Manilal
Hiraman Chaudhari Vs. State of Maharashtra [2007] Insc 1018 (9 October 2007)
S.B.
Sinha & Harjit Singh Bedi S.B. Sinha, J:
1. One
Manilal Hiraman Chaudhari is before us being aggrieved by and dissatisfied with
the judgment and order dated 17.10.2005 passed by a Division Bench of the High
Court of Judicature at Bombay, Aurangabad Bench at Aurangabad.
Appellant
herein along with Anil Shivram Pawar (Accused No.1), Premraj Hirman Chaudhary
(Accused No. 3) and Bapu @ Gangaram Shantaram Salunkhe (Accused No.4) were
tried for committing the murder of one Bhaulal Jadhav. Bhaulal Jadhav was an
accused in a case of murder of the father of the appellant and accused No. 3.
Allegedly, when cremation of Hiraman was taking place, the appellant took a vow
to take revenge of murder of his father. Bhaulal (deceased) on or about
13.02.1991 at about 11.00
a.m. was going to Jalgaon
on a motorcycle. He was accompanied by Lotu Eko Patil (PW-4). When they were at
distance of about 3 k.m. from Jalgaon, the accused persons who were in a Maruti
van parked the vehicle by the side of road got down. The motorcycle was stopped
by Accused Nos. 2, 3 and 4. Premraj (Accused No. 3) is said to have caught hold
Bhaulal and Manilal (Accused No.2) and Gangaram (Accused No. 4) inflicted stab
injuries with knives. An attempt to rescue the deceased by PW-4 resulted in a
threat to him, whereupon he started running towards Jalgaon. Bhaulal also tried
to save himself by running away from the said place. He was chased by Accused
Nos. 2 and 3 and was again assaulted with knives.
PW-4
immediately went to the Taluka Police Station Jalgaon on a vehicle of a passer
by. A First Information Report was lodged at about 11.45 a.m. Bhaulal was taken to the hospital in a tractor. At about 12.45 p.m. he died.
2. At
the trial, the prosecution examined 17 witnesses. Lotu Eco Patil (PW-4) and Govinda
Shamrao Marathe (PW-5) were examined as eye- witnesses to the occurrence.
3. We
have noticed hereinbefore that PW-4 was the informant. PW-5 was the driver of
the Maruti van, which was taken on hire by the accused persons. They had gone
to Onkareshwar and Saptashringi Gad in the District of Nasik. The learned Trial
Judge upon considering the evidence brought on record convicted all the accused
persons under Section 302 read with Section 34 and Section 120B of the Indian
Penal Code (IPC). The High Court by reason of the impugned judgment in the
criminal appeal filed by the accused persons, however, set aside the conviction
and sentence of Accused No.1. Accused Nos. 2, 3 and 4 were convicted under
Section 302 read with Section 34 IPC. Accused Nos. 2 and 3 were also convicted
under Section 341 read with Section 34 IPC. Accused No. 2 was further convicted
under Section 506 IPC.
4.
Indisputably, Gangaram Shantaram Salunkhe preferred an appeal before this Court
against the said judgment of conviction and sentence passed by the High Court,
which was marked as Criminal Appeal No. 241 of 2006. The said appeal has since
been dismissed by this Court by a judgment and order dated 22.11.2006. [See Gangaram
Shantaram Salunkhe v. The State of Maharashtra [2006 (12) SCALE 259]. Premraj Hiraman Chaudhari (Accused
No. 3) has not preferred any appeal.
5. Mr.
Shekhar Naphade, learned Senior Counsel appearing on behalf of the appellant,
inter alia, would submit that it would be hazardous to rely upon the statements
of PWs 4 and 5 to base a judgment of conviction against the appellant.
The
learned counsel would urge that the contention of Sukhlal in regard to the
purported vow taken by the appellant to take revenge of murder of his father
cannot be said to have been proved inasmuch as no complaint was made in regard
thereto, nor any other person was informed thereabout.
6.
PW-2 was a labour contractor. He was also a member of the Panchayat. He
categorically stated about the vow taken by the appellant herein for killing
the deceased Bhaulal. It may be true that he did not inform the police or
others, but the same by itself, in our opinion, cannot be a ground for
discarding his evidence.
7. We
may now notice the evidence of PW-4. He was a Peon in the Village Gram Panchayat.
He was accompanying the deceased on the motorcycle. He categorically stated
that a Maruti van overtook them. It was found standing at a distance. Both the
deceased as well as he recognized the Maruti van. They saw the accused persons
coming down therefrom. The accused had stopped the motorcycle. Premraj caught
hold of the deceased and Manilal started inflicting blows on the person of the
deceased with a dagger. There was an unknown person also who inflicted blows
with a sickle. On intervention, PW-4 was threatened by Manilal. He gave the
details of the infliction of blows by the weapons in the hands of the accused
persons on the deceased. He upon having been threatened started running towards
Jalgaon. He found a motorcyclist coming towards him; gave a signal and came to
the police station to make a report at about 11.45 a.m. The First Information Report was lodged without any delay
whatsoever. In fact, the police came to the place of occurrence and removed the
deceased to the hospital in a tractor.
Mr. Naphade
submitted that PW-4 was inimically disposed of towards the accused persons as
he had made a complaint to the police that Hiraman, Prabhakar Motiram and
others on 26.05.1985 had attempted to kill him.
We,
however, are of the opinion, the same by itself would not be a valid ground to
discredit the said witness, who is otherwise truthful.
8. It
may be true that there are two groups in the said village. PW-4 accepted the said
fact. Hiraman and Manilal were prosecuted for attempting to murder of Bhaulal.
