Citation : 2024 Latest Caselaw 1 Raj
Judgement Date : 2 January, 2024
[2023:RJ-JD:43388-DB]
HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE FOR RAJASTHAN AT
JODHPUR
D.B. Criminal Appeal No. 807/2016
1. Subhash Khichad son of late Mahendra Singh, by caste Jat,
resident of Salemgarh Police Station, Tibbi, District
Hanumangarh.
2. Ankush son of Shri Rai Singh, by caste Jat, resident of Ward
No.5, Tibbi, District Hanumangarh.
(Lodged in District Jail, Hanumangarh)
----Appellants
Versus
The State of Rajasthan
----Respondent
For Appellant(s) : Mr. J. S. Choudhary, Sr. Advocate
assisted by Mr. Pradeep Choudhary
and Ms. Sampati Choudhary
For Respondent(s) : Mr. R. R. Chhaparwal, PP
For Complainant(s) : Mr. Rajendra Charan
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE VIJAY BISHNOI
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE MUNNURI LAXMAN Judgment
02/01/2024 By the Court (Per Hon'ble Vijay Bishnoi, J)
1. The instant criminal appeal has been preferred on behalf of
the appellants being aggrieved with the judgment dated
26.08.2016 passed by the Additional Sessions Judge, No.2
Hanumangarh in Sessions Case No.01/2014, whereby it has
convicted the appellant No.1 - Subhash for the offences
under Sections 302, 201 IPC and Section 3/25, 7/27 (2) of
the Arms Act, 1959 (hereinafter to be referred as 'the Arms
Act') and convicted appellant No.2 - Ankush under Section
302/34 and 201 IPC. The trial court has sentenced both the
appellants as under :-
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Appellant - Subhash
Under Section Sentenced to Fine of Rs. In default of 302 IPC undergo Life 10,000/- payment of fine imprisonment further to undergo 6 months' SI Under Section Sentenced to Fine of Rs. In default of 201 IPC undergo 3 5000/- payment of fine years' SI further to undergo 3 months' SI Under Section Sentenced to Fine of Rs. In default of 3/25 Arms undergo 1 1000 payment of fine Act year's SI further to undergo 1 month's SI Under Section Sentenced to Fine of Rs. In default of 7/27 (2) undergo 7 5000 payment of fine Arms Act years' SI further to undergo 3 months' SI
Appellant - Ankush
Under Section Sentenced to Fine of Rs. In default of 302/34 IPC undergo Life 10,000/- payment of fine imprisonment further to undergo 6 months' SI Under Section Sentenced to Fine of Rs. In default of 201 IPC undergo 3 5000 payment of fine years' SI further to undergo 3 months' SI
2. All the sentences of both the appellants were ordered to run
concurrently.
3. Brief facts, necessary for adjudication of the present criminal
appeal, are that on 24.04.2014, Ram Pratap (P.W.-5)
submitted a written report (Ex. P-12) to S.H.O., P.S. Tibbi at
10.15 PM, wherein it was stated that today at about 2.30
PM, Om Khichad son of Luna Ram resident of Salemgarh, his
brother Krishan resident of Ellenabad, Subhash son of
Mahendra, Rai Singh son of Maniram and Ankush son of Rai
Singh came to his house for settling the dispute between
Krishan, Subhash and Om Khichad regarding partition of
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house and shop, however, after some time, heated
discussion took place between Krishan, Subhash and Om
Khichad and all of them started abusing each other and
thereafter also started quarreling which resulted into
skirmish. It was also stated that the complainant, Rai Singh
and Ankush tried to pacify them, then suddenly appellant -
Subhash son of Mahendra took out a pistol from his pocket
and with intent to kill Krishan fired a gunshot on him which
hit him on his stomach; blood started oozing out from his
stomach; he fell down and became unconscious. It was
further stated in the complaint that the appellant - Subhash
ran away from the scene of crime and the complainant and
Aditya took Krishan to the Tibbi Government Hospital,
wherefrom the Doctor referred him to Hanumangarh. He has
prayed that action be taken against appellant - Subhash.
4. On the basis of the above complaint an FIR bearing
No.115/2014 was registered at Police Station Tibbi (Ex. P-
13) and after completion of the investigation filed charge-
sheet against the appellants Subhash and Ankush in the
Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, Tibbi for the offences
under Sections 302, 323/34 IPC and 3/25 of the Arms Act
and Section 302, 323, 201/34 IPC respectively.
5. Later on, the case was committed to the Sessions Judge,
Hanumangarh, who assigned the same to the Additional
Sessions Judge, No.2 Hanumangarh (hereinafter to be
referred as 'the trial court').
6. The trial court framed charges against accused - Subhash for
the offences under Sections 302 and 201 IPC read with
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Section 3/25 and 7/27 (2) of the Arms Act and against the
accused - Ankush for the offences under Sections 302/34
and 201 IPC. However, the accused - appellants denied the
charges and claimed trial.
7. To prove the charges against the accused-appellants, the
prosecution, in support of its case, produced as many as 22
witnesses and also exhibited 74 documents. Statements of
accused-appellants were recorded under Section 313 Cr.P.C.;
no defence witness was produced, however, two documents
were exhibited in defence. The trial court after analyzing the
evidence available on record, convicted and sentenced the
appellants as referred in the earlier part of the order.
8. Assailing the impugned judgment passed by the trial court,
Mr. J.S. Choudhary, learned Senior Counsel assisted by
Mr. Pradeep Choudhary and Ms. Sampati Choudhary has
argued that the trial court has not appreciated the evidence
available on record in right perspective and committed error
in convicting and sentencing the appellants vide impugned
judgment.
9. Learned counsel for the appellants has also argued that
there was a gross delay of around 8 hours in lodging the FIR,
which has not been explained by the complainant. It is
further submitted that this fact is sufficient to prove that the
FIR was lodged after due deliberation and the appellants
have falsely been implicated in this case. It is submitted that
the delay in filing of FIR is fatal, however, the trial court has
ignored this aspect of the matter.
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10. It is also argued that Dr. Balwant Sihag (P.W.-4) in his court
statement has stated that when injured reached the hospital,
he immediately informed the police. It is argued that since
the police was informed about the incident, the later
complaint (Ex. P-12) cannot be treated as FIR. He referred
to statement of Ram Pratap (P.W.-5) and submitted that this
witness has stated that names of the accused were written
after due deliberation.
11. It is further argued by Mr. Choudhary that the trial court has
grossly erred in placing reliance on the evidence of Guddi
and Aditya though their presence, at the scene of crime, is
highly doubtful. In the written complaint (Ex. P-12), the
complainant did not mention regarding the presence of
Guddi and Aditya. It is further submitted that the
prosecution witnesses, namely, Ram Pratap (P.W.-5),
Sulochna (P.W.-8), Suman (P.W.-9), Jyani Devi (P.W.-10),
Gauri Shankar (P.W.-11), Rukma Devi (P.W.-12), Rai Singh
(P.W.-13) and Om Prakash (P.W.-18) have not supported the
prosecution story and deposed that Guddi and Aditya were
not present in the room, where the incident took place.
12. Learned counsel has invited our attention towards the
statement of Ram Pratap (P.W.-5) and submitted that in his
cross-examination by the Public Prosecutor, he has
specifically stated that Guddi and Aditya were not present at
the time of incident and they reached later. It is submitted
that from the evidence of Ram Pratap (P.W.-5), it is clear that
Guddi and Aditya were not even present in the house when
the incident took place and they reached the spot after the
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incident. Learned counsel has further submitted that even if
it is assumed that Guddi and Aditya were present in the
house, but certainly they were not in the room when the
alleged incident of firing took place. He referred to the
statements of Sulochna (P.W.-8), Suman (P.W.-9), Jyani Devi
(P.W.-10), Gauri Shankar (P.W.-11), Rukma Devi (P.W.-12),
Rai Singh (P.W.-13) and Om Prakash (P.W.-18) and submitted
that as per the testimony of above witnesses appellant
Subhash, deceased Krishan, Ram Pratap, Rai Singh and Om
Khichad were in a different room, whereas all the other
persons were sitting in the courtyard and reached in the
room, where incident took place, after hearing the voice of
gunshot.
13. Learned counsel has, therefore, submitted that in the above
mentioned circumstances, the presence of Guddi (P.W.-6)
and Aditya (P.W.-7) at the scene of crime is highly doubtful,
but the trial court has grossly erred in placing reliance on the
testimony of the said witnesses while convicting and
sentencing the appellants vide impugned judgment.
14. Learned counsel has further argued that the trial court has
also erred in treating Ex.P-44 as dying declaration of the
deceased. Learned counsel has submitted that Kedar Lal
(P.W.-20) in his evidence has stated that he recorded the
statement of the deceased on 25.04.2014 in Sparsh
Hospital, Jaipur, but it is clear from a bare perusal of Ex.P-44
that the date mentioned on the same is 26.04.2014. It is
further submitted that Kedar Lal (P.W.-20) has specifically
stated in his cross-examination that no written order was
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given to him by the SHO to record the statement of the
deceased. It is further submitted that the Roznamcha,
wherein Kedar Lal (P.W.-20) has recorded his journey to
Jaipur has not been produced. It is argued that it is
important to note that Kedar Lal (P.W.-20) in his evidence
has specifically admitted that before recording the statement
(Ex.P-44) of the deceased, he did not seek opinion of the
doctor regarding the condition of the deceased to the effect
that whether the deceased is fit to give statement or not,
rather he has admitted that he has not recorded the said
statement (Ex.P-44) in the presence of any doctor. Learned
counsel has, therefore, submitted that by no means, Ex. P-
44 can be treated as a dying declaration.
15. Learned counsel for the appellants has further submitted
that the incident took place on 24.04.2014, however, the
injured Krishan expired on 11.07.2014. Learned counsel
has referred to the statement of Dr. K. P. Singh (P.W.-22),
who in his evidence has stated that the deceased Krishan
was under his treatment from 24.04.2014 to 03.05.2014,
however, on 03.05.2014, the relatives of the deceased got
him discharged against medical advice. It is submitted that
there is nothing on record which suggests that after
03.05.2014, in which hospital, the deceased was admitted
and where he was treated. Learned counsel has submitted
that from the said fact, it can be gathered that the deceased
died because he was not provided proper treatment,
however, the trial court has not taken into consideration the
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above aspect of the matter and has illegally convicted and
sentenced the appellants.
16. Learned counsel has further argued that Ram Pratap
(P.W.-5), Suman (P.W.-9) and Rai Singh (P.W.-13) in their
evidence have specifically stated that the deceased Krishan
received firearm injury in the stomach when he was trying to
pull out a pistol from his pocket during scuffle. It is
submitted that from the said evidence, it is clear that the
appellant - Subhash had not fired any gunshot in the
stomach of the deceased, but the deceased received injury
accidentally from his own pistol when he was trying to pull
out the same from his pocket.
17. Learned counsel has further submitted that recovery of the
gun at the instance of the appellant - Subhash is also
doubtful because at the time of recovery of the alleged
pistol, no independent witness was called out and the Police
personnel were made witnesses of the said recovery.
Learned counsel has submitted that in the absence of any
independent witness of recovery of the pistol, the recovery of
the pistol, at the instance of appellant - Subhash, is doubtful
and the same cannot be relied upon.
18. Learned counsel for the appellants has further argued that
the learned trial court has grossly erred in convicting and
sentencing the appellant - Subhash for the offences under
Sections 3/25 and 7/27 (2) of the Arms Act. It is submitted
that as per Section 39 of the Arms Act, previous sanction of
District Magistrate is necessary for instituting a prosecution
against any person in respect of any offence under Section 3
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of the Arms Act. It is submitted that in the present case, no
previous sanction of the District Magistrate concerned has
been obtained/produced/exhibited during the trial. In such
circumstances, the appellant - Subhash cannot be held
guilty for the offences under Sections 3/25 and 7/27 (2) of
the Arms Act.
