Partly allowed

Balvant Singh and Ors. v. State

Rajasthan HC14 Jul 2015CRLA/1155/2008

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

Oral decree allows criminal appeal against conviction and sentencing for murder. High Court acquits two appellants and upholds conviction of third appellant Bittu based on discrepancies in witness testimony, place of occurrence, and injury pattern.

What did the court decide?

Benefit of doubt extended to Balvant Singh and Billu Singh; conviction and sentence set aside for them. Conviction and sentence of Bittu @ Manjeet Singh maintained.

Balvant Singh and Ors. Vs State — Cheque Dishonour | Rajasthan HC (2015)

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I N THE HI GH COURT OF JUDI CATURE FOR RAJASTHAN AT JAI PUR BENCH, JAI PUR

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JUDGMENT

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Bal vant Si ngh & Or s. v. St at e of Raj ast han ( D. B. Cr i mi nal Appeal No. 1155/ 2008)

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D. B. Cr i mi nal Appeal agai nst t he Judgment dat ed 17. 10. 2008 and t he or der dat ed 18. 10. 2008 passed by t he Cour t of Addi t i onal Sessi ons Judge ( Fast Tr ack) No. 4, Bhar at pur - Headquar t er , Deeg i n Sessi ons Case No. 31/ 07.

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Dat e of Judgment : 14/ 07/ 2015

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PRESENT

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HON' BLE MR. JUSTI CE KANWALJI T SI NGH AHLUWALI A HON' BLE MR. JUSTI CE BANWARI LAL SHARMA

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Mr . Bi r i Si ngh Si nsi nwar , Seni or Advocat e assi st ed by Mr . Raj esh Choudhar y, f or t he accused- appel l ant s. Mr . Al adeen Khan, Publ i c Pr osecut or f or St at e. Mr . Ranveer Si ngh, f or t he compl ai nant .

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( Per Ahl uwal i a, J. ) ( Or al )

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Bal vant Si ngh and Rat an Si ngh ar e t wo br ot her s. When br ot her s f i ght t hey f i ght f i er cel y and when t hey ar e embr oi l ed i n l i t i gat i on, equal l y t hey r esor t t o exagger at i on and i nf l at e t he number of accused. Thi s i s t he essence of t he pr esent case i n whi ch we have cal l ed upon t o det er mi ne whet her Jaswant Si ngh son of Rat an Si ngh and nephew of Bal vant Si ngh appel l ant di ed due t o shot s f i r ed by bot h Bal vant Si ngh and hi s son Bi t t u @ Manj eet Si ngh or he di ed due t o shot f i r ed onl y by Bi t t u @ Manj eet Si ngh son of Bal vant Si ngh.

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Bef or e we r ever t t o t he f act s of t he case, we may hi ghl i ght t hat i n t he pr esent case occur r ence had t aken pl ace on 31. 3. 2006 al l egedl y on t he pl at f or m ( Chabut ar a) i n f r ont of house of Rat an Si ngh ( P. W. 19) and t he wr i t t en r epor t was pr esent ed

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on t he next day of t he occur r ence i . e. on 1. 4. 2006 at 6. 05 PM. Speci al r epor t had r eached t he I l aka Magi st r at e on 3. 4. 2006 at 11. 00 AM. Thus, t her e i s a del ay of 24 hour s i n l odgi ng of t he r epor t and del ay of 72 hour s i n r eachi ng of t he speci al r epor t . Equal l y i t i s i mpor t ant t o not i ce t hat t he deceased i n t he pr esent case was di schar ged f r om t he hospi t al 5- 6 days bef or e hi s deat h and he di ed on 13. 4. 2006 af t er 13- 14 days of t he occur r ence.

