The State Of Maharashtra vs Daulat Dashrath Koshare & Anr
2017 Latest Caselaw 2537 Bom

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         IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
                   CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
                    CRIMINAL APPEAL NO.1040 OF 2002



The State of Maharashtra                   ]
(Through the Chhavani Police Station,      ]
 Malegaon, District - Nashik.)             ]        ... Appellant/
                                                      (Orig. Complainant)

       Versus


1. Daulat Dashrath Koshare,                ]
   Police Constable B. No.1287,            ]
   Occ. - Service,                         ]
   Posting at Malegaon City Police Stn.,   ]
   R/a. Himmatnagar Police Quarter,        ]
   Old Bldg. No.9/0, Malegaon Camp,        ]
   Malegaon.                               ]

2. Suresh Pandit Sangle,                   ]
   Police Constable B. No.582,             ]
   Occ. - Service,                         ]
   Posting at Malegaon City Police Stn.,   ]
   R/a. Himmatnagar Police Quarter,        ]
   Old Bldg. No.8/7, Malegaon Camp,        ]
   Malegaon.                               ]        ... Respondents



Mr. Deepak Thakare, PP for State - Appellant.
Mr. A. R. Shaikh for Respondents.



                                 CORAM :- G. S. KULKARNI, J.

DATE :- 15 MAY 2017

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JUDGMENT :-

1. This appeal is directed against the judgment and order dated 10/05/2002 of the learned Judicial Magistrate First Class, Malegaon, in Summary Criminal Case No.986 of 1999, whereby the respondents (original accused) stand acquitted of an offence punishable under Section 160 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (for short, 'IPC').

2. Facts necessary for adjudication of this appeal can be stated as under :-

The respondents - accused were police constables attached to City Police Station, Malegaon. The incident took place at about 16.20 hours on 13/08/1999 at Idgah ground, Malegaon, during a practice session, where platoons of police were practicing for the Independence Day parade to be held on 15/08/1999. The case of the prosecution is that during the recess, both the accused were joking and jesting and suddenly they started fighting with each other. Both of them sustained injuries. The Drill Instructor Dinesh Gangaram Jadhav (PW 3) lodged a complaint against the accused at Chhavani Police Station, Malegaon. A crime was registered against the accused under Section 160 of IPC. The accused were sent for medical examination to the Wadia Hospital. The Investigating Officer carried out panchanamas of the person of the accused and of the spot of the incident. After obtaining sanction from the Superintendent of Police, Nashik, to prosecute the accused, the accused came to be arrested. A charge-sheet came to be filed against the accused for commission of offence punishable under Section 160 of the IPC. The pleas of the accused under Section 251 of the Code of Criminal Procedure were recorded. Both the accused pleaded not guilty and claimed to be tried. The prosecution examined 8 witnesses.

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3. Prosecution has examined PW 1 - Ambadas Gangaram Divte who was working as a labourer, was examined as a panch witness. He turned hostile. PW 2 - Uttam Nathu Chaudhari who was also a labourer, was examined as a panch witness. He also turned hostile.

4. PW 3 - Dinesh Gangaram Jadhav was a Police Drill Instructor and the complainant and a eye witness. In the examination- in-chief, PW 3 has stated that there was a practice session on 13/08/1999 at Idgah ground. The accused had participated in the practice session. He states that there was a break of 5 minutes when he heard shouting from the drill participants about some bleeding. He stated as he was in-charge of the practice parade, he rushed to the spot and saw bleeding in the right ear of accused no.1. He has stated that there was scuffle between accused nos.1 and 2. He had taken the accused to Wadia Hospital in a jeep where the accused were administered first aid after which the accused were taken to Chhavani Police Station, Malegaon. He deposes that the reason for scuffle between the accused was some joking and jesting between them after which there was a quarrel. In the cross-examination, he denied that the legs of two drillmen can be entangled and that there was a possibility that one may sustain injury to his ear by the shoulder badge of other drillman. He has admitted that the complainant did not mention that there was shouting about bleeding. In the cross-examination, he also states that there is no document to show that Idgah ground is a public place and says that the Idgah ground may be a private property, however, the same is used for for public functions and thus used as a public place.

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5. The prosecution has then examined PW 4 - Bharat Wagh, Medical Officer, who examined the accused on the injuries sustained by them. During the examination-in-chief, he has stated that there was a lacerated wound over right pinno of ear of accused no.1 which was transversely placed 1/2" X 1/4". Duration of the injury was fresh. Cardvlage was visible through wound. It was stated that the object for the injury was hard and blunt. As regards the injury of accused no.2, he states that he had a contajam over left temporal region 1.1/2" X 11/2" and that the accused no.2 was complaining about pain over chest. He accordingly issued a medical certificate (Exh.23) on 17/08/1999. In the cross-examination, PW 4 has deposed that the injuries as mentioned in the medical certificate are possible if a person falls on the ground by tangling their legs. He deposed that the shoulder badge on the uniform of a police can be treated as hard and blunt object.