19. In the alternative, it is argued that sudden quarrel erupted
between Om Prakash, Krishan and Subhash and during hot
discussions, when deceased Krishan tried to attack on
Subhash, appellant Ankush and Rai Singh tried to control
deceased Krishan, then Subhash, out of fear to save himself,
fired a gunshot which accidentally hit deceased Krishan in his
stomach and in such circumstances, it can be said that
incident took place on spur of moment and the appellant -
Subhash had no intention to kill the deceased Krishan and
looking to the above circumstances, the case against the
appellant - Subhash does not travel beyond Section 304
Part-I or Part-II IPC, however, the trial court has erred in
convicting the appellant - Subhas for the offence under
Section 302 IPC.
20. So far as the appellant - Ankush is concerned, learned
counsel for the appellants has argued that the trial court has
erred in convicting him for the offence under Section 302/34
and 201 IPC. It is submitted that the prosecution has failed
to prove that the appellants Subhash and Ankush had acted
in furtherance of common intention with pre-arranged plan
with prior meeting of minds. It is contended that from the
evidence available on record, it is clear that appellant -
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Ankush was trying to defuse the situation along with other
persons present in the room when Om Prakash, Subhash and
deceased Krishan entered into scuffle.
21. Referring to the complaint (Ex. P-12) and the statement of
Ram Pratap (P.W.-5), it is argued that appellant - Ankush
was not involved in commission of crime; he tried to cool
down the quarreling brothers. It is further contended that
Guddi (P.W.-6) and Aditya (P.W.-7) have falsely claimed that
appellant - Ankush along with Rai Singh (P.W.-13) caught
hold of the deceased Krishan and Rai Singh (P.W.-13)
instigated appellant - Subhash to fire gunshot on deceased
Krishan. It is submitted that Rai Singh (P.W.-13) has not
been charge-sheeted or charged under Section 34 IPC.
Learned counsel for the appellants has further argued that
the allegation levelled by Guddi (P.W.-6) and Aditya (P.W.-7)
against the appellant - Ankush of running away with the
pistol used in crime is also false as no pistol was recovered
at his instance and the same was recovered at the instance
of appellant - Subhash. It is submitted that in such
circumstances, the trial court has erred in convicting and
sentencing the appellant - Ankush for the offences under
Sections 302/34 and 201 IPC.
22. On the strength of above arguments, learned counsel for the
appellants has submitted that the impugned judgment
passed by the trial court may be set aside and appropriate
order be passed.
23. Per contra, learned Public Prosecutor has supported the
impugned judgment passed by learned trial court and argued
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that the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable
doubt with regard to guilt of appellants - Shubhas and
Ankush. It is submitted that the prosecution has produced
cogent and reliable evidence to prove that the appellant -
Shubhas fired a gunshot, which resulted into death of
Krishan and the appellant - Ankush helped in commission of
crime and ran away with the pistol, used in the commission
of crime with an intention to destroy the evidence.
24. Learned Public Prosecutor has, therefore, argued that there
is no merit in this appeal and the same is liable to be
dismissed.
25. So far as the contention of learned counsel for the appellants
with regard to unexplained delay in filing the FIR is
concerned, it is noticed that the written complaint (Ex. P-12)
was submitted by Ram Pratap (P.W.-5) on 24.04.2014 at
10:15 PM. In the said complaint, the time of incident is
mentioned as 02:30 PM on 24.04.2014. Ram Pratap (P.W.-5)
in his cross-examination has stated that he submitted a
written complaint at Police Station Tibbi at 10:00 PM. He has
also stated that he brought the injured Krishan to Tibbi
Government Hospital wherefrom Krishan was referred to
Hanumangarh Hospital and from Hanumangarh, he was
referred to Jaipur. As such, Ram Pratap (P.W.-5) accompanied
the injured Krishan to Government Hospital Tibbi and then to
Hanumangarh and returned to Tibbi after sending him to
hospital at Jaipur.
26. Taking into consideration the said circumstances, it can be
presumed that as Krishan was injured and referred to
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Hanumangarh, Ram Pratap (P.W.-5) and other relatives
accompanied injured Krishan to Hanumangarh and when he
was referred to Jaipur from Hanumangarh, Ram Pratap (P.W.-
5) returned back and filed the FIR. Though Dr. Balwant Sihag
(P.W.-4) in his statements has stated that he informed the
Police about the incident when injured Krishan was brought
to Tibbi Government Hospital, but at the same time, he
nowhere stated that the relatives of injured had informed
him that accused - Subhash fired gunshot in the stomach of
Krishan. Dinesh Kumar Meena (P.W.-21), the then SHO,
Police Station Tibbi though confirmed that he received an
information from the doctor that one injured person namely
Krishan was brought to hospital, but has not stated that
whole incident was narrated to him by the doctor. Dinesh
Kumar Meena (P.W.-21) has further stated that on receiving
information, he reached Tibbi Government Hospital, but by
that time, injured Krishan was referred to Hanumangarh and
by the time he reached Hanumangarh Hospital, injured
Krishan was referred to Jaipur.
27. It is but natural that when a close relative of any person is
severely injured, the first priority of that person is to provide
him necessary treatment and if in that process, some time is
consumed and matter is not reported to the Police, but
reported later on, it cannot be said that the delay in
submitting the FIR is fatal. Learned trial court after
considering the relevant evidence has rightly come to the
conclusion that in the facts and circumstances of the case,
the delay in FIR cannot be said to be fatal.