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The Cour t of Addi t i onal Sessi ons Judge ( Fast Tr ack) No. 4, Bhar at pur - Headquar t er , Deeg vi de i mpugned j udgment dat ed 17. 10. 2008 hel d t hat on 31. 3. 2006 al l t he t hr ee accused wi t h common i nt ent i on came i n f r ont of t he house of Rat an Si ngh and on exhor t at i on ( Lal kar ) r ai sed by Bi l l u, Bi t t u @ Manj eet Si ngh and hi s f at her Bal vant Si ngh had f i r ed f r om gun each i n t hei r hand at Jaswant Si ngh whi ch l ed t o hi s deat h. Sayi ng so t he t r i al cour t convi ct ed Bal vant Si ngh and Bi t t u @ Manj eet Si ngh f or of f ence under Sect i on 302 I PC and Bi l l u Si ngh wi t h t he ai d of Sect i on 34 I PC, i . e. under Sect i on 302/ 34 I PC. Bi t t u Si ngh was f ur t her convi ct ed f or of f ence under Sect i on 3/ 25 of t he Ar ms Act . Havi ng convi ct ed t he appel l ant s vi de i mpugned j udgment dat ed 17. 10. 2008, next day t her eaf t er on 18. 10. 2008 vi de a separ at e or der t r i al cour t sent enced t he appel l ant s as under : -

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Accused, Bal vant Si ngh

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U/ s. 302 I PC: Li f e i mpr i sonment , t o pay a f i ne of Rs. 5000/ - and i n def aul t t her eof t o under go t hr ee mont hs si mpl e i mpr i sonment .

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Accused, Bi t t u Si ngh

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U/ s. 302 I PC: Li f e i mpr i sonment , t o pay a

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f i ne of Rs. 5000/ - and i n def aul t t her eof t o under go t hr ee mont hs si mpl e i mpr i sonment .

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U/ s. 3/ 25, Ar ms Act : Two year s r i gor ous i mpr i sonment , t o pay a f i ne of Rs. 1000/ - and i n def aul t t her eof t o under go one mont h si mpl e i mpr i sonment .

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Accused, Bi l l u Si ngh

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U/ s. 302/ 34 I PC: Li f e i mpr i sonment , t o pay a f i ne of Rs. 5000/ - and i n def aul t t her eof t o under go t hr ee mont hs si mpl e i mpr i sonment .

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( Al l t he sent ences wer e or der ed t o r un concur r ent l y) ”

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Aggr i eved agai nst t hei r convi ct i on and sent ence, t he pr esent appeal has been i nst i t ut ed by t he appel l ant s.

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I ni t i al ver si on l eadi ng t o r egi st r at i on of t he case has emer ged i n t he wr i t t en r epor t ( Ex. P. 15) submi t t ed by Rat an Si ngh ( P. W. 19) f at her of deceased Jaswant Si ngh bef or e Raj endr a Si ngh ( P. W. 17) who was t hen post ed as S. H. O. , Pol i ce St at i on Si kar i . The wr i t t en r epor t ( Ex. P. 15) when t r ansl at ed i nt o Engl i sh r eads as under : -

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“ To, The SHO Sahi b, P. s. Si kar i .

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Si r ,

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It i s submi tted that the appl i cant i s keepi ng hi s r esi dence i n the fi el ds. Yester day on 31. 3. 2006 buffal o of my br other Bal vant Si ngh wer e gr azi ng fodder i n our fi el d. My son Jaswant Si ngh had pushed the buffal o out of the fi el ds. My br other and nephews Bi ttu and Bi l l u r ai sed a pr otest and they al l thr ee abused my son and l eft a thr eat. Yester day eveni ng at 5. 00 PM Bal vant Si ngh s/o Chetar Si ngh, Bi ttu and Bi l l u whi l e gi vi ng abuses tr espassed i nto our house. Bal vant Si ngh and Bi ttu wer e ar med wi th guns. Bi l l u exhor ted i n a l oud voi ce ( Gar aj Kar Kaha) that Jaswant Si ngh be ki l l ed. Sayi ng so, Bal vant Si ngh and Bi ttu fi r ed at Jaswant Si ngh fr om thei r guns. Jaswant Si ngh suffer ed pel l et i nj ur i es on face, eye, nose, abdomen and chest. The sai d occur r ence was wi tnessed by Ram Bai w/o Ganga Si ngh, Sur j i to Bai w/o Ratan Si ngh, Suchha Si ngh s/o Ratan Si ngh, etc. Si nce condi ti on of my son was pr ecar i ous, he was br ought to Govi ndgar h and fr om ther e he was r efer r ed to

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Al war . At pr esent my son i s hospi tal i zed i n Gover nment Hospi tal, Al war . Repor t i s pr esented. Legal acti on be taken.

