IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
MANDHATA SINGH, J.
The State Of Bihar - Appellant
Versus
Sunil Kumar @ Sunil Singh - Respondents
Govt. Appeal (SJ) No.7 of 2006
Decided On : 11-12-2012
Prosecution - Assault - IPC - Section 300, Section 34, Section 323, Section 324, Section 325, Section 326, Section 379, Section 380, Section 427 - The judgment discusses the application of various sections of the Indian Penal Code related to assault, causing grievous hurt, theft, and mischief. The court analyzes the evidence and circumstances of the case to determine the intention behind the actions of the accused and the relevance of injury reports, contradictions in witness testimonies, and the presence of blood and broken bottles at the crime scene.
Fact of the Case:
The prosecution case involved an assault on multiple individuals at a medicine shop, including abuse, exhortation to kill, and various forms of assault and theft by the accused.
Finding of the Court:
The court found vital contradictions in the prosecution case, including discrepancies in the place of occurrence and doubts regarding injury reports. However, it emphasized the reliability of the injured witnesses and the relevance of the circumstances of the case.
Issues: The issues revolved around the reliability of witness testimonies, contradictions in the prosecution case, and the relevance of injury reports, blood presence, and broken bottles at the crime scene.
Ratio Decidendi: The court emphasized the reliability of injured witnesses, the relevance of circumstances in determining common intention, and the importance of injury reports and physical evidence at the crime scene.
Final Decision: The appeal was allowed, and the judgment and order of acquittal were set aside. The case was remanded to the trial court for a fresh decision in accordance with the law.
1. Prosecution case initiated on fardbeyan of one Sunil Kumar Singh, P.W.8, in brief, is that on 25.12.1999 at about 4.45 PM informant along with his brothers Sudhir Kumar, Vijay Kumar and his uncle Rajendra Kumar Singh was sitting on the counter of his shop. All the accused persons variously armed with Lathi, Grassa, gun and Pistol came to his (informant’s) medicine shop and abused. Accused Akhilesh exhorted as why his brother Promod had assaulted his son and nephew during playing cricket. Further he ordered to kill, responding thereon accused Shiv Kumar Singh since dead inflicted grassa on the head of informant’s uncle Rajendra Singh. He repeated second blow aiming the informant with intention to kill but same hit his brother’s head. Other accused persons assaulted by means of Lathi and sticks. On hue and cry of injured to save, informant’s son Dhananjay and Kundan rushed towards place of occurrence but were surrounded and assaulted by accused Pawan Kumar and Marut. Informant’s brother Sudhir Kumar Singh was thrashed on earth by accused Parsuram Singh and Akhilesh Singh and assaulted by means of Lathi, stick and rod also. With intention to kill they started throttling him. Accused Anil Singh fired three shots from his gun, accused Sunil pointed his Pistol on informant and instigated to kill. Accused Anil Singh assaulted the informant with fist. He snatched wrist watch from the hand of informant whereas accused Sunil and Ahilesh took away Rs. 2550/- from cash counter of the shop. Further they broke medicine bottles after entering the shop.
2. The trial commenced and ended in acquittal to all the respondents by the impugned judgment dated 27.5.2006, validity of which has been questioned through filing this appeal by the State Govt.
3. In all 11 witnesses are examined in the case. They are P.W.1 Sudhir Kumar Singh, P.W.2 Kundan Kumar, P.W.3 Dhananjay Kumar, P.W.4 a constable, P.W.5 Vijay Kumar, P.W.6 Rajendra Prasad Singh, P.W.8 Sunil Kumar Singh, P.Ws 7, 9, and 10 are doctors who examined the injured persons physically or through X-Ray and P.W.11 is I.O. of the case.
4. In the case all the witnesses except P.Ws 7, 9, 10 and 11 are injured and come from the same family. They all have corroborated the prosecution case either fully or in part. P.Ws 2 and 3 only have corroborated part of the occurrence as they came to the place of occurrence only to hear hue and cry of rest of the injured and were assaulted in the way, certainly outside the shop. P.Ws 1, 5, 6 and 8 are stating about their sitting in the shop when all the accused persons variously armed with garasa, gun and Pistol came, exhortation of accused Akhilesh and further his order to kill and causing of assault. They are constant on the point that accused Shiv Kumar blew his grassa on head of Rajendra Singh P.W.6, another blow by him hit injured Vijay and thereafter allegation of assault by different accused persons to different injured persons.
5. Doctors are examined on the point of examination of injured witnesses and I.O. of the case is also examined.
6. Vital contradiction has been found by the trial court to doubt the prosecution case, to me appears created contradicted, one of such contradictions is place of occurrence. There can be no doubt that place of occurrence is inside the shop and outside the shop as some of the injured persons are shown assaulted inside the shop and some of them are shown assaulted outside the shop, admittedly P.W.2 and P.W.3 have been shown assaulted outside the shop.
7. Opinion of injury has been doubted on receiving of X-ray report dated 31.12.1999 and preparation of injury report dated 26.12.1999. Some mistake is possible if not then also injury report cannot be doubted being it for simple injury. Any of the injuries is grievous that only can be doubted. Grassa, Lathi, rod and gun are used. No doubt gun shot firing is in air but at the same time grassa is used on head, two blows are there though on different persons but aiming
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