HIGH COURT OF MADRAS
G. RAJASURIA, J.
K. K. MANI
VS.
STATE
Crl. R. C. No. 173 of 2006 and Crl. M. P. No. 944 of 2006
Decided On : JULY 01, 2009
Criminal Procedure Code - Sections 173, 294 – Indian Penal Code,1860 - Sections 279, 304 A , 337 and 338 Indian Evidence Act – Sections 105, 300 - guilty trial was conducted - evidence was adduced - no oral or documentary evidence - evidence of the prosecution witnesses - Judgment passed by learned Additional District and Sessions judge in criminal Appeal confirming judgment passed by learned Judicial Magistrate in this criminal revision petition is focused - Resume of facts which are absolutely necessary and germane for disposal of this Criminal Revision petition would run thus police laid police report in terms of Section 173 of Cr. P. C as against accused for offences under Sections 279, 337 and 338 - Since accused pleaded not guilty trial was conducted - On side of prosecution were examined were marked - On side no oral or documentary evidence was adduced - Ultimately trial court convicted accused and imposed sentences as under offences sentence imposed fine amount - Held, Default to undergo one month simple imprisonment six months simple imprisonment Order accordingly - Bestowing our serious consideration on arguments addressed by learned counsel for appellant we express our inability to lean to benevolent provision to S. 4 of the PO Act as such even though in this case technical reasons as set out supra conviction under Section 304-A is turned out to be not sustainable and conviction could be recorded only under Section 338 IPC nonetheless one cannot lose sight off fact that this is a motor vehicle accident case wherein a person died - IN view of fact that accused is still in employment imposing fine alone would meet ends of justice - Accordingly accused is directed to pay a sum of within one month from date of receipt of a copy of this order for offence committed under Section 338 of IPC in default to undergo simple imprisonment for a period of three months - conviction recorded under Section 279 of IPC and sentence imposed by trial court there under and as confirmed by Appellate court shall be in tact - Order accordingly.
( 2 ) A 'resume' of facts, which are absolutely necessary and germane for the disposal of this Criminal Revision petition would run thus:
(i) The police laid the police report in terms of Section 173 of Cr. P. C as against the accused for the offences under Sections 279, 337 and 338 of I. P. C. Since the accused pleaded not guilty, trial was conducted.
(ii) On the side of the prosecution, P. Ws. 1 to 13 were examined and Exs. P1 to P8 were marked. On defence side, no oral or documentary evidence was adduced. Ultimately, the trial court convicted the accused and imposed sentences as under: offences sentence imposed fine amount (i) 279 IPC rs. 250/- (in default to undergo one month simple imprisonment) (ii) 304-A IPC six months simple imprisonment rs. 1,000/- (in default to undergo one month simple imprisonment)The accused preferred appeal before the learned Additional District and Sessions judge (Fast Track Court No. I), Salem, for nothing to be dismissed.
(iii) Being aggrieved by and dissatisfied with the conviction recorded and the sentence imposed by the lower court, this revision is focussed on various grounds, the gist and kernel, the nitty gritty, the pith and marrow of them would run thus: both the courts below committed error in appreciating the evidence.
( 3 ) HEARD the learned counsel for the revision petitioner and the learned Additional public Prosecutor.
( 4 ) AT this juncture, it is just and necessary to narrate the prosecution version of the incident. As revealed by the police report, on 06. 11. 2003, at about 9. 20 hrs (day time), the accused drove the Government transport corporation bus bearing No. TN-27-N-1302 in a rash and negligent manner along Attur - Kallakurichi Main road from west to east and dashed the cyclist balachandran, who was at that time riding his bicycle by having his child Arutchelvan as pillion rider so as to leave him at the tagore Matriculation Higher Secondary school, and caused grievous injuries and other injuries to Balachandran and that the said Balachandran succumbed to his injuries on 12. 11. 2003 at the hospital.
( 5 ) THE points for consideration are as to:
(i) Whether both the courts below were perverse in finding the accused guilty of the offences with which, he was charged, without properly appreciating the oral and documentary evidence adduced before it?
(ii) Whether both the courts below were unjustified in convicting the accused in the absence of the Doctor and the Motor Vehicles inspector having been examined in this case?
Point Nos. 1 and 2:
( 6 ) BOTH the points are taken together for discussion as they are inter-linked and inter-woven, inter-connected and entwined with each other.
( 7 ) THE learned counsel for the revision petitioner would advance and develop his argument by inviting the attention of this court to the various parts of the evidence to the effect that the police cooked up the case as against the accused purely for the purpose of enabling the legal heirs of the deceased to claim maintenance; the occurrence could not have taken place in the manner narrated by the prosecution. P. Ws. 6 and 7, palanivel and Senthilkumar were only mahazar witnesses as per police records, but they, were tutored to depose before the court as eye witnesses. PW1, the father-in-law of the deceased would depose as though the driver after the accident stopped the vehicle and got down and saw the incident, whereupon he sped away with the vehicle; whereas the other alleged witnesses would not speak in a similar manner; the deposition of the alleged eye witnesses are artificial; the non-examination of the doctor to prove the postmortem certificat
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