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Dt. 1. 4. 2006

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Sd/ -

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Ratan Si ngh s/o. Chetar Si ngh”

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Dr . Phool Si ngh Choudhar y ( P. W. 1) on 1. 4. 2006 bei ng post ed as Medi cal Jur i st at Gener al Hospi t al , Al war had exami ned Jaswant Si ngh who was l yi ng admi t t ed at Bed No. 8 of sur gi cal War d. Dr . Phool Si ngh Choudhar y ( P. W. 1) i n i nj ur y r epor t ( Ex. P. 1) had not ed t he f ol l owi ng i nj ur i es: -

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“ 1. Punctur ed l acer ated wound i n abdomen r ight si de 6 cm l at. . . . . of si ze 1/4 x 1/4 cm depth wi th cl otted bl ood.

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Punctur ed l acer ated wound i n chest r ight si de bel ow nippl e of si ze 1/4 x 1/4 cm depth wi th cl otted bl ood.

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Punctur ed l acer ated wound i n chest r ight si de l at. to ster num i n mi ddl e 1/3^{r d} of si ze ½ x ¼ cm, depth wi th cl otted bl ood.

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Punctur ed l acer ated wound i n r ight for ear m i n upper 1/3^{r d} and r adi al si de of si ze ¼ x ¼ depth wi th cl otted bl ood.

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Punctur ed l acer ated wound i n r ight eye l at. at comae of si ze ½ x ½ cm depth wi th heamatoma i n r ight eye.

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Punctur ed l acer ated wound i n face l eft si de at zygmati c ar t. Of si ze ¼ x ¼ cm x depth wi th cl otted bl ood.

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Punctur ed l acer ated wound i n face near mandi bl e i n l eft si de of si ze ¼ x ¼ cm depth wi th cl otted bl ood.

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Punctur ed l acer ated wound i n l eft si de of face near angl e of mandi bl e of si ze ¼ x ¼ cm depth wi th cl otted bl ood.

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Punctur ed l acer ated wound i n l ip at l eutr e of si ze ¼ x ¼ cm depth wi th cl otted bl ood.

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Punctur ed l acer ated wound r ight si de at coal er per l of l ip of si ze ¼ x ¼ cm depth wi th cl otted bl ood.

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Punctur ed l acer ated wound i n upper par t of chest near center and near ster num of si ze ¼ x ¼ cm depth wi th cl otted bl ood.

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Punctur ed l acer ated wound i n l eft thor ax upper par t of si ze ¼ x ¼ cm depth wi th cl otted bl ood.

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Punctur ed l acer ated wound i n l eft eye at l ower l i d mandi bl e of si ze ¼ x ¼ cm depth wi th cl otted bl ood.

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Punctur ed l acer ated wound i n upper par t of chest near ster num of si ze ¼ x ¼ cm depth wi th cl otted bl ood. ”

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I n cr oss- exami nat i on Doct or admi t t ed t hat

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di mensi on of al l t he i nj ur i es not i ced i n t he i nj ur y r epor t ( Ex. P. 1) i s si mi l ar and t hey can be caused by one weapon . The exact wor ds of t he Doct or ar e as under : -

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“ यह सही है िक चोट ्ऺितवेदन ्ऺदशर् पी- 1 की सभी चोट� का आकार करीब करीब सामान है अत: एक आग्नेय श� ्षारा ये चोट� कािरत िकया जाना संभव है। ”

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Dr . Ravi Mat hur ( P. W. 2) on 1. 4. 2006 bei ng Radi ol ogi st conduct ed X- r ay of Jaswant Si ngh. As per X- r ay r epor t ( Ex. P. 2) , he f ound no bony i nj ur y on t he f ace, chest , abdomen and on ot her par t s of t he body. However , he not ed pr esence of pel l et l yi ng on mi ddl e post er i or l at er al angl e of chest .