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28. Another contention of learned counsel for the appellants
regarding the presence of Guddi (P.W.-6) and Aditya (P.W.-7)
at the scene of crime is doubtful is also considered, but for
rejection only. Though in the written complaint (Ex. P-12),
there is no mention that Guddi (P.W.-6) and Aditya (P.W.-7)
were present at the scene of crime, however, the other
prosecution witnesses, namely, Sulochna (P.W.-8), Suman
(P.W.-9), Jyani Devi (P.W.-10), Gauri Shankar (P.W.-11),
Rukma Devi (P.W.-12), Rai Singh (P.W.-13) and Om
Prakash (P.W.-18) have stated in their examination-in-chief
that Guddi (P.W.-6) and Aditya (P.W.-7) were present in the
house at the time of the incident. Though the above-referred
witnesses were declared hostile, but it is settled that
evidence of a prosecution witness cannot be rejected merely
for the reason that the prosecution chose to plead them as
hostile witness and cross-examined them. The evidence of
such witnesses cannot be brushed aside altogether, but the
relevant part can be used by the prosecution or the defence.
Reference can be placed on the decision rendered by the
Hon'ble Supreme Court in C. Muniappan Vs. State of
Tamil Nadu; (2010) 9 SCC 567.
29. As stated earlier, though Ram Pratap (P.W.-5) in his court
statement has stated that Guddi (P.W.-6) and Aditya (P.W.-7)
were not present at the time of incident, but the other
prosecution witnesses have clearly stated that Guddi (P.W.-6)
and Aditya (P.W.-7) were very much present in the house
where the incident took place.
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30. After going though the material available on record, we are
of the view that the trial court has rightly held that it cannot
be said that Guddi (P.W.-6) and Aditya (P.W.-7) were not
present when the incident took place. Both the above-named
witnesses have clearly deposed that accused - Subhash fired
gun-shot in the stomach of Krishan and there is no reason to
disbelieve the said piece of evidence of the said witnesses.
31. The other contention of learned counsel for the appellants
that the trial court has grossly erred in treating Exhibit P-44
as dying declaration of the deceased and thereafter relying
on the same is concerned, it is noticed that on Exhibit P-44,
the date of recording of dying declaration is mentioned as
26.04.2014, whereas Kedar Lal (P.W.-20) in his court
statement has stated that he recorded the statement of the
deceased on 25.04.2014. It is also noticed that Kedar Lal
(P.W.-20) recovered seven pallets and one plastic dart on
25.04.2014 from the hospital, where injured Krishan was
treated, then there is no reason for him to record the
statement of Krishan on 26.04.2014. Apart from that Kedar
Lal (P.W.-20) in his cross-examination has specifically stated
that he has not obtained a fitness certificate from the doctor
treating injured Krishan regarding his condition to give
statement and has also stated that the said statement has
not been recorded during the presence of treating doctor.
32. Dr. K. P. Singh (P.W.-22), who handed over the pallets and
plastic dart to Kedar Lal (P.W.-20) on 25.04.2014, has
nowhere stated in his court statement that Kedar Lal (P.W.-
20) has enquired about the condition of the injured for giving
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statement or asked him that injured Krishan is fit to give
statement.
33. In view of the above, we are of the opinion that in the above
noted circumstances, it would not be safe to treat the Ex.44
as dying declaration of deceased Krishan and the trial court
has erred in treating Ex. P-44 as dying declaration of the
deceased.
34. Even though, if the Ex. P-44, the so called dying declaration
is ignored, the testimony of the two witnesses Guddi (P.W.-6)
and Aditya (P.W.-7) cannot be ignored and from the evidence
of both these witnesses, the prosecution has satisfactorily
proved that the appellant - Subhash has fired gunshot in the
stomach of deceased Krishan.
35. So far as the argument of learned counsel for the appellants
to the effect that injured died after 79 days of the incident
and therefore it cannot be presumed that he died on account
of the gunshot injury is concerned, it is true that the incident
took place on 24.04.2014 and the injured died on
11.07.2014. It is also to be noticed that after 03.05.2014
and up to the death of the injured Krishan, no clear record is
available that in which hospital he was admitted or where he
was treated, however, the said facts are not sufficient to
conclude that the cause of death of Krishan was not the
gunshot injury.
36. From the injury report (Ex. P-14), postmortem report
(Ex. P-41) and from the statements of Dr. Priyanka Sharma
(P.W.-17), it is clear that the deceased died on account of the
injury received from the gunshot. It is irrelevant that injured
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Krishan expired after 79 days of the incident because all the
other evidences available on record clearly suggest that he
died due to gunshot injury suffered by him on the day of
incident.
37. The other contention of the learned counsel for the
appellants that recovery of the gun, at the instance of the
appellant - Subhash, is doubtful as no independent witness
was called at the time of recovery is concerned, the said
argument is also without any merit because the recovery of
the gun at the instance of the appellant - Subhash cannot be
ignored solely on the ground that no independent witness
was called at the time of recovery of the said pistol.
38. So far as the contention of learned counsel for appellants
that the trial court has erred in convicting the accused
appellant - Subhas for the offence punishable under Section
3/75 and 7/27 (2) of the Arms Act is concerned, it is clear
that from the evidence of Dinesh Kumar Meena,
Investigating Officer (P.W.-21), no proof regarding obtaining
previous sanction from the District Magistrate concerned is
produced during the trial for initiating prosecution against
appellant - Subhash with regard to any of the offence under
Section 3 of the Arms Act.
39. Section 39 of the Arms Act clearly provides that in the
absence of previous sanction of the District Magistrate
concerned, no prosecution can be instituted against any
person in respect of any offence under Section 3 of the Arms
Act. In such circumstances, we have no hesitation in holding
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that the trial court has erred in convicting the appellant -
Subhash for the offence under Section 3/25 of the Arms Act.
40. So far as Section 7/27 (2) of the Arms Act is concerned, no
previous sanction is required for instituting a prosecution
against any person in respect of any offence under Section 7
of the Arms Act. The recovery of pistol at the instance of the
appellant - Subhash is fully proved and the recovered pistol
comes within the definition of prohibited arm. Hence, the
trial court has not committed any illegality in convicting
against appellant - Subhash for the offence under Section
7/27 (2) of the Arms Act.