6. PW 5 - Abdul Gaffar Sardar is a PSI attached to Ayesha Nagar Police Station. In the examination-in-chief, PW 5 has deposed that on 13/08/1999, the practice parade at Idgah ground started at about 15.30 hours when PSI Kankhare-Patil and other police constables were present along with them. He deposed that the incident had taken place during the period when he was standing near saluting base. PW 5 heard shouts and saw both the accused fighting with each other. They were wearing their uniforms. He states that few policemen came and the dispute was settled. He states that accused no.1 had a bleeding injury to his right ear and accused no.2 was having pain in his stomach. Both the accused were taken to Wadia Hospital along with the Drill Instructor Dinesh Jadhav. Nothing much of any relevance is elicited in the cross-examination, except that his statement was recorded by the police on 16/08/1999 which is after 3 days from the date of the incident.

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7. The prosecution has examined PW 6 - Arun Radhakumar Avad who was working as a PSI at Azad Nagar Police Station. In the examination-in-chief, he deposes that on 13/08/1999, he was present at the Chhavani Police Station between 14.00 hrs. to 20.00 hrs. on which day police constable Dinesh Gangaram Jadhav had come to complain about the incident which had happened at the Idgah ground during the break period between the two accused. He states that he had dictated the complaint (Exh.17) to the writer. He has identified his signature on the complaint on which basis he states that Crime No.3041 of 1999, under Section 160 of IPC, came to be registered against the accused. The cross-examination does not elicit anything material.

8. PW 7 - Arun Rangnath Raut was in service working as ASI at the Chhavani Police Station. He has been examined by the prosecution as he was on duty on 13/08/1999 from from 20.00 hours to 08.00 hours. He deposes in his examination-in-chief, that as directed by PSI Chaudhari, he has taken the accused for medical examination to Wadia Hospital. He was told by Dr.Wagh (PW 4) that he had already checked the accused at 5.30 p.m. and that he has made relevant noting on the rear side of the yadi (Exh.24). In the cross-examination, PW 7 has stated that he did not have any personal knowledge about the incident.

9. PW 8 - Vinayak Kisan Choudhari was working as API at Chhavani Police Station, Malegaon who was assigned investigation of C.R.No.3041 of 1999 by PSI Avad. In his examination-in-chief, he states that he had sent the accused for medical examination with ASI Raut along with a yadi (Exh.24). He deposes that the Medical Officer had communicated in writing at the rear side of the said yadi that the

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accused were already examined in the evening. He states that panchanama of the physical condition of both the accused was carried out by him. He states that the panchanama bears the signatures of both the panchas as well as the accused. He states that the deposition of panch Uttam Chaudhari that he had not gone anywhere for panchanama was false. He states that he had recorded the statements of witnesses as per their say. He says that he had collected the Medical Certificate at Exh.23. He has identified the signatures on documents Exh.32 and Exh.33 which pertain to the report of the Medical Officer and the sanction granted by the Deputy Superintendent of Police to prosecute the accused. In the cross-examination, he admits that PSI Avad had registered the crime and handed over further investigation to him. He also deposes that he had carried out the panchanama at Exh.30. He says that though the spot of incident to be a public place, however says that there is no document with him to this effect. He has denied the suggestion that both the accused had fallen down while they were engaged in parade and sustained injuries.

10. Considering the evidence on record, the learned trial Judge has come to a conclusion that the offence punishable under Section 159 of the IPC cannot be said to be proved beyond reasonable doubt. Firstly, that the Idgah ground was not proved to be a public place and secondly for the reason that there was no breach of public peace by the scuffle between the accused. The learned trial Judge has also held that there is nothing on record to show that the injuries which were caused to the accused, were caused by the accused to each other. Accordingly, the learned trial Judge has acquitted the accused of the offence punishable under Section 160 of the IPC.

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11. I have heard Mr. Deepak Thakare, learned PP for State and Mr.A.R.Shaikh, learned Counsel for Respondents. With their assistance, I have also perused the evidence and the impugned Judgment.

12. It appears that there was a practice parade on 13/08/1999 at the Idgah ground where the scuffle has taken place between the accused during the recess period at about 16.20 hours which is stated to have occurred from some joking and jesting. The necessary ingredient to establish the commission of an offence under Section 159 of the IPC, firstly, is that there should be a fighting between two or more persons, secondly, it should be in a public place and thirdly, the fighting results in disturbing the public peace. When these ingredients are proved, only then, it can be said that the accused have committed an offence of affray. Thus, it is clear that affray is an offence against the public peace, being committed in a public place, concerns causing disturbance of public peace, by any fighting by two or more persons.

13. In the facts of the present case, perusal of the evidence would clearly indicate that there is no evidence on record to show that the Idgah ground was a public place the relevance being that the scuffle should breach public peace. However, even assuming that the Idgah ground was a public place, there is no evidence to show that there was breach of public peace as a result of scuffle which has taken place between the accused.

14. Further though not so relevant in the light of the above discussion, the learned Judge is also right in making the observation that there is no evidence to show that the injuries which were caused to the accused were as a result of their inter se fighting.

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15. In the above circumstances, the appellants do not make out any case to come to a conclusion that the findings recorded by the learned Trial Judge are perverse or illegal. The appeal, accordingly, would be required to be dismissed. It is so dismissed.

                                              (G. S. KULKARNI, J.)




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