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Dr . Mukesh Shar ma ( P. W. 3) on 13. 4. 2006 had conduct ed aut opsy on t he dead body of Jaswant Si ngh deceased and i n post - mor t em r epor t ( Ex. P. 4) had f ound heal ed wounds si mi l ar t o t hose not ed i n t he i nj ur y r epor t ( Ex. P. 1) . As per opi ni on of t he Doct or , cause of deat h was car di ac ar r est due t o car di ac t amponade whi ch was caused due punct ur e of l ef t vent r i cl e by pel l et s.

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Pr osecut i on case r est s on t he t est i mony of f our eye- wi t nesses, namel y Ram Bai ( P. W. 4) , Rat an Si ngh ( P. W. 19) f at her of t he deceased, Sur j eet o Bai ( P. W. 20) mot her of t he deceased and Suchha Si ngh ( P. W. 21) br ot her of t he deceased.

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Ram Bai ( P. W. 4) i ndependent wi t ness has t ur ned

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host i l e t o t he pr osecut i on and st at ed i n cour t t hat she i s not awar e about t he occur r ence and she cannot nar r at e anyt hi ng, qua t he i nci dent .

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Rat an Si ngh ( P. W. 19) f at her of t he deceased bei ng f i r st i nf or mant i n cour t deposed t hat 2 year s, 2 mont hs bef or e t he occur r ence, buf f al o of Bal vant Si ngh had gr azed f odder i n hi s f i el d. Hi s son Jaswant Si ngh had obj ect ed. Then Bal vant Si ngh, Bi l l u and Bi t t u had l ef t t he t hr eat . On t he day of occur r ence at 4. 30- 5. 00 PM Jaswant Si ngh had gone t o t he shop t o buy househol d ar t i cl es. Af t er pur chasi ng, he was r et ur ni ng whi l e Bal vant Si ngh, Bi t t u Si ngh and Bi l l u Si ngh al l t hr ee came t o t hei r house. Bal vant Si ngh and Bi t t u Si ngh wer e ar med wi t h gun and Bi l l u was ar med wi t h Far si . Bi t t u st ar t ed f i r i ng at Jaswant Si ngh and Bal vant Si ngh al so f i r ed. We may not i ce her e t hat f i r st shot i s at t r i but ed t o Bi t t u Si ngh .

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The wi t ness f ur t her st at ed t hat shot s f i r ed by Bi t t u and Bal vant Si ngh had caused i nj ur i es on t he abdomen and head of Jaswant Si ngh. Bi l l u exhor t ed t hat Jaswant Si ngh be f i ni shed. Jaswant Si ngh due t o i nj ur i es caused by pel l et s, f or t r eat ment was br ought t o Govi ndgar h, f r om t her e he was br ought t o Al war . Fr om Al war he was r ef er r ed t o Jai pur . He r emai ned under t r eat ment at Jai pur f or 5- 6 days. Doct or s at Jai pur di schar ged Jaswant Si ngh and st at ed t hat he be t aken t o home wher e he wi l l r ecover . 2- 3 days af t er di schar ge f r om t he hospi t al , he di ed at home. I t wi l l be apposi t e f or us t o r epr oduce f ol l owi ng por t i on of t he t est i mony of t he wi t ness i n cour t : -

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“ जसव�त िसंह के छर� लगने पर उसे इलाज कराने गोिव�दगढ़ ले गए जहां से उसे इलाज कराने अलवर ले गये। अलवर उसका इलाज चला जहां से जयपुर रेफर कर िदया िफर जयपुर उसका इलाज चला वहां 5- 6 िदन रहा। जयपुर म� डॉक्टर� ने कहा िक इसको घर ले जाओ ठीक हो जावेगा िफर जसव�तिसंह को घर ले आया, घर आने के दूसरे तीसरे िदन वह मर गया। ”