41. So far as the submission of learned counsel for the
appellants to the effect that the appellant - Subhash had no
intention to kill the deceased Krishan and the incident took
place at the spur of moment, therefore, the offence against
the appellant - Subhash does not travel beyond Section 304
Part-I or Part-II IPC is concerned, from the evidence
available on record, it can be gathered that the deceased
Krishan and Om real brothers, whereas appellant Subhash is
son of late Mahendra, who happened to be real brother of
deceased Krishan and Om. Some dispute, in respect of
partition of the property between them, was going on and for
amicable settlement of the said dispute, in the afternoon of
24.04.2014, the above-named persons along with other
relatives assembled in the house of Ram Pratap (P.W.-5).
During the course of discussion, heated arguments were
exchanged and deceased Krishan, Om Prakash and appellant
- Subhash scuffled with each other.
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42. Guddi (P.W.-6) in her cross-examination and in chief has
stated that after hearing the heated discussion, when she
entered into the room, she saw that Ankush caught hold of
deceased Krishan and Rai Singh asked Subhash to fire
gunshot, then suddenly Subhash fired a gunshot which hit
deceased Krishan in right side of his stomach. She has
further said that Subhash ran away from the scene of crime
and Ankush also ran away from the scene of crime with the
pistol which is used in commission of crime and while
running away, he also slapped her. In her cross-examination
and in chief, Guddi (P.W.-6) has admitted that all persons
were engaged in heated discussion, however, she did not
know on what point they were discussing.
43. Aditya (P.W.-7) in his cross-examination and in chief has
stated that he along with his father Krishan and mother
Guddi Devi reached in the house of Ram Pratap (P.W.-5) at
about 10-11 AM and other persons, namely, Subhash with
his mother Jyani Devi, Om Prakash with his wife Suman, Rai
Singh with his wife Sulochna and Ankush were already there
and other persons reached there at about 01:30 PM. In the
panchayat, Ram Pratap (P.W.-5) asked Om Prakash that you
are acting smart nowadays and threatening to lock the home
and shop, then Om Prakash replied Subhash is here, so talk
to him only. At this point, his father Krishan replied to Om
Prakash why to talk to Subhash as his wife told to lock the
shop, then suddenly, Subhash said that he will lock the shop
and see who dare to stop him. After that, Rai Singh asked
Subhash and Ankush to kill Krishan, then Ankush caught
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hold both the hands of Krishan and Rai Singh caught hold of
him and Subhash fired gunshot which hit right side of
stomach of his father Krishan. He further stated that when
Subhash tried to fire another gunshot, however, his father hit
his hand and on account of which, pistol fell down.
Thereafter, Subhash immediately rushed out of the room and
fled away in his car along with his mother and Ankush ran
away with the pistol.
44. Ram Pratap (P.W.-5) in his cross-examination and in chief
has stated that Krishan, Om Prakash and appellant Subhash
while abusing slapped each other, then he, Rai Singh and
Ankush tried to separate them and during that point of time,
suddenly gunshot was fired in the room which hit Krishan. In
his cross-examination, he has stated that Krishan abused
Om Prakash and Subhash and for that reason, they started
fighting with each other. At the same time, he replied to the
court's query that he was not present and he did not know
how the gunshot was fired.
45. Rai Singh (P.W.-13) in his examination-in-chief has stated
that when Krishan refused to give share of the property to
appellant - Subhash and when they confronted him, Krishan
took out pistol from his pocket from which gunshot was fired
and hit him.
46. The other witnesses namely Sulochna (P.W.-8), Suman (P.W.-
9), Jyani Devi (P.W.-10), Gauri Shanker (P.W.-11), Rukma
Devi (P.W.-12) and Om Prakash (P.W.-18) have deposed that
during the course of panchayat, heated discussion took
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place, which resulted into scuffle, in which the gunshot was
fired.
47. From the above, it is clear that during the course of
panchayat, two brothers; deceased Krishan and Om Prakash
and their nephew Subhash scuffled with each other and
then, appellant - Subhash fired a gunshot, which is
recovered at his instance by the Police, which hit in the
stomach of Krishan which resulted into his death.
48. From the forensic science laboratory report (Ex. P-59), it is
proved that the gunshot was fired from 12 bore country-
made pistol which was recovered at the instance of Subhash.
Now, the question in this case is whether the appellant -
Subhash had any intention to kill the deceased or not.
49. The Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of Rampal Singh
Vs. State of U.P., reported in (2012) 8 SCC 289 while
defining the distinction between Sections 300, 302 IPC on
the one hand and Section 304 Part-I and Part-II of the IPC
on the other has observed as under :-
"9. Having completed narration of the facts and noticed the precise contentions raised before us in the present appeal, we may now refer to the law on the subject. We are of the opinion that elucidative discussion on the legal principles governing the distinction between Sections 300, 302 of the Code on the one hand and Section 304, Part I and Part II of the Code on the other, would be necessary to precisely answer the questions raised.
10. Sections 299 and 300 of the Code deal with the definition of 'culpable homicide' and 'murder', respectively. In terms of Section 299, 'culpable homicide' is described as an act of causing death (i) with the intention of causing death or (ii) with the intention of causing such bodily injury as is likely to cause death, or (iii) with the knowledge that such an act is likely to cause death. As is clear
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from a reading of this provision, the former part of it, emphasises on the expression 'intention' while the latter upon 'knowledge'. Both these are positive mental attitudes, however, of different degrees. The mental element in 'culpable homicide', that is, the mental attitude towards the consequences of conduct is one of intention and knowledge. Once an offence is caused in any of the three stated manners noted-above, it would be 'culpable homicide'. Section 300, however, deals with 'murder' although there is no clear definition of 'murder' in Section 300 of the Code. As has been repeatedly held by this Court, 'culpable homicide' is the genus and 'murder' is its species and all 'murders' are 'culpable homicides' but all 'culpable homicides' are not 'murders'.
11. Another classification that emerges from this discussion is 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder', punishable under Section 304 of the Code. There is again a very fine line of distinction between the cases falling under Section 304, Part I and Part II, which we shall shortly discuss.