They were, however, acquitted. Bhaulal and some 8- 9 persons were said to have
committed the murder of Hiraman, father of Accused Nos. 2 and 3, wherefor a
criminal case was initiated against them.
9. The
vehicle was said to be of chocolate colour; but he is said to have been shown a
blue colour Maruti van. Our attention was also drawn to the statement of PW-5,
who was the driver of the said Maruti van to show that the colour of the Maruti
van was not dark blue but it was light blue. Such minor contradictions, in our
opinion, are of not much significance.
10.
PW-5 was an independent witness. He was driving the Maruti van wherein the
accused persons were travelling. He had no axe to grind. He gave a vivid
description in regard the places visited by the accused persons.
He was
an eye-witness to the occurrence. He intended to flee away from the place, but
he was threatened by the accused. They after assaulting the deceased sat in the
said vehicle and asked him to take them to the temple of Vani
Gadh. They reached
there in the evening. There also he was threatened. He thereafter came to Jalgaon
and disclosed the incident to the owner of the vehicle Yogesh Aggarwal.
11.
Mr. Naphade submitted that the said Yogesh Aggarwal should have been examined
by the police. We do not think that it was essential to do so.
He was
not an eye witness. Except the fact that his vehicle was taken on hire, he
could not have proved anything else.
12. We,
therefore, do not see any infirmity in the deposition of PWs 4 and
5. We
may also notice that according to Mr. Naphade, the motorcyclist who had taken
the PW-4 to the police station had not been examined. The said person has again
nothing to do in the matter. He was not a witness to the occurrence. The fact
that the First Information Report was lodged promptly and the deceased was
removed to the hospital for treatment in a tractor is not the subject-matter of
any controversy. How PW-4 reached the police station may be relevant for
judging his conduct. Failure to examine the owner of the motorcycle itself, in
our opinion, would not lead to the conclusion that no First Information Report
was lodged by PW-4.
13.
PW-6 is Namdev. He was also going to Jalgaon. He found Bhaulal in an injured
condition. He intended to ascertain from him the names of the assailants. Bhaulal
disclosed the same to him. Both the courts below have placed implicit reliance
on the testimony of this witness also.
14.
Mr. Naphades contention that as according to this witness heavy bleeding
took place and about two liters of blood accumulated around the body of the
deceased and, thus, it was impossible for the deceased to disclose the names of
the assailants, cannot be accepted. Only because there had been profuse
bleeding, the same by itself would not lead to the conclusion that the deceased
was not in a position to speak.
15. We
may also notice that the doctor found the following external injuries on the
person of the deceased :
1.
Injury over the right ear 4 = in length and 2 in breadth. It was
brain deep.
2.
Injury extending to as occiput to left mastoroid 4 in length x 1
breadth.
3.
Incised wound from medical aspect of scapula to the upper border upto upper
one-third of the shoulder. Parallel to the first to the first injury.
4.
Incised wound, 3 in length 1 = in breadth bone deep from the medical
aspect of the scapula to the left shoulder joint.
5.
Penetrating wound above the right superior 1 x 1 x 1 brain deep.
6. Incised
wound from right angle of the mouth extending to the mandible of the size of
3 x 1.
7.
Incised wound over the lower end of the scapula transverse in direction 1
x =.
8.
Incised wound on the right midclavical line 3 below postal margin,
transverse in direction 3 = x =.
9.
Incised wound 3 below umbilicus transverse in direction, 3 =on the
left side and 2 on the right side.
10.
Incised wound 4 above the wrist joint 1 x 1 round shape.
11.
Amputated left three fingers from the proximal M.P. joint.
12.
Right thumb was cut only the skin tap was left.
13.
Penetrating wound arising from the 8th rib, at midaxillary line on the left
side, 4 curve in shape upto point 4 from the L 3 level extending to the
abdominal cavity with exposure of abdominal viscera. Apart from the
external injuries, the doctor noticed the following internal injuries :
1.
There was a fracture of the right temporal bone.
2.
Superior orbito bone was fractured, on opening the skull the brain was
lacerated on the right side.
3.
Fracture of the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th , 12th ribs on the left side. 16.
PW-13 is Dr. Ulhas Patil. According to the said witness, injuries nos.
5 and
13 were on the vital parts of the body and were sufficient in the ordinary
course of nature to cause death. The nature of the injuries suffered by him as
also opinion of the doctor is not in question. It is furthermore accepted that
more than one weapon was used in commission of the murder of Bhaulal. The
investigation of the offence was made by Dhanraj Gopalrao (PW-17) and Popat
(PW-15). Recovery of knife as also the blood-stained clothes of Accused No. 3
was made.
17.
Apart from the direct evidence of PWs 4, 5 and 6, that motive for commission of
the offence has also been proved by PW-2. The fact that the First Information
Report was lodged against Hiraman, father of the Accused Nos. 2 and 3 and Manilal
(Accused No. 2) for attempting murder of Bhaulal and Crime No. 81 of 1990 was
registered against the deceased and some 8-9 persons for committing the murder
of Hiraman is not disputed.
18. We
have also noticed that Accused No.2 has also made a disclosure statement
leading to recovery of the weapon of offence, which was concealed at Saptashringi
Gadh. Even Accused No. 1 made a disclosure statement and showed the place where
the blood-stained clothes were burnt.
The
weapon was found to be tainted with blood. The place where the weapon of
offence was concealed was at a distance of 250 k.m. from the place of incident.
The said material objects were said to be containing blood which was found to
be belonging to Group-B. The blood group of the deceased was also B.
19.
We, therefore, are of the opinion that there is no infirmity in the impugned
judgment. The appeal being devoid of any merit is hereby dismissed.
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