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2012 Supreme(Ker) 850

HIGH COURT OF KERALA
N.K. BALAKRISHNAN, J.
Paul
Versus
State Of Kerala Represented By The Public Prosecutor, High Court Of Kerala, Ernakulam Representing the S.I. Of Police, Cheranellur
Crl. Rev. Pet. No. 1005 of 2003
Decided on : 14-12-2012

Advocates appeared:
For the Petitioner:Philip T. Varghese, Thomas T. Varghese, Advocates.
For the Respondent: Roy Thomas, Public Prosecutor.

Headnote:Abkari Act, 1 of 1077, Section 55(a) -Person who stores excess quantity of liquor is held as the accused committed offence which is punishable under section 55 of this act.

Judgment :

1. This revision is directed against the concurrent conviction and sentence passed against the petitioner for offence under section 55(a) of Abkari Act. He was sentenced to simple imprisonment for one year and to pay Rs.5,000/-as fine.

2. Shorn of the details, the case of the Prosecution is that on 05.10.1996, PW-9 – the Sub Inspector of Police received a reliable information that in the godown of Akshaya Gas Agency, near Cheranalloor – Varappuzha Ferry, Indian Made Foreign Liquor was illegally stored and accordingly he and the Assistant Sub Inspector and other police officials went to that spot. After preparing the search memo and sending it to the Court, they proceeded to the godown. A1 was present there. The godown was got opened and examined. Altogether 475 cases of Indian Made Foreign Liquor were found in that building. Out of them, 179 cases contained 12 bottles each of 750 ml, 228 cases contained 24 Rum bottles each of 375 ml each and 68 cases contained 12 bottles each of Time Brandy of 750 ml. From each of the bottles samples were taken. It was sealed and labeled then and there.

3. Ext.P1 – search list was prepared. It was signed by A1. A1 was arrested then and there. During investigation, the complicity of five other accused persons was also revealed. The 4th accused is the petitioner herein. According to the prosecution the petitioner herein was the licensee of that godown and he was in possession of the liquor bottles mentioned above. The court below found that A1-the watchman of that godown and A2, A3, A5 and A6 were not proved to have kept of brought those liquor bottles in that godown and hence they were acquitted. Since the petitioner (A4) was proved to be the licensee or the person conducting Akshaya Gas Agency in that godown, he was convicted and sentenced.

4. The learned counsel for the revision petitioner submits that no document was produced by the prosecution to show that the petitioner was the lessee of that building or that he was the licensee or the person authorized to conduct the Gas Agency in that building at the relevant time. But the court below relied upon the evidence of PW11 and the evidence of CW1 to hold that the petitioner had obtained the said building on lease and that the said building was used as the godown of Akshaya Gas Agency. The learned counsel for the petitioner submits that in the absence of any other evidence, the oral testimony of PW11 and CW1 should not have been accepted by the court below. It is also argued that since the prosecution did not cite or examine the persons conducting the Gas Agency to prove that Akshaya Gas Agency was being run by the petitioner and another person, it cannot be said that the petitioner was in conscious possession of those articles.

5. The learned Public Prosecutor submits that the other witnesses, who were examined, deposed before court that they were aware of the fact that the said building, shown in Ext.P1 – search list, was used as the godown of Akshaya Gas Agency. That was not challenged. PW11 has stated that the building mentioned in Ext.P1 was let out by her to the 4th accused (the petitioner herein) on rent and that the said building was used as the godown of Akshaya Gas Agency. That evidence cannot be simply ignored stating that the investigating agency did not seize the relevant document. The evidence given by PW11 is that the said building belonged to her as was leased out to the petitioner herein and it was used as a godown of Akshaya Gas Agency. That evidence does not suffer from any infirmity at all. Both the courts, after thorough examination, found the evidence given by PW11 credible and acceptable. That apart, the contention raised by the accused before the trial court was that though there was a lease deed in the name of the petitioner herein, subsequently a document was executed to cancel the same. But PW11 denied having executed any such cancellation deed. It was also pointed out that the property was situated within t















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