12. In the case of State of Andhra Pradesh v. Rayavarapu Punnayya and Anr. : (1976) 4 SCC 382, this Court while clarifying the distinction between these two terms and their consequences, held as under:
12. In the scheme of the penal Code, 'culpable homicide' is genus and 'murder' its species. All 'murder' is 'culpable homicide' but not vice-versa. Speaking generally, 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder'. For the purpose of fixing punishment, proportionate to the gravity of this generic offence, the Code practically recognises three degrees of culpable homicide. The first is, what may be called 'culpable homicide of the first degree'. This is the greatest form of culpable homicide, which is defined in Section 300 as 'murder'. The second may be termed as 'culpable homicide of the second degree'. This is punishable under the first part of Section 304. Then, there is 'culpable homicide of the third degree'. This is the lowest type of culpable homicide and the punishment provided for it is, also, the lowest among the punishments provided for the three grades. Culpable homicide of this degree is punishable under the second part of Section 304.
13. Section 300 of the Code proceeds with reference to Section 299 of the Code. 'Culpable homicide' may or may not amount to 'murder', in terms of Section 300 of the Code. When a 'culpable homicide is murder', the punitive consequences shall follow in
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terms of Section 302 of the Code while in other cases, that is, where an offence is 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder', punishment would be dealt with under Section 304 of the Code.
Various judgments of this Court have dealt with the cases which fall in various classes of firstly, secondly, thirdly and fourthly, respectively, stated under Section 300 of the Code. It would not be necessary for us to deal with that aspect of the case in any further detail. of course, the principles that have been stated in various judgments like Abdul Waheed Khan @ Waheed and Ors. v. State of A.P. : (2002) 7 SCC 175,V irsa Singh v. State of Punjab :
AIR 1958 SC 465 and Rajwant and Anr. v. State of Kerala : AIR 1966 SC 1874 are the broad guidelines and not cast-iron imperatives. These are the cases which would provide precepts for the courts to exercise their judicial discretion while considering the cases to determine as to which particular clause of Section 300 of the Code they fall in.
14. This Court has time and again deliberated upon the crucial question of distinction between Sections 299 and 300 of the Code, i.e., 'culpable homicide' and 'murder' respectively. In the case of Phulia Tudu and Anr. v. State of Bihar (now Jharkhand) : AIR 2007 SC 3215, the Court noticed that confusion is caused if courts, losing sight of the true scope and meaning of the terms used by the legislature in these sections, allow themselves to be drawn into minute abstractions. The safest way of approach to the interpretation and application of these provisions seems to be to keep in focus the keywords used in the various clauses of these sections. The Court provided the following comparative table to help in appreciating the points of discussion between these two offences:
Section 299 Section 300
A person commits culpable Subject to certain exceptions
homicide if the act by which the culpable homicide is murder if the death is caused is done act by which the death is caused is done -
INTENTION
(a) with the intention of death; or (1) with the intention of causing death; or
(b) with the intention of causing (2) with the intention of causing such bodily injury as is likely to such bodily injury as the offender cause death; or knows to be likely to cause the death of the person to whom the harm is caused ; or
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(3) with the intention of causing bodily injury to any person and the bodily injury intended to be inflicted is sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death; or KNOWLEDGE
(c) with the knowledge that the act (4) with the knowledge that the is likely to cause death. act is so imminently dangerous that it must in all probability cause death or such bodily injury as is likely to cause death, and without any excuse or incurring the risk of causing death or such injury as is mentioned above.
15. Section 300 of the Code states what kind of acts, when done with the intention of causing death or bodily injury as the offender knows to be likely to cause death or causing bodily injury to any person, which is sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death or the person causing injury knows that it is so imminently dangerous that it must in all probability cause death, would amount to 'murder'. It is also 'murder' when such an act is committed, without any excuse for incurring the risk of causing death or such bodily injury. The Section also prescribes the exceptions to 'culpable homicide amounting to murder'. The explanations spell out the elements which need to be satisfied for application of such exceptions, like an act done in the heat of passion and without pre-mediation. Where the offender whilst being deprived of the power of self-control by grave and sudden provocation causes the death of the person who has caused the provocation or causes the death of any other person by mistake or accident, provided such provocation was not at the behest of the offender himself, 'culpable homicide would not amount to murder'. This exception itself has three limitations. All these are questions of facts and would have to be determined in the facts and circumstances of a given case.
16. This Court in the case of Vineet Kumar Chauhan v. State of U.P. : (2007) 14 SCC 660 noticed that academic distinction between 'murder' and 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder' had vividly been brought out by this Court in State of A.P. v. Rayavarapu Punnayya : (1976) 4 SCC 382, where it was observed as under:
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... that the safest way of approach to the interpretation and application of Section 299 and 300 of the Code is to keep in focus the key words used in various clauses of the said sections. Minutely comparing each of the clauses of Section 299 and 300 of the Code and the drawing support from the decisions of the court in Virsa Singh v. State of Punjab and Rajwant Singh v. State of Kerala, speaking for the court, Justice RS Sarkaria, neatly brought out the points of distinction between the two offences, which have been time and again reiterated. Having done so, the court said that wherever the Court is confronted with the question whether the offence is murder or culpable homicide not amounting to murder, on the facts of a case, it would be convenient for it to approach the problem in three stages. The question to be considered at the first stage would be that the accused has done an act by doing which he has caused the death of another. Two, if such causal connection between the act of the accused and the death, leads to the second stage for considering whether that act of the accused amounts to culpable homicide as defined in Section
299. If the answer to this question is in the negative, the offence would be culpable homicide not amounting to murder, punishable under the First or Second part of Section 304, depending respectively, on whether this second or the third clause of Section 299 is applicable. If this question is found in the positive, but the cases come within any of the exceptions enumerated in Section 300, the offence would still be culpable homicide not amounting to murder, punishable under the first part of Section 304 of the Code. It was, however, clarified that these were only broad guidelines to facilitate the task of the court and not cast-iron imperative.
17. Having noticed the distinction between 'murder' and 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder', now we are required to explain the distinction between the application of Section 302 of the Code on the one hand and Section 304 of the Code on the other.