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I n cr oss- exami nat i on t hi s wi t ness st at ed t hat Jaswant Si ngh was f i r st t aken t o Govi ndgar h wher e he r emai ned f or one hour , t hen he was br ought t o Gener al Hospi t al , Al war . Pol i ce came t her e and he l odged t he r epor t . I n cour t t he wi t ness st at ed t hat accused had not ent er ed i nt o hi s house. Bl ood had f al l en on t he Chabut ar a ( pl at f or m) whi ch was const r uct ed i n f r ont of t he house and pel l et s had al so hi t t he wal l s of t he house. Thi s wi t ness f ur t her st at ed t hat hi s son was not oper at ed at Jai pur . The wi t ness deni ed t he suggest i on t hat Jaswant Si ngh had r ecover ed and di ed at home due t o consumpt i on of excessi ve l i quor .

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Sur j eet o Bai ( P. W. 20) mot her of t he deceased al so st at ed t hat on t he day of occur r ence Bal vant Si ngh and Bi t t u came and f i r ed shot s at Jaswant Si ngh.

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Suchha Si ngh ( P. W. 21) br ot her of t he deceased st at ed t hat f i r st shot was f i r ed by Bi t t u and second shot was f i r ed by Bal vant Si ngh . The exact wor ds of t he wi t ness ar e as under : -

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" िब्टू ने हमारी आँख� के सामने जसवंतिसंह को गोली मारी। दूसरी गोली बलवंत िसंह ने मारी। गोली आँख व मूँह पर लगी। ”

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Shr i Bi r i Si ngh Si nsi nwar , l ear ned seni or counsel , dul y assi st ed by Shr i Raj esh Choudhar y has canvassed bef or e us t hat t he ent i r e pr osecut i on case i s f al se and t her e i s a del ay i n l odgi ng of t he r epor t . Ther ef or e, we shoul d di scar d t he ent i r e

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pr osecut i on ver si on and acqui t t he accused. To f or t i f y t he above submi ssi on, l ear ned counsel has dr awn our at t ent i on t o t he si t e pl an ( Ex. P. 6) .

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A per usal of t he si t e pl an r eveal t hat ' F' i s a f i el d wher e wheat was sown and same i s i n possessi on of t he compl ai nant par t y. ' E' i s a pl ace wher e deceased Jaswant Si ngh r ecei ved gunshot i nj ur y, t hus i s t he f i el d of accused Bal vant Si ngh. The si t e pl an ( Ex. P. 6) f ur t her r eveal t hat at t he r oad whi ch goes t owar ds Si kar i at poi nt ' A' Bi t t u was st andi ng, at poi nt ' B' i t i s shown t hat Bal vant was st andi ng and at poi nt ' C' i s anot her pl ace on Bi l l u was st andi ng. The di st ance bet ween poi nt ' E' and poi nt ' A' f r om wher e Bi t t u had f i r ed a shot i s 65 st eps and di st ance bet ween ' B' and ' E' f r om wher e Bal vant had f i r ed a shot i s 60 st eps. I t i s cont ended t hat t he wi t nesses have not onl y l odged t he FI R af t er 24 hour s and t he speci al r epor t had r eached t o I l aka Magi st r at e af t er 72 hour s of t he l odgi ng of t he FI R, but i n t he pr esent case t he wi t nesses have al so shi f t ed t he pl ace of occur r ence. I n t he si t e pl an ( Ex. P. 6) , shot had hi t Jaswant deceased i n t he f i el d of accused and t he accused ar e st at ed t o be st andi ng on t he r oad, wher eas i n t he FI R i t was st at ed t hat t he accused whi l e gi vi ng abuses t r espassed i nt o t he house of t he compl ai nant and had caused i nj ur i es. I t i s f ur t her submi t t ed t hat t he wi t nesses may t el l a l i e, but t he ci r cumst ances wi l l not . I t i s cont ended t hat seei ng t he di sper si on of pel l et s on t he body of Jaswant Si ngh deceased, a depar t ur e was made f r om t he st or y i n t he FI R and i n t he cour t a new st or y was i nt r oduced t hat Jaswant Si ngh af t er pur chasi ng

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househol d ar t i cl es was r et ur ni ng when shot s wer e f i r ed at hi m by t he accused.

