State of Punjab Vs.
Rajinder Singh & Ors. [2008] INSC 1874 (5 November 2008)
Judgment
IN THE SUPREME COURT
OF INDIA CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION CRIMINAL APPEAL NOS.1152-1154 OF 2003
State of Punjab ...Appellant Versus Rajinder Singh & Ors. Etc.
...Respondents With Criminal Appeal Nos.9-10 of 2004
Dr. ARIJIT PASAYAT,
J.
1.
Challenge
in these appeals is to the judgment of a Division Bench of the Punjab and
Haryana High Court. It has upheld the conviction of the seven accused persons
convicted by the Trial Court for offences punishable under Sections 364 and 323
read with Section 149 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (in short `the IPC'),
while acquitting accused Mohan Singh, Rajinder Singh, Kulvinder Singh and
Gurcharan Singh of charges relatable to Sections 302, 201 read with Section 149
IPC.
Originally, there
were nine accused persons out of whom two were acquitted by the Trial Court.
2.
Criminal
Appeal Nos.1152 to 1154 of 2003 have been filed by the State questioning the
acquittal while other appeals have been filed by the convicted accused persons.
3.
Background
facts, as projected by the prosecution are as follows:
At about 4.00 P.M. on
23.09.1996 Surjit Kaur, (PW-3) the wife of Darshan Singh and the resident of
village Dhadrian along with her son Sukhjinder Singh, her father Jangir Singh,
her brother Mohinder Singh and cousin Surjit Singh were present in her house
whereas her husband Darshan Singh had gone to the fields.
In the meanwhile, her
father- in-law Mohan Singh armed with a gandasa, Kulwinder Singh and Bhola
Singh, son of Hardial Singh, Hardial Singh and Gurnam Singh armed with a dang
each, Rajinder Singh armed with an axe and Santa Singh (hereinafter referred to
as Lamberdar) empty handed and two unidentified persons all armed with Dangs
came in a jeep. Accused Mohan Singh raised a lalkara that the complainant party
should be taught a lesson for taking possession of the land and the Dera. The
accused persons opened attack on the complainant party causing injuries to
Surjit Kaur and Sukhjinder Singh, Jangir Singh, Mohinder Singh, Surjit Singh
and Darshan Singh came to the spot and raised an alarm on which the accused
persons went -3- towards that side and gave a beating to Jangir Singh
(hereinafter referred to as the deceased) and took him away. Surjit Kaur and
other persons injured were thereafter taken to the Primary Health Centre,
Longowal. Information was sent to the police station on which investigation was
started.
4.
After
completion of investigation, charge sheet was filed and the accused were
charged for offences punishable under Sections 323, 427, 364, 302, 201, 120-B,
148 and 149 IPC. Since they pleaded innocence, they were put on trial. The
Trial Court placed reliance on the evidence of the witnesses and held three of
the accused persons to be guilty of offences punishable under Section 302 IPC,
whereas accused Gurcharan Singh and Mohinder Singh were convicted under Section
302 read with Section 149 IPC and all the seven accused persons guilty of
offences punishable under Section 364 read with Section 149 IPC and Section 148
and 323 IPC.
5.
Appeals
were preferred by the convicted accused persons. By the impugned judgment, the
High Court, while upholding the conviction of the respondents so far as the
conviction under Section 364 read with 149 IPC is concerned, directed acquittal
of all the three accused persons who were -4- convicted for offences punishable
under Section 302 IPC and the two who were convicted for offences punishable
under Section 302 IPC read with Section 149 IPC.
It is brought to our
notice by learned counsel for the appellant-State that accused Mohinder Singh
had died during the pendency of the appeal before the High Court and Mohan
Singh had died during the pendency of the present Criminal Appeals.
6.
According
to learned counsel for the appellant-State, the evidence of PW-10, Leela Singh,
who was the solitary eye-witness to the occurrence, relating to murder was
cogent and credible and the High Court should not have discarded his evidence.
Learned counsel for
the respondents on the other hand submitted that the analysis made by the High
Court to discard the evidence of PW-10 so far as the charge under Section 302
and/or 302/149 IPC is concerned, cannot be faulted with.
7.
The
High Court has noted that Leela Singh (PW-10) was allegedly the solitary
witness to prove the charge. The High Court noted that he had not offered any
basis for his presence in the alleged occurrence. Additionally, he did not
disclose about the incident for about 10 days and suddenly according to him,
his conscious pricked him and he came forward to speak about the incident to
the police. It further appears that the manner of assaults were specifically
detailed, is too hard to be believed.
8.
The
High Court found that his conduct was most unusual. Though, he claimed that he
was an independent witness and had no relationship with the deceased or his
family members, the witness fairly admitted that he was closely related to the
deceased. The High Court, in the aforesaid background analysed his evidence
with care and caution. It was noticed that his silence was most unusual because
he was closely related to the deceased. Furthermore, the explanation offered
that suddenly he became conscious of his constitutional duties to see that
guilty persons get punishment, was hardly believable. His evidence about the
manner of assault attributed to the various accused persons was too hollow to
have any credence. It was quite unnatural that the manner in which the assaults
were given could be given with such precision when accused persons were many as
was the number of injuries. That being the position, we do not find any scope
for interference in these appeals with the order of acquittal so far as the
offence relatable to Section 302 or 302/149 IPC are concerned. The appeal, as
noted above, survives only in respect of respondents Rajinder Singh and
Kulvinder Singh and Gurcharan Singh. The appeals are dismissed accordingly.
CRIMINAL APPEAL
NOS.9-10 OF 2004 These two appeals have been filed by accused Gurcharan Singh and
Rajinder Singh. After going through the -6- well reasoned judgments of the
Trial Court and the High Court and the fact that the appellants have already
served out the sentence, as imposed, these appeals have, in any event, become
infructuous and are, accordingly dismissed.
.....................J.
(Dr. ARIJIT PASAYAT)
.....................J.
(Dr. MUKUNDAKAM SHARMA)
New
Delhi,
November
05, 2008.
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