18. In Ajit Singh v. State of Punjab (2011) 9 SCC 462, the Court held that in order to hold whether an offence would fall under Section 302 or Section 304 Part I of the Code, the courts have to be extremely cautious in examining whether the same falls under Section 300 of the Code which states whether a culpable homicide is murder, or would it fall under its five exceptions which lay down when culpable homicide is not murder. In other words, Section 300 states both, what is murder and what is not. First finds place in Section 300 in its four stated categories, while the second finds detailed mention in the stated five exceptions to Section 300. The legislature in its wisdom, thus, covered the entire gamut of culpable homicide that 'amounting to murder' as well as that 'not amounting to murder' in a composite manner in Section 300 of the Code. Sections 302 and 304 of the Code are primarily the punitive
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provisions. They declare what punishment a person would be liable to be awarded, if he commits either of the offences.
19. An analysis of these two Sections must be done having regard to what is common to the offences and what is special to each one of them. The offence of culpable homicide is thus an offence which may or may not be murder. If it is murder, then it is culpable homicide amounting to murder, for which punishment is prescribed in Section 302 of the Code. Section 304 deals with cases not covered by Section 302 and it divides the offence into two distinct classes, that is (a) those in which the death is intentionally caused; and (b) those in which the death is caused unintentionally but knowingly. In the former case the sentence of imprisonment is compulsory and the maximum sentence admissible is imprisonment for life. In the latter case, imprisonment is only optional, and the maximum sentence only extends to imprisonment for 10 years. The first clause of this section includes only those cases in which offence is really 'murder', but mitigated by the presence of circumstances recognized in the exceptions to Section 300 of the Code, the second clause deals only with the cases in which the accused has no intention of injuring anyone in particular. In this regard, we may also refer to the judgment of this Court in the case of Fatta v. Emperor, 1151. C. 476
20. Thus, where the act committed is done with the clear intention to kill the other person, it will be a murder within the meaning of Section 300 of the Code and punishable under Section 302 of the Code but where the act is done on grave and sudden provocation which is not sought or voluntarily provoked by the offender himself, the offence would fall under the exceptions to Section 300 of the Code and is punishable under Section 304 of the Code. Another fine tool which would help in determining such matters is the extent of brutality or cruelty with which such an offence is committed.
21. An important corollary to this discussion is the marked distinction between the provisions of Section 304 Part I and Part II of the Code. Linguistic distinction between the two Parts of Section 304 is evident from the very language of this Section. There are two apparent distinctions, one in relation to the punishment while other is founded on the intention of causing that act, without any intention but with the knowledge that the act is likely to cause
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death. It is neither advisable nor possible to state any straightjacket formula that would be universally applicable to all cases for such determination. Every case essentially must be decided on its own merits. The Court has to perform the very delicate function of applying the provisions of the Code to the facts of the case with a clear demarcation as to under what category of cases, the case at hand falls and accordingly punish the accused."
50. Recently, in Mohd. Rafiq vs. State of Madhya Pradesh,
reported in (2021) 10 SCC 706, the Hon'ble Supreme
Court, after noticing the earlier judgments on the point, has
held as under :-
"11. The question of whether in a given case, a homicide is murder, punishable Under Section 302 Indian Penal Code, or culpable homicide, of either description, punishable Under Section 304 Indian Penal Code has engaged the attention of courts in this country for over one and a half century, since the enactment of the Indian Penal Code; a welter of case law, on this aspect exists, including perhaps several hundred rulings by this Court. The use of the term "likely" in several places in respect of culpable homicide, highlights the element of uncertainty that the act of the Accused may or may not have killed the person. Section 300 Indian Penal Code which defines murder, however refrains from the use of the term likely, which reveals absence of ambiguity left on behalf of the Accused. The Accused is for sure that his act will definitely cause death. It is often difficult to distinguish between culpable homicide and murder as both involve death. Yet, there is a subtle distinction of intention and knowledge involved in both the crimes. This difference lies in the degree of the act. There is a very wide variance of degree of intention and knowledge among both the crimes.
12. The decision in State of Andhra Pradesh v. Rayavarapu Punnayya and Anr. notes the important distinction between the two provisions, and their differing, but subtle distinction. The court pertinently pointed out that:
12. In the scheme of the Penal Code, "culpable homicide" is genus and "murder" its specie. All "murder" is "culpable
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homicide" but not vice- versa. Speaking generally, "culpable homicide" sans "special characteristics of murder", is "culpable homicide not amounting to murder". For the purpose of fixing punishment, proportionate to the gravity of this generic offence, the Code practically recognises three degrees of culpable homicide. The first is, what may be called, "culpable homicide of the first degree". This is the greatest form of culpable homicide, which is defined in Section 300 as "murder". The second may be termed as "culpable homicide of the second degree". This is punishable under the first part of Section 304. Then, there is "culpable homicide of the third degree". This is the lowest type of culpable homicide and the punishment provided for it is, also, the lowest among the punishments provided for the three grades. Culpable homicide of this degree is punishable under the second part of Section 304.
13. The academic distinction between "murder" and "culpable homicide not amounting to murder" has vexed the courts for more than a century. The confusion is caused, if courts losing sight of the true scope and meaning of the terms used by the legislature in these sections, allow themselves to be drawn into minute abstractions. The safest way of approach to the interpretation and application of these provisions seems to be to keep in focus the keywords used in the various clauses of Sections 299 and 300.
