
sentence was awarded as aforesaid. The revision before the High Court was
dismissed. An application for review was also dismissed. Both the orders are
under challenge in these appeals.
The
High Court found that the plea regarding unreliability of the evidence of eye
witnesses was clearly without substance and there is no infirmity in the order
of the trial court. Accordingly the Revision Application was dismissed.
In
support of the appeal, learned counsel for the appellant submitted that the
courts below did not take note of the fact that there was animosity between the
parties and therefore the evidence of the so called eye witnesses was tainted.
Additionally the knife supposed to have been used was not recovered. In any
event it was not established that the weapon that was used was a dangerous
weapon and, therefore, Section 324 IPC has no application. Residually it was
submitted that the accused is in custody for nearly ten months and the sentence
should be reduced.
Learned
counsel for the respondent-State on the other hand supported the judgment and
stated that the findings of fact recorded by the trial court was affirmed by
the High Court in revision and no interference is called for.
We
find that the trial court has analysed in great detail the evidence of eye
witnesses, including that of PW-1, the injured and therefore there is no scope
for interference. The plea that the weapon used was not a dangerous weapon had
never been urged before the trial court or the High Court. Whether weapon is a
dangerous weapon or not has to be gauzed only on the factual basis. As there
was no challenge on this aspect by the accused before the courts below, that
plea for the first time cannot be permitted to be raised in this Court.
Section
324 provides that "Whoever except in the case provided for by Section 334,
voluntarily causes hurt by means of any instrument for shooting, stabbing or
cutting, or any instrument which, used as weapon of offence, is likely to cause
death, or by means of fire or any heated substance, or by means of any poison
or any corrosive substance, or by means of any explosive substance, or by means
of any substance which is deleterious to the human body to inhale, to swallow
or to receive into the blood, or by means of any animal" can be convicted
in terms of Section 324. The expression "an instrument, which used as a
weapon of offence, is likely to cause death" should be construed with
reference to the nature of the instrument and not the manner of its use. What
has to be established by the prosecution is that the accused voluntarily caused
hurt and that such hurt was caused by means of an instrument referred to in
this Section.
The
Section prescribes a severer punishment where an offender voluntarily causes
hurt by dangerous weapon or other means stated in the Section. The expression
"any instrument which used as a weapon of offence is likely to cause
death" when read in the light of marginal note to Section 324 means
dangerous weapon which if used by the offender is likely to cause death.
Authors
of IPC observed, as noted below, the desirability for such severer punishment
for the following reasons:
"...Bodily
hurt may be inflicted by means the use of which generally indicates great
malignity. A blow with the fist may cause as much pain, and produce as lasting
an injury, as laceration with a knife, or branding with a hot iron. But it will
scarcely be disputed that, in the vast majority of cases, the offender who has
used a knife or a hot iron for the purpose of wreaking his hatred is a for
worse and more dangerous member of a society than he has only used his fist. It
appears to us that many hurts which would not, according to our classification,
be designated as grievous ought yet, on account of the mode in which are
inflicted, to be punished more severely than many grievous hurts." Eye
witnesses in the present case have described the knife, and merely because the
knife has not been recovered during investigation same cannot be a factor to
discard the evidence of PWs. 1 & 2. Wounds noticed by the Doctor (PW-3)
also throw considerable light in this aspect. Doctor's opinion about the
weapon, though theoretical, cannot be totally wiped out. In that view of the
matter the appellant has been rightly convicted under Section 324 IPC.
Learned
counsel for the appellant submitted that the appellant is in custody since
27.6.2004 and has served major part of the sentence imposed. Prayer was made,
as noted above, to restrict to the period already undergone. We find no
substance in this appeal. Considering the background facts as highlighted
above, it would not be proper to show any leniency so far as the sentence is
concerned.
The
appeals fail and are dismissed.
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