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Sukhendr a Si ngh ( P. W. 22) , i nvest i gat i ng of f i cer , i n cour t st at ed t hat he had pr epar ed t he si t e pl an ( Ex. P. 6) . I n cr oss- exami nat i on t hi s wi t ness st at ed as under : -

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“ नक्शा मौका म�ने बनाया है। यह सही है िक मु�तगीस ने जैसा बताया उसके अनु�प म�ने नक्शा मौका बनाया। यह सही है िक नक्शा मौका म� " ई" �थान पर म�ने खून आलूदा जो फसल पर पडा था तथा िम्टी पर पडा था उसे ज�त िकया था। जहाँ खून पडा था वहीं पर एक खाली खोखा कारतूस पडा था िजसे म�ने ज�त िकया था। यह सही है िक ्ऺदशर् पी- 6 के ई से एफ भाग म� म�ने नोट सही अंिकत बलव�त िसंह का िकया है। यह सही है िक ई माकर ् खेत अिभयु् व है। यह सही है िक उ्व सामान को म�ने िविध िव्ञान ्ऺयोगशाला को नहीं भेजा। यह सही है िक मृतक के िपता के मकान के सामने एक उठा हुआ चबूतरा बना हुआ है। यह सही है िक उस जगह मुझे कोई खून नहीं िमले ना ही मुझे बताये। दीवार� पर व चबूतरा पर छर� नहीं िमले। रतनिसंह के मकान के पीछे िकसका खेत है यह म� नहीं कह सकता मेरी जानकारी म� नहीं है। ”

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Thus, i t i s appar ent t hat nei t her any pel l et mar ks wer e f ound on t he wal l of t he house, nor bl ood was r ecover ed f r om t he house. Even t he pl at f or m ( Chabut ar a) was not havi ng any pel l et mar ks or bl ood. The i nvest i gat i ng of f i cer had st at ed t hat he had l i f t ed one empt y car t r i dge f r om a pl ace wher e bl ood was l yi ng and t he bl ood was f ound f r om t he pl ace wher e t he cr op was st andi ng and same was i n t he f i el d of accused.

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We may al so have not i ce t hat vi de memo ( Ex. P. 7) , t he i nvest i gat i ng of f i cer has l i f t ed onl y one empt y car t r i dge f r om t he f i el d. Fur t her mor e, dur i ng i nvest i gat i on vi de memo ( Ex. P. 13) onl y one gun has been r ecover ed f r om t he accused Bi t t u @ Manj eet Si ngh. Thus, i nvest i gat i ng agency al so had not pur sued t he case of compl ai nant af t er r ecover y of one empt y car t r i dge vi de memo ( Ex. P. 7) and r ecover y of one gun vi de Exhi bi t - P. 13.

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Taki ng t ot al i t y of t he ci r cumst ances, we ar e of t he consi der ed opi ni on t hat , i ndeed, wi t nesses have shi f t ed t he pl ace of occur r ence, even t hough r esi dence of Rat an Si ngh ( P. W. 19) f at her of Jaswant Si ngh deceased i s i n t he f i l ed as per si t e pl an ( Ex. P. 6) , deceased Jaswant Si ngh had r ecei ved pel l et i nj ur y at poi nt ' E' whi ch i s i n t he f i el d of Bal vant Si ngh accused and i n t he si t e pl an ( Ex. P. 6) Bi t t u @ Manj eet Si ngh i s st andi ng at poi nt ' A' at a di st ance of 65 st eps. Four t een i nj ur i es on t he per son of Jaswant Si ngh whi ch ar e on abdomen, chest , r i ght ar m, r i ght eye, f ace show t hat pel l et s have di sper sed wi del y and i t can be r esul t of one shot f i r ed f r om gr eat di st ance. Thus, t he shot has been f i r ed f r om a l ong di st ance pr ove wi de di sper si on of pel l et s on t he body of deceased. Thi s i mpor t ant aspect l end cor r obor at i on t o t he si t e pl an ( Ex. P. 6) .

¶81

Hon' bl e Apex Cour t i n Ghur ey Lal v. St at e of Ut t ar Pr adesh [ ( 2008) 10 SCC 450] not i ced ext r act f r om t r eat i se on bal l i st i cs as under : -

¶82

Fi r ear ms i n Cr i mi nal Investigati on and Tr i al s was wr i t t en by a di st i ngui shed pr of essor Dr . B. R. Shar ma. He has wr i t t en i n some det ai l about . 12 bor e guns. Thi s book al so def i nes Pel l et Pat t er n whi ch r eads t hus ( p. 204) :

¶83

" Pel l et Patter n. - The ar ea cover ed ( pel l et spr ead) by t he pel l et s f i r ed f r om a shot gun i s pr opor t i onal t o t he di st ance bet ween t he muzzl e of t he f i r ear m and t he t ar get . Gr eat er t he r ange, gr eat er i s t he ar ea cover ed by t he pel l et s , ( emphasi s suppl i ed) . The spr ead of t he pel l et s i s af f ect ed mai nl y by t he l engt h of t he bar r el of t he f i r ear m and i t s muzzl e char act er i st i cs ( whet her i t i s choked or not ) . The condi t i on of t he ammuni t i on al so af f ect s t he r esul t s. I f exper i ment s ar e per f or med wi t h t he same f i r ear m and ammuni t i on of t he same make and bat ch, t he t est pat t er ns pr ovi de f ai r l y accur at e est i mat es of t he r ange.

¶84

¶85

Gener al l y, t he whol e char ge ent er s t he body en masse up t o a r ange of about t wo met r es i n a f act or y- made . 12- bor e shot gun. I t f or ms a r at hol e of about t wo t o si x cent i met r es i n di amet er . The r at hol e i s sur r ounded by i ndi vi dual hol es when t he r ange of f i r e i s about t wo t o seven met r es. . . "

¶86

Rat an Si ngh ( P. W. 19) has al so deposed i n cour t t hat Bi t t u had f i r st f i r ed t he shot f ol l owed by anot her shot by Bal vant Si ngh. Dur i ng i nvest i gat i on onl y one empt y car t r i dge was r ecover ed. I nvest i gat i ng agency has al so r ecover ed onl y one gun. To ar r i ve at a concl usi on t hat onl y one gun was used i n t he occur r ence, we have opi ni on of Dr . Phool Si ngh Coudhar y ( P. W. 1) . He i n cr oss- exami nat i on, as al r eady r epr oduced by us, has al so st at ed t hat si mi l ar di mensi on of wounds suggest s t hat i nj ur i es wer e caused by one f i r ear m.

¶87

Thus, t aki ng i nt o consi der at i on a di sper si on of shot di st ance gi ven i n si t e pl an i . e. 65 st eps f r om poi nt ' A' t o poi nt coupl ed wi t h t he f act t hat i t had not caused ser i ous har m and t he deceased was di schar ged f r om t he hospi t al and af t er 2- 3 days of di schar ge and af t er 13 days of occur r ence, he had di ed at home, al ongwi t h t he f act t hat t her e i s a del ay of 24 hour s i n l odgi ng of t he r epor t and of 72 hour s i n r eachi ng of t he speci al r epor t t o t he I l aka Magi st r at e, we ar e of t he vi ew t hat i n t he pr esent case wi t nesses have not onl y shi f t ed t he pl ace of occur r ence, but have i nf l at ed t he number of accused al so. The wi t nesses whi ch can make depar t ur e f r om t he st or y gi ven i n t he FI R and shi f t t he pl ace of occur r ence can al so i nf l at e t he number of accused.