13. The considerations that should weigh with courts, in discerning whether an act is punishable as murder, or culpable homicide, not amounting to murder, were outlined in Pulicherla Nagaraju @ Nagaraja Reddy v. State of Andhra Pradesh. This Court observed that:
29. Therefore, the Court should proceed to decide the pivotal question of intention, with care and caution, as that will decide whether the case falls Under Section 302 or 304 Part I or 304 Part II. Many petty or insignificant matters - plucking of a fruit, straying of cattle, quarrel of children, utterance of a rude word or even an objectionable glance, may lead to altercations and group clashes culminating in deaths. Usual motives like revenge, greed, jealousy or suspicion may be totally absent in such cases. There may be no intention. There may be no premeditation. In fact, there may not even be criminality. At the other end of the spectrum, there may be cases of murder where the Accused attempts to avoid the penalty for murder by attempting to put forth a case that there was no intention to cause death. It is for the courts to ensure that the cases of murder punishable Under Section 302, are not converted into offences punishable Under
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Section 304 Part I/II, or cases of culpable homicide not amounting to murder are treated as murder punishable Under Section 302. The intention to cause death can be gathered generally from a combination of a few or several of the following, among other, circumstances; (i) nature of the weapon used; (ii) whether the weapon was carried by the Accused or was picked up from the spot; (iii) whether the blow is aimed at a vital part of the body;(iv) the amount of force employed in causing injury; (v) whether the act was in the course of sudden quarrel or sudden fight or free for all fight; (vi) whether the incident occurs by chance or whether there was any premeditation; (vii) whether there was any prior enmity or whether the deceased was a stranger;(viii) whether there was any grave and sudden provocation, and if so, the cause for such provocation; (ix) whether it was in the heat of passion; (x) whether the person inflicting the injury has taken undue advantage or has acted in a cruel and unusual manner; (xi) whether the Accused dealt a single blow or several blows. The above list of circumstance is, of course, not exhaustive and there may be several other special circumstances with reference to individual cases which may throw light on the question of intention."
(Emphasis supplied)
51. As discussed earlier, the incident took place during the
course of panchayat when heated discussion took place
between two brothers; deceased Krishan and Om Prakash
and their nephew appellant - Subhash. All the eye-witnesses
have verified that the incident took place when the deceased
Krishan, Om Prakash and Subhash started fighting with each
other. There is contradiction in the statement of Guddi (P.W.-
6) and Aditya (P.W.-7) that as to how the incident started,
but it is clear that the appellant - Subhash has fired gunshot
during the scuffle.
52. From the above discussion, we are of the view that the
present case falls under the exception contained in Section
300 IPC and is simplicitor of culpable homicide not
amounting to murder.
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53. In such circumstances, the conviction of appellant - Subhash
under Section 302 IPC cannot be sustained, however, he is
liable to be convicted under Section 304-I IPC. Taking
guidance from the judgments of the Hon'ble Supreme Court
rendered in the cases of Hazara Singh Vs. Raj Kumar
reported in (2013) 9 SCC 516, Ramashraya Chakravarti
Vs. State of M.P. reported in (1976) 1 SCC 281,
Gurmukh Singh Vs. State of Haryana reported in (2009)
15 SCC 635 and the judgment of the High Court of
Allahabad rendered in the case of Himanchal & Ors. Vs.
State of U.P. reported in MANU/UP/2715/2015, the
appellant-Subhash is required to be sentenced appropriately
for the offences punishable under Section 304-I IPC.
54. So far as case of the appellant - Ankush is concerned, the
trial court has convicted him for the offences under Section
302/34 and 201 IPC.
55. It is apposite to quote Section 34 IPC, which reads as
under :-
"34. Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention.--When a criminal act is done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention of all, each of such persons is liable for that act in the same manner as if it were done by him alone."
56. As per Section 34 IPC, there should be two or more accused
having common intention to commit an offence. The
prosecution has to prove that the persons involved in the
crime had a pre-arranged plan to commit the offence and
also has to prove that there was prior meeting of minds
between the accused persons.
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57. In the present case, no such evidence is produced by the
prosecution to prove that prior to the incident, the accused
appellants - Subhash and Ankush had a common intention
or a pre-plan and as per the said plan, they have committed
the offence. On the other hand, the material available on
record suggests that appellant - Ankush and other persons
tried to separate deceased Krishan, Om Praksah and
Subhash when they entered into a scuffle and then suddenly
Subhash fired a gunshot on the stomach of deceased
Krishan. The evidence available on record also suggests that
when Krishan tried to hit Subhash, Ankush, his father Rai
Singh and Ram Pratap tried to control deceased Krishan and
then Subhash suddenly fired a gunshot on Krishan.
58. Having carefully scrutinizing the material available on record,
we are of the view that the trial court, without there being
sufficient evidence available on record of common intention
of appellants - Ankush and Subhash, has convicted appellant
- Ankush for the offence under Section 302/34 IPC and the
same cannot be sustained.
59. The trial court has also erred in convicting the appellant -
Ankush for the offence under Section 201 IPC. The allegation
levelled by the prosecution that he ran away with the pistol
used in commission of crime is simply based on the
testimony of Guddi (P.W.-6) and Aditya (P.W.-7), but the
same is not corroborated by any evidence. Admittedly, the
pistol was not recovered at the instance of appellant -
Ankush but was recovered from the appellant - Subhash and
there is no evidence available on record which suggests that
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after running away with the pistol appellant - Ankush
handed over the same to appellant - Subhash.
60. Resultantly, the appeal of the appellants is partly allowed.
The impugned judgment dated 26.08.2016 passed by
Additional Sessions Judge No.2, Hanumangarh is modified to
the following extent :-
I. That the conviction of accused appellant - Ankush for
the offences punishable under Sections 302/34 and 201
IPC is set aside and he is acquitted from the said
offences. He is on bail, his bail bonds stand cancelled.
II. That the conviction of accused appellant - Subhash for
the offence punishable under Section 3/25 of Arms Act
is set aside and he is acquitted from the said offence.
However, his conviction and sentence awarded by the
trial court for the offences punishable under Section
201 IPC and Section 7/27 (2) of Arms Act are upheld.
So far as conviction of accused appellant-Subhash for
the offence punishable under Section 302 IPC is
concerned, the same is converted into Section 304-I
IPC and the sentence of life imprisonment awarded to
him by the trial court is reduced to 12 years' rigorous
imprisonment with a fine of Rs.10,000/-, in default of
payment of fine, he shall further undergo six months'
simple imprisonment.
(MUNNURI LAXMAN),J (VIJAY BISHNOI),J
-AjaySingh/-
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