2012 Supreme(All) 1819
[2012(8) ADJ 19 (DB)(NOC)]
ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT
BEFORE : AMAR SARAN AND VIJAY PRAKASH PATHAK, JJ.
NIRANKAR SHARMA ....Appellant (In Jail)
Versus
STATE OF U.P. ....Opposite Party
(Criminal Appeal No. 4603 of 2006, decided on 20th July, 2012)
Counsel :
Pradeep Kumar Bhardwaj, R.K. Shukla and R.B.Sharma for the Appellant; A.G.A. for the Opposite Party.
Headnote:(Indian) Penal Code, 1860—Section 302—Evidence Act, 1872—Section 106—Double murder—Circumstantial evidence—Conviction based thereon—When accused last time went from his house—His wife and son were not seen alive thereafter—Death caused by strangulation with a rope—Extrajudicial confession made—Rope used in murder was recovered from accused's house—Even evidence of hostile witness can be considered and relied upon—As earlier they supported prosecutor version—Subsequently, in cross-examination they truned hostile in due course of time—As they won over by appellant—FIR proved—Recovery of rope proved—Recovery memo bears signature of accused—In term of Section 106 burden of prove list upon accused—As murder committed in his house—Conviction upheld.
Appeal Dismissed.
This criminal appeal has been directed against the Judgment and order dated 3.8.2006 passed by Additional Sessions Judge/FTC ? I Ghaziabad in Sessions Trial No. 753 of 2004 convicting the appellant Nirankar Sharma for the offence punishable under Section 302 of IPC and sentencing him for life imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 6,000/- and in default of fine, to further undergo a sentence of one year.
2. The brief facts are that Prem Raj, ( P.W.1) submitted a handwritten report dated 15.1.1993 to Police Station ? Garh Mukteshwar, District ? Ghaziabad, alleging therein that in his village Khilwai, the house of Sukhveer Singh was lying vacant and since about five months, driver Nirankar Sharma ( accused) was residing there along with his wife Smt. Anita and son Soni aged about five years. For the past three days, the outer door of the house was open and the inner door was shut and a lock was hanging on it. It is further alleged that Smt. Anita and her son Soni had not been seen since then and when in the evening it appeared that stink was emanating from the house, then he and other villagers opened the inner door and saw the dead body of Smt. Anita and her son Soni lying on the cot. It is also alleged that it appeared that someone had murdered them.
3. On the basis of the said written report, an FIR was lodged at Police Station Garh Mukteshwar as Case Crime No. 24 of 1993, under Section 302 of IPC on 15.1.1993 at 00.15 O' Clock against unknown culprits.
4. The investigation of the matter was handed over to Satya Pal Singh, Station Incharge, Police Station- Garh Mukteshwar. The panchayatnamas of the dead bodies of Smt. Anita and Soni were prepared by Sub-Inspector Gopi Chand and postmortem was got conducted. On 15.1.1993 at 11.15 a.m. the accusedppellant Nirankar was taken to the Police Station by Raj Pal ( P.W.3) and Devi Saran of the village and was handed over to the custody of the police on the basis of extra judicial confession made by him before the said persons. He also made confession before the police about his guilt in committing the murder of Smt. Anita and her son Soni due to his wife having illicit relations with some other person. During investigation, the statement of the witnesses were recorded and on the pointing out of the appellant Nirankar, the rope, used in committing the murder was recovered from the house of the accused and fard of the said recovery was prepared. After completing the investigation, charge sheet under Section 302 of IPC was submitted by the Investigating Officer in the Court.
5. In support of the prosecution as many as seven witnesses namely Prem Raj, P.W.1, Dinesh Kumar, P.W.2, Rajpal, P.W.3, Bablu, P.W.4, Mool Chand, P.W.5, Dr. J.K. Verma, P.W.6 and Sub-Inspector, Satya Pal Singh, P.W.7 were examined.
6. In documentary evidence, the prosecution produced written report Exhibit Ka-1, panchayatnama of the dead body of deceased Smt. Anita, Exhibit Ka-2, panchayatnama of the dead body of Soni, Exhibit Ka-3, postmortem report relating to dead body of Smt. Anita, Exhibit Ka-4, spot map, Exhibit Ka- 5, recovery memo of rope, Exhibit Ka-6, spot map of recovery, Exhibit Ka-7, charge sheet, Exhibit Ka-8, Chik FIR, Exhibit Ka-9 and copy of GD No.4 dated 15.1.1993 regarding registering of the case, Exhibit Ka-10. The other papers like postmortem report of dead body of deceased Soni, Exhibit Ka-11, