A.K.SARKAR, M.HIDAYATULLAH, V.RAMASWAMI
Rajeswar Prasad Misra – Appellant
Versus
State Of W. B. – Respondent
Certainly. Based on the provided legal document, here are the key points:
The High Court has the jurisdiction to order the production of additional evidence under Section 428 of the Criminal Procedure Code during an appeal against an order of acquittal. However, this power must be exercised sparingly and only in suitable cases where there would be a failure of justice without it (!) (!) .
The discretion to admit additional evidence is broad and is not limited by the same conditions as those for ordering a retrial. The exercise of this discretion should be guided by the necessity to prevent a failure of justice and ensure a fair decision (!) (!) .
The power to take additional evidence is applicable to all appeals, including appeals against acquittal, and can be exercised by the appellate court when it considers such evidence necessary for a just decision (!) (!) .
The order for additional evidence should be based on clear reasons, and the evidence may be taken either by the court itself or through a Magistrate or Court of Session, with proper certification and safeguards, including the presence of the accused or their counsel (!) (!) (!) .
The scope of the appellate court’s power to review facts is extensive, and it can reverse an order of acquittal if the evidence justifies such a conclusion, provided the exercise of this power aligns with the principles of fairness and justice (!) .
The exercise of the power to admit additional evidence must be done with caution, ensuring it is necessary for preventing a failure of justice and not for enabling a disguised retrial or prejudicing the accused (!) (!) .
The discretion under Section 428 is wide and not confined by strict statutory limitations, but it must be exercised judiciously, considering whether the additional evidence is necessary and whether the prosecution had a fair opportunity to present its case (!) (!) .
The purpose of admitting additional evidence is to facilitate a just decision when the existing evidence is insufficient or incomplete, and not to re-open or retry the case without valid reasons (!) (!) .
The appellate court’s review of facts and evidence should respect the trial court’s findings unless there is a clear reason to believe that justice requires a different conclusion, especially when new evidence is introduced (!) .
The principles guiding the exercise of this power emphasize fairness, the avoidance of unnecessary vexation, and ensuring that the case is decided on a complete and proper record of evidence (!) (!) .
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Judgement
HIDAYATULLAH, J. : The appellant Rajeswar Prosad Misra, who has been convicted under S. 408 of the Indian Penal Code on three counts and sentenced in the aggregate to suffer rigorous imprisonment for one year and to pay a fine of Rs. 2,000 (in default 6 months further rigorous imprisonment), was a travelling salesman of Messrs. Dabur (Dr. S. K. Burman) Private Ltd. The area of his operation was the Suburbs of Calcutta and the Mill Area. His duty was to secure orders from Agents and to effect delivery of goods to them in the Company s vans. He was required to receive payments from the agents and to deposit the money with the cashier of the Company. The three charges on which he was tried and convicted were: on 10th and 19th February, 1958 he received, on behalf of the Company, sums of Rs. 300 and Rs. 240 respectively, from a firm Isaq and Sons and on 23rd May, 1958 a sum of Rs. 1502 from Bombay Fancy Stores, but failed to deposit these sums with the cashier. A complaint was accordingly filed against him in the Court of the Chief Presidency Magistrate, Calcutta on August 29, 1958,. The charges were framed against him under S. 408 I.P.C. on July; 16, 1959. The prosecution pro
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