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1988 Supreme(Raj) 525

RAJASTHAN HIGH COURT AT JAIPUR BENCH
S.N.Bhargava, G.K.Sharma, JJ.
Birbal and Ors. - Appellant
Versus
State of Rajasthan - Respondent
D.B. Cri. Appeal No. 15 of 1985. (against judgment dated 18.12.84 passed by Shri Pyare Mohan, Sessions Judge, Tonk)
Decided On : 29-04-1988

The identification parade was not conducted properly, the fingerprints of the two accused persons were not proved, the police officials who arrested the accused persons were not examined, and the evidence on record was not appreciated correctly by the trial court.

Headnote:

CRIMINAL APPEAL - IDENTIFICATION PARADE - DELAY - POLICE CUSTODY - FINGERPRINTS - RECOVERY OF ARTICLES - STATEMENTS UNDER SECTION 313, CR. P.C. - EVIDENCE - APPRECIATION - CONVICTION - LEGALITY - IDENTIFICATION OF ACCUSED PERSONS - BURDEN OF PROOF - POLICE OFFICIALS - EXAMINATION - NECESSITY - FINGERPRINTS OF ACCUSED PERSONS - PROOF - REQUIREMENT - IDENTIFICATION PARADE - CONDUCT - PRECAUTIONS - NECESSITY - DESCRIPTION OF ACCUSED PERSONS - GIVING BY WITNESSES - IMPORTANCE - FINGERPRINTS OF ACCUSED PERSONS - RELIANCE BY COURT - BASIS - REQUIREMENT - POLICE OFFICIALS - ARRESTING ACCUSED PERSONS - EXAMINATION - IMPORTANCE - RECOVERED ARTICLES - IDENTIFICATION PARADE - CONDUCT - NECESSITY - STATEMENTS UNDER SECTION 313, CR. P.C. - PUTTING QUESTIONS TO ACCUSED PERSONS - IMPORTANCE - EVIDENCE - CONSIDERATION - DUTY OF COURT - TRIAL COURT - APPRECIATION OF EVIDENCE - CORRECTNESS - CONVICTION - LEGALITY - OFFENCES COMMITTED BY ACCUSED PERSONS - ASCERTAINMENT BY COURT - NECESSITY - CONVICTION ORDER - SETTING ASIDE - JUSTIFICATION.

Fact of the Case:

The appellants were convicted of dacoity, murder, and other offenses by the trial court. The prosecution's case was based on the identification of the accused persons by the witnesses, the recovery of some articles from their possession, and the fingerprints of two of the accused persons found on a 'Lota' and a 'Gilas'. The accused persons challenged the conviction on the grounds that the identification parade was not conducted properly, the fingerprints were not proved, and the police officials who arrested them were not examined.

Finding of the Court:

The court found that the identification parade was not conducted properly as the accused persons were shown to the witnesses prior to the parade and that the witnesses had not given any description of the accused persons by which they could identify them. The court also found that the fingerprints of the two accused persons were not proved as there was no report of any fingerprint expert and that the police officials who arrested the accused persons were not examined.

Issues: 1. Whether the identification parade was conducted properly? 2. Whether the fingerprints of the two accused persons were proved? 3. Whether the police officials who arrested the accused persons were examined? 4. Whether the evidence on record was appreciated correctly by the trial court?

Ratio Decidendi: 1. The identification parade was not conducted properly as the accused persons were shown to the witnesses prior to the parade and that the witnesses had not given any description of the accused persons by which they could identify them. 2. The fingerprints of the two accused persons were not proved as there was no report of any fingerprint expert. 3. The police officials who arrested the accused persons were not examined. 4. The evidence on record was not appreciated correctly by the trial court.

Final Decision: The appeal was accepted, and the conviction of the accused persons was set aside.

JUDGMENT

1. - This appeal has been preferred against the judjement dated 18th December, 1984, passed by the Sessions Judge. Tonk, convicting and sentencing the accused appellants as under:

Name of accused

Offence Under/Section

Punishment

All accused persons

Section 148 I.P.C.

3 years' RI and a fine of , 100/-

"

395/397 or 396/397 I.P.C.

7 years' RI;

"

302 or 302/149 I.P.C.

Life imprisonment and a fine of , 200/- and in default

"

396 or 396/149 IPC

Life imprisonment and a fine of , 200/- and in default

"

397 I.P.C.

7 years RI;

Birbal Ramnarayan Dhari Binda alias Fulgan

460 I.P.C.

10 years' RI and a fine of , 200/- and in default 2 months' RI.

All the substantive sentences awarded to the accused-appellants, were, how ever, ordered to run concurrently.

2. On 7th April, 1984, on Mannalal Sarpanch, Gram Panchayat Bagrwa submitted a written-report at PS-Piplu; to the effect that some miscreants had committed dacoity at the house of Bhanwarlal son of Madholal, at village Naurangpura, on the intervening night of 6th and 7th, and that in that dacoity, the property of Bhanwarlal had been looted. According to the report, Bhanwarlal was not present in the village, at that time. The informant mentioned in the report that when Bhanwarlal would return to village a list of his stolen articles, would be submitted. Bhanwarlal's son Ramgopal was present, and he told him that his transistor of 2 bands of Jemco-make and 10-15 silver coins had been taken away by the dacoits. In the report, he also mentioned that Ramgopal and other villagers, namely, Shivratan Singh, Laxmansingh, Ramkaran, Nanda and Bhagwana had also arrived there. They gave warning to those miscreants, and thereupon, the latter started giving blows by lathis and knives In that occurrence, all the persons were injured, and particularly, the condition of Bhagwana was not good. He also mentioned in the report that one lantern was burning outside his shop, and that Ramgopal and a few other persons then followed the miscreants in a tractor. The villagers had seen those dacoits very well, in the light of the lantern, and they could identify them.

3. The above report was submitted at about 10.30 a.m. on 7th April, 1984, and on the basis of this report, a case under Section 395, I.P.C. was registered.

4. The injured persons were sent to hospital. Some time thereafter, Bhagwana died at the SMS Hospital, Jaipur. The case was then converted into that under Sections 302/396, I.P.C. During investigation, the accused persons were arrested by the police. Birbal and Pulgan were arrested on 17th April, 1984 while the other six accused persons were arrested on 8th April, 1984. The police also recovered some minor articles from possession of some of the accused persons. Identification-parade was also conducted by the Magistrate, and the accused-appellants were identified by the prosecution witnesses.

5. After completing usual investigation, a challan was submitted.

6. The trial court framed charges against the accused persons under Sections 147, 148, 397, 397/149, 302, 302/149, 396, 396/149, 395, 395/149, 459 and 460, I.P.C. The accused persons pleaded not guilty and claimed trial.

7. The prosecution examined 16 witnesses to prove its case. The accused persons also examined 1 witness in their defence. After concluding the trial, the trial court found the appellants guilty and sentenced each of them as mentioned above.

8. The learned Counsel for the appellant argued that the conviction of the appellants is illegal and not based on proper appreciation of evidence. According to him, their conviction is based on the identification of the accused persons, and that the identification-parade was not conducted properly. The accused persons were shown to the prosecution witnesses prior to the identification-parade, and hence, the said identification-parade has no substantial value. It was also argued by him th


























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