Citation : 2021 Latest Caselaw 2921 Tel
Judgement Date : 21 October, 2021
HONOURABLE Dr. JUSTICE C.SUMALATHA
CRIMINAL APPEAL No.522 of 2012
JUDGMENT:
1. Challenging the validity and the legality of the judgment dated
24.05.2011 rendered by the Court of the Assistant Sessions Judge,
Adilabad, in S.C.No.286 of 2010, the appellant approached this Court
by way of appeal.
2. In the grounds of appeal, it is urged that the judgment of the
trial court is contrary to law, weight of evidence and probabilities of
the case; that the learned judge ought to have seen that the ingredients
to constitute the offence punishable under Section 307 I.P.C. are made
out by the prosecution; that the learned judge ought to have taken into
consideration the evidence of P.W-5 who is an injured witness; that
the learned judge has not considered the evidence of the prosecution
witnesses in correct perspective; and therefore, the appeal has to be
allowed.
3. Reported to take it as heard by the learned Additional Public
Prosecutor and also by the learned counsel appearing for the
respondent-accused.
4. Now the points that arise for determination are:
(1) Whether the appellant succeeded in establishing the guilt of the
respondent-accused for the offence punishable under Section
307 I.P.C. as contended in this appeal.
(2) Whether there exists any infirmity in the judgment of the trial
Court either in appreciating the facts of the case or in Dr.CSL , J
applying the established principles of law to the said facts so
as to interfere with the said judgment exercising the
appellate jurisdiction.
5.Point No.1:
The facts of the case in nutshell, as projected in the charge
sheet, are that on 11.5.2010, at about 2 am., P.W-1 heard the cries of
the wife of P.W-5 who is his neighbour and on that, he rushed to the
house of P.W-5 and found P.W-5 with injuries and immediately, he
along with others shifted the injured to hospital and on enquiry, he
came to know that some quarrel went on between P.W-5 and the
accused who is his father-in-law and the accused threatened to kill
P.W-5 and therefore, on the date of incident, he attached P.W-5 with
an axe with an intention to kill him.
6. Record discloses that putting the evidence of P.Ws.1 to 11,
Exs.P-1 to P-8 and Ex.D-1 into consideration, the learned judge of the
trial Court came to the conclusion that the prosecution failed to prove
the guilt of the respondent-accused beyond all reasonable doubt. The
said finding is assailed by the appellant.
7. Admittedly, P.Ws.1 and 2 are not the ocular witnesses to the
incident. P.W-2 deposed that her daughter-Amrapala witnessed the
incident and raised hue and cries. The said Amrapala was examined as
P.W-3. Though P.W-3 gave evidence to the effect that when they
were sleeping in the front yard of the house, the respondent-accused
beat her husband with an axe on his head at about 2 am and after
seeing the said incident, she raised hue and cries, she did not depose Dr.CSL , J
in clear terms how she could see the accused at those odd hours i.e.,
during night time. No material whatsoever is on record to show the
presence of any lighting at the place of incident which enabled P.W-3
to identify the culprit.
8. P.W-4, who is projected by the prosecution as a person who
proceeded to the scene of offence immediately after the incident and
shifted the injured to hospital, during the course of examination stated
that the respondent-accused was not living at Adegaon-B Village
since 10 days prior to the incident and even on the date of the
incident, he was not present in the said village and that he was at
Ecnoda.
9. Even P.W-5 did not state how he identified the respondent-
accused.
10. The evidence of the injured witness is crucial and it is for the
prosecution to establish the case in clear terms through the said
witness. The injured witness in this case who is P.W-5 did not state
anything about the alleged grudges between him and the respondent-
accused and further as to how he identified the respondent-accused in
that night time.
11. The alleged panch witnesses i.e., P.Ws.6 and 7 failed to support
the case of the prosecution and following them P.W-8 also turned
hostile.
12. P.W-9 who treated P.W-5 deposed that the injuries sustained
are simple in nature.
Dr.CSL , J
13. P.W-11-the Investigating officer during the course of cross-
examination admitted that there is one day delay in lodging the
complaint. When the contents of Ex.P-1-complaint are looked into,
this Court finds the presence of an averment that the respondent-
accused bore grudge in mind and with an intention to take vengeance
attacked P.W-5-injured with an axe. But, the presence of such grudges
is not established by the prosecution before the trial Court.
Furthermore, as earlier discussed, the evidence of P.W-9 is that the
injuries sustained by P.W-5 are simple in nature.
14. In normal course, if a person has real intention to take the life of
another, the injuries that would be caused, that too with an axe, would
certainly be grievous in nature. There is every necessity for the
prosecution to establish the intention or knowledge on the part of the
accused that the act he does would result in death. The intention on
the part of the respondent-accused to cause death of P.W-5 is not
established. Further, the presence of the respondent-accused at the
alleged scene of offence is also not established. Therefore, this Court
is of the view that the appellant failed to establish before the trial
Court that the respondent-accused committed the offence punishable
under Section 307 I.P.C.
15. In view of the foregoing discussion, it is further clear that none
of the grounds of appeal are sustainable in the light of the
unsatisfactory evidence produced by the prosecution before the trial
Court. Therefore, the resultant conclusion is that the appellant failed Dr.CSL , J
to establish the guilt of the accused for the offence punishable under
Section 307 I.P.C. before the trial court.
16. Point No.2:
When the judgment of the trial Court is gone through, this
Court finds that the learned judge of the trial Court had discussed each
and every aspect of the case and by applying the correct proposition
of law has come to a justifiable finding and thereby, acquitted the
respondent-accused of the charge framed.
17. In the result, the Criminal Appeal is dismissed confirming the
judgment dated 24.05.2011 rendered by the Court of the Assistant
Sessions Judge, Adilabad, in S.C.No.286 of 2010.
_________________________ Dr. JUSTICE C.SUMALATHA 21.10.2021 dr
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