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2018 Supreme(Ker) 736

IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM
A.M. SHAFFIQUE, P. SOMARAJAN, JJ.
Murukesan S/o Sarathi - Appellant
Vs.
State Represented by Inspector of Police - Respondent
Crl. A. No. 546 of 2015
Decided On : 26-11-2018

Advocates:
Advocate Appeared:
For the Appellant : Anoop P.N.
For the Respondent: Smt. S. Ambikadevi

Headnote:Indian Penal Code- Section 316

       Facts of the case:

       The deceased Sundari was the wife of the appellant Murukesan-The appellant sold their 8 months old son, while she was admitted in the hospital even without her knowledge-The accused developed an apprehension that his wife Sundari would inform this matter to her relatives and police-He therefore entertained an intention to kill her. He informed his wife that as there was a tumor in the abdomen of the child, he was undergoing treatment in a hospital at Guruvayoor- Sundari was pregnant for 4 months at that time. Under the pretext of taking his wife to the child, he took his wife along with him at 9 a.m., on 17/09/2012 in the coach for disabled which was attached to the back side of the train namely Dhanbad Express bound for Alappuzha- While they were travelling and by the time it reached a place called Chorottur between Ottappalam and Mannannur railway stations, at 2.30 p.m., he pushed her down from the running train- She fell down from the train and sustained serious injuries-She breathed her last on 09/10/2012.

       Reasons for the decision:

       The death of the foetus as well as the mother were the direct consequence of the act done by the appellant -If the act of the accused directed to the mother be such that had the mother died, he would have been held guilty of culpable homicide, and the act of accused resulted in abortion of the baby at 18th to 20th week of pregnancy, the accused would answer Section 316 IPC- His acts sufficiently prove his intention also-An offence u/s 316 is made out when any act committed by a person causes death of a quick unborn child-The quickening of an unborn child takes place when the foetus starts movement and the mother will be in a position to feel the movements of the foetus-She was pregnant by about 22-23 weeks-A foetus starts moving within the womb of the mother within 14 to 18 weeks of pregnancy and the mother will be in a position to feel the same- The accused in this case was well aware of the pregnancy of his wife and therefore his intention was none else but to do away with his wife as well as the unborn child-Conviction u/s 316 of I.P.C. also can be sustained.

       Finding of the Court

       The appellant committed the death of the 'quick unborn child' of the deceased and hence rightly held liable by the trial Court under Section 316 of the IPC.

       Result : Dismissed

JUDGMENT :

Shaffique, J.

This appeal has been filed by the appellant against the judgment of conviction and order of sentence passed by the Additional Sessions Judge, Ottappalam, in S.C. No. 747 of 2014 arising out of Crime No. 23 of 2013 of the Railway Police, Shoranur by which the appellant is sentenced to undergo imprisonment for life and to pay fine of Rs.1,000/- (Rupees One Thousand only) and in default to undergo rigorous imprisonment for three months under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (for short, 'IPC'). He is further sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for five years and to pay a fine of Rs.1,000/- and in default to undergo rigorous imprisonment for three months under Section 316 of the IPC.

2. The prosecution case, in brief, is that the deceased Sundari was the wife of the appellant Murukesan. While she had been hospitalized at Erode in connection with some illness, the appellant sold their 8 months old son, without her knowledge. After discharge from the hospital, she enquired about the child intermittently. So, the accused developed an apprehension that his wife Sundari would inform this matter to her relatives and police. He therefore entertained an intention to kill her. He informed his wife that as there was a tumor in the abdomen of the child, he was undergoing treatment in a hospital at Guruvayoor. Sundari was pregnant for 4 months at that time. Under the pretext of taking his wife to the child, he took his wife along with him at 9 a.m., on 17/09/2012 in the coach for disabled which was attached to the back side of the train namely Dhanbad Express bound for Alappuzha. While they were travelling and by the time it reached a place called Chorottur between Ottappalam and Mannannur railway stations, at 2.30 p.m., he pushed her down from the running train. She fell down from the train and sustained serious injuries. Some local persons on hearing a noise took her to Ottappalam Taluk Headquarters Hospital and from there she was referred to Government M.C.H., Thrissur. Due to the fall, the foetus became lifeless. Subsequently, she was taken to Govt. M.C.H., Thirunelveli and while undergoing treatment there, she breathed her last on 09/10/2012.

3. Prosecution examined PWs 1 to 28 as witnesses, marked Exts.P1 to P27 and identified MO1 and MO2. On request of the learned Public Prosecutor, for a just and fair disposal of the case, the Court below allowed to examine PW29 Doctor and Ext.P28 histo-pathology report in respect of the foetus, was marked through him.

4. On request, a Tamil knowing staff was appointed as interpreter to assist the appellant to have a fair trial and to understand the evidence including questioning under Section 313 Cr.P.C.

5. In the 313 examination, the appellant denied all allegations against him and pleaded innocence. According to him, MO1 mobile phone and MO2 series SIM cards do not belong to him. His mobile phone was L.G. with touch screen. He was arrested from Aryabhavan hotel at Olavakode while he was working there. He had ATM card with PIN code No. 4858 and he had account in Karur Vysya bank. He was arrested on 13th of a month. His ATM card was seized by the police and his number was also collected by them. He had more than Rs.50,000/- (Rupees Fifty Thousand only) in his account. It is his version that after the arrest, the police took him to the hotel where he had worked and made him to receive Rs.18,000/- (Rupees Eighteen Thousand only) as arrears of salary from the hotel and it was also seized by the police. They informed him that his mobile phone and cash would be produced before the Court. But he does not have any information about those valuable articles. He also denied the evidence of PW29 and Ext.P28 report.

6. The learned Counsel for the appellant argued that the trial Court erred in arriving at the conclusions in the impugned judgment. The appellant is innocent. There is no eyewitness in the case. There is no proof for the alleged travelling of the appellant and the de









































































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