¶88

¶89

I n Bi j oy Si ngh & Anr . v. St at e of Bi har [ 2002 ( 9) SCC 147] , t he Hon' bl e Supr eme Cour t has hel d as under : -

¶90

“6. This Court in Meharaj Singh (L/Nk.) vs. State of U.P. held that FIR in a criminal case and particularly in a murder case, is a vital and valuable piece of evidence for the purpose of appreciating the evidence led at the trial. The object of insisting upon lodging of the FIR is to obtain the earliest information regarding the circumstances in which the crime was committed, including the names of the actual culprits and the parts played by them, the weapons, if any, used as also the names of the eyewitnesses, if known to the informant. Delay in lodging the FIR often results in embellishment, which is a creature of an afterthought.

¶91

Sending the copy of the special report to the Magistrate as required under Section 157 of the Criminal Procedure Code is the only external check on the working of the police agency, imposed by law which is required to be strictly followed. The delay in sending the copy of the FIR may by itself not render the whole of the case of the prosecution as doubtful but shall put the court on guard to find out as to whether the version as stated in the court was the same version as earlier reported in the FIR or was the result of deliberations involving some other persons who were actually not involved in the commission of the crime. (Emphasis supplied). Immediate sending of the report mentioned in Section 157 CrPC is the mandate of law. Delay wherever found is required to be explained by the prosecution. If the delay is reasonably explained, no adverse inference can be drawn but failure to explain the delay would require the court to minutely examine the prosecution version for ensuring itself as to whether any innocent person has been implicated in the crime or not. Insisting upon the accused to seek an explanation of the delay is not the requirement of law. (Emphasis supplied). It is always for the prosecution to explain such a delay and if tendered, no adverse inference can be drawn against it.

¶92

In the instant case, the copy of the report referred to in Section 157 CrPC is shown to have been received by the Magistrate on 27-8-1991. Even though there is a mention in the FIR that its copy was sent through special messenger, yet no date or time of sending the said report is mentioned. The Magistrate, receiving the copy of the report, has also not noted the time of its receipt on 27-8-1991. We are of the opinion that the Magistrate receiving reports under

¶93

¶94

Section 157 CrPC, particularly when it relates to the commission of the heinous crime are required to note not only the date but also the time of the receipt of the copy thereof. Mr. B.B. Singh, learned counsel appearing for the State has pointed out the existence of various circumstances which may perhaps be the cause of delay in sending the copy of the report and its receipt by the Magistrate but surely there is a difference between the “may be”and “must be”. The prosecution has apparently failed to explain the delay in sending the copy of the said reprt in terms of Section 157 CrPC to the Magistrate of the area. This aspect has been highlighted by the learned counsel for the appellant to contend that many of the accused were innocent and wrongly roped in the case allegedly on account of enmity existing between the complainant and the accused party. There is some substance in such a submission.”

¶95

Thus, we ar e of t he vi ew t hat i t i s i ncumbent f or us i n t he f act s and ci r cumst ances of t he pr esent case t o si f t t he gr ai n f r om t he chaf f and ensur e t hat no i nnocent per son suf f er because of bl emi sh i n t he pr osecut i on case.

¶96

Consequent l y, we shal l ext end t he benef i t of doubt t o accused- appel l ant Bi l l u agai nst whom onl y al l egat i on i s of exhor t at i on and Bal vant Si ngh f at her of mai n accused Bi t t u @ Manj eet Si ngh who al l egedl y al so r an i n t he r ace.

¶97

Hence, as a mat t er of abundant caut i on, we ext end t he benef i t of doubt t o t he accusedappel l ant s Bal vant Si ngh and Bi l l u Si ngh and set asi de j udgment of convi ct i on and sent ence qua t hem by acqui t t i ng t hem of t he char ges. However , we mai nt ai n t he convi ct i on and sent ence of accusedappel l ant Bi t t u @ Manj eet Si ngh.

¶98

The appeal st ands di sposed of i n above t er ms.

¶99

( BANWARI LAL SHARMA) J. ( KANWALJI T SI NGH AHLUWALI A) , J.

¶100

Govi nd/ -

¶101

¶102

All corrections made in the judgment/ order have been incorporated in the judgment/ order being emailed.

¶103

Govind Sharma, Sr.PA