IN THE HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR
GOUTAM BHADURI, SANJAY S. AGRAWAL, JJ.
Surya Kumar Vatti S/o. Punit Ram Vatti - Appellant
Versus
State of Chhattisgarh, Through the District Magistrate, Chhattisgarh - Respondent
CRA No. 41 of 2020
Decided On : 25-08-2023
Indian Penal Code,1860 - Section 302 - Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 - Section 374 (2) – Offence of Murder – Appeal against conviction - Whether the appellant- was the author of the alleged crime or not – Held, reflected from aforesaid materials that after seizure of alleged weapon in a sealed condition, same was found to be un-sealed when it was sent for its query report and, prosecution has failed to establish fact as to how it was un-sealed when it was sent for its query report and how it was sealed again when it was sent for chemical examination. No explanation whatsoever has been led by the prosecution to this effect - No reliance could be placed upon said F.S.L. Report (Ex.P-24) in order to attribute appellant for commission of alleged offence - Entire finding of Court below convicting the appellant for committing murder of his father, thus, deserves to be and is hereby quashed - Appeal allowed
JUDGMENT :
Sanjay S. Agrawal, J.
1. This appeal has been preferred under Section 374 (2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, questioning the legality and propriety of the judgment of conviction and order of sentence dated 06.12.2019 passed by Sessions Judge, Kondagaon, District-Kondagaon in Sessions Trial No. 21/2019, whereby the appellant has been convicted for the offence punishable under Section 302 of I.P.C. and has been sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life and fine of Rs.5,000/-, in default of payment of fine amount, he has to undergo additional R.I. for 1 month.
2. The facts, which are essential for adjudication of this appeal, are that on 19.12.2018 at about 09:00 pm to 10:00 pm, the appellant/accused has committed the murder of his father-Punit Ram Vatti by assaulting him with the aid of axe (Tangiya) on his head and neck and thereafter went to the house of his uncle (Santuram Vatti), the complainant, on the same day at 11:00 pm and informed him that he murdered his father as he often used to quarrel with him and had earlier lodged the report against him. The complainant, Santuram Vatti went to his brother’s house, namely, Anturam Vatti and thereafter, they went to the house of the appellant, where they found the deceased lying near bed of his veranda in pool of blood. He lodged the Merg Intimation (Ex.P-5) and based upon which, the FIR (Ex.P-6) was registered against the appellant for the offence punishable under Section 302 of I.P.C. in connection with Crime No.84/2018. Inquest of the dead body was prepared vide Ex.P-8 and on the basis of the disclosure statement (Ex.P-14), an axe (Tangiya) was recovered on 21.12.2018 vide seizure memo (Ex.P-15) from the possession of the appellant. The dead body of the deceased was sent for autopsy on 20.12.2018, which was conducted by Dr. S. N. Dhruw (PW-1), who opined vide his report (Ex.P-1) that the cause of death of the deceased was shock and coma due to head injury (excessive bleeding) and was found to be homicidal in nature. An axe (Tangiya) alleged to have been used and bloodstained tracksuit of the appellant was sent for its chemical examination, where human blood was found on the alleged axe (Tangiya) vide FSL Report (Ex.P-24). The Appellant was arrested and the statement of the witnesses were recorded and after due investigation, the appellant was charge-sheeted for the commission of offence under Section 302 of I.P.C. and, the final report was accordingly submitted by the investigating officer before the concerned Magistrate, who in turn, has committed the matter to the Court of Sessions in exercise of the powers enumerated under Section 209 of Cr.P.C. for its trial.
3. The appellant has denied the charges so framed and claimed to be tried.
4. In order to bring home the guilt of the appellant, the prosecution has examined as many as 12 witnesses, while none was examined by the appellant in rebuttal.
5. The trial Court, after considering the evidence led by the prosecution has placed its reliance upon the extra judicial confession made by the appellant before his uncles, namely, Santuram Vatti (PW-4), Anturam Vatti (PW-10) and brother-Nageshwar @ Nagesh Vatti (PW-11) and that by placing his reliance further upon the recovery of axe (Tangiya) from the appellant based upon his disclosure (Ex.P-14), where human blood was found as per FSL Report (Ex.P-24), held that the appellant was an author of the crime in question and, in consequence, convicted him for the commission of murder of his father-Punit Ram under Section 302 of I.P.C. and awarded him the sentence as mentioned herein-above.
6. Learned counsel appearing for the appellant submits that the finding of the Court below holding that the appellant is an author of the alleged crime by placing its reliance upon the extra judicial confession made by him before his relatives is apparently contrary to law, particularly, when the alleged confession was not duly established by the prosecution in accordance with law
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The main legal point established in the judgment is that extra judicial confession and recovery of evidence are weak pieces of evidence and must inspire confidence. The prosecution must establish a c....
Extra-judicial confessions are weak evidence requiring corroboration and should be credible; reliance on insufficient evidence led to the appellant's acquittal.
For a conviction based on extra-judicial confession, corroborative evidence is essential, and any substantial contradictions in testimonies undermine its reliability.
Extrajudicial confession can support a conviction if credible, corroborated by other evidence, and satisfies standards for circumstantial evidence.
The main legal point established in the judgment is the requirement for an extra-judicial confession to be voluntary, truthful, and supported by corroboration. The court emphasized the need for the c....
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