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1980 Supreme(Raj) 234

RAJASTHAN HIGH COURT
K.D.Sharma, S.N.Deedwania, JJ.
Mithalal - Appellant
Versus
State of Rajasthan - Respondent
D.B. Criminal Appeal No. 222 of 1979.
Decided On : 7-03-1980

The omission of the accused's name in the FIR, coupled with the delay in interrogation of eyewitnesses and the lack of corroborating evidence, can create a reasonable doubt about the accused's identity and lead to acquittal.

Headnote:

CRIMINAL APPEAL - MURDER - SECTION 302 IPC - OMISSION OF ACCUSED'S NAME IN FIR - DELAY IN INTERROGATION OF EYEWITNESSES - DOUBTFUL EVIDENCE - ACQUITTAL.

Fact of the Case:

The appellant was convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC for killing Mst. Lali. The prosecution alleged that the appellant struck Mst. Lali with an iron 'Kassi' in her field, causing her death. The appellant denied the charges and claimed that Chatra, the brother of the deceased, was the real culprit.

Finding of the Court:

The court found that the omission of the appellant's name in the FIR raised a reasonable doubt about his identity as the assailant. The court also noted that the eyewitnesses were not interrogated by the police until two days after the incident, which created further doubt about the veracity of their testimony. The court further found that the recovery of a bloodstained Kassi at the instance of the appellant was not sufficient evidence to convict him, as there was no report from the Serologist confirming that the blood was human blood.

Issues: 1. Whether the omission of the appellant's name in the FIR created a reasonable doubt about his identity as the assailant? 2. Whether the delay in interrogation of the eyewitnesses affected the veracity of their testimony? 3. Whether the recovery of a bloodstained Kassi at the instance of the appellant was sufficient evidence to convict him?

Ratio Decidendi: 1. The court held that the omission of the appellant's name in the FIR, coupled with the fact that the eyewitnesses did not come forward to identify him until two days after the incident, created a reasonable doubt about his identity as the assailant. 2. The court held that the delay in interrogation of the eyewitnesses raised doubts about the veracity of their testimony, as they had ample opportunity to fabricate their stories. 3. The court held that the recovery of a bloodstained Kassi at the instance of the appellant was not sufficient evidence to convict him, as there was no report from the Serologist confirming that the blood was human blood.

Final Decision: The court accepted the appeal, set aside the appellant's conviction and sentence under Section 302 IPC, and acquitted him of the charges.

JUDGMENT

1. - This Is an appeal preferred by Mithalal alias Mava against the judgment of the learned Sessions Judge, Banswara, dated 13th April, 1979, by which the appellant was convicted for the offence of murder under Section 302 IPC and sentenced to undergo imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs. 100/-, in default of payment of fine to further suffer rigorous imprisonment for one month.

2. The incident that led to the arrest and prosecution may be briefly described as follows : Nathji Pagola lodged a verbal report with the Police at Police Station Bhakiya on 20-10-1973 at 4 P.M. about on incident of murder of Smt. Lali. It was alleged in the report that on 20-10-1978 in the noon Nathji Informant was ploughing his field and his elder brother's wife Mst, Lali was cutting crops of pady in her nearby field At that time Chatra son of Joti Pargi resident of T.B. Jimi came in her field having armed himself with an iron 'Kassi' (known as 'Ko' in dialect of that locality) and struck blows with It on her hand and thereafter disappeared from there. It was further alleged lo the report that the occurrence was eye witnessed by one Kaba also who was working in his field that lay at some distance from the place of incident. On hearing that her eider brother's wife Mst. Lali was lying injured in her field. Nathji informant claimed to have rushed to the house of Velji son of Taju Gracia & to have informed him that his elder brother's wife had been killed by Chatra. Thereafter he professed to have met Velji member to whom also be gave the aforesaid Information. Velji member accompanied the informant to the Police Station for making a report of the incident. Nathji informant further stated in the report that he was further informed by his brother that Chatra owed some money to his elder brother's wife who scolded Chatra upon his failure to make the payment and this led to the Incident.

3. The above Information was reduced to writing by Bansilal SHO Police Station Bhukia, the very day on 20.10 1978. On the basis of the said report Bansilal registered a criminal case under Section 302 IPC and took up usual investigation into the matter. He rushed to the place where occurrence took place the very day on 20-10-1978 and inspected the site and prepared a 'panchanma' Ex. P. 2 on the dead body and a site plan and site inspection memo Ex. P. 3. He took one Datli and blood stained earth into his possession and sent the dead body of Mt. Lali to village Bagidora for post mortem examination Dr. Z. N. Ansari conducted an autopsy on the dead body of Mt. Lali and found the following external injuries:-

"1. One oblique contused wound 5 cm. x 2 cm. x cavity deep over occipital bone, Rt. side with fracture of occipital bone.

2. One horizontal confused wound 5 cm. x 2 cm. x cavity deep over occipital bone with fracture of occipital bone.

3. Contusion of 3 cm. diameter over front of Rt. knee joint.

4. Three contusions .of 1 x 2 cm diameter over the Rt. foot medial side near Rt. great toe. 1 to 2 cm. apart."
Upon dissection of the body the doctor detected fracture of occipital bone as at two places at the side of external Injuries over skull. In his opinion the death of Mt. Lali occurred due to shock and hemorrhage as a consequence of ante mortem external injuries Nos. 1 and 2 According to the doctor the duration of death was 20 to 24 hours at the time of post mortem examination and the external injuries were caused by some hard blunt substance and Injuries Nos. 1 and 2 fatal and the rest of them were simple lo nature. After the post mortem examination was over Bansilal SHO took into possession Sari of the deceased which she was wearing on her body and sent the blood smeared soil, control soil, sari & iron rod which was recovered at the instance of the appellant and in consequence of his information to Forensic Science Laboratory Rajasthan Jaipur for analysis. The Director of the said Science Laboratory analysed the aforesaid articles and detected blood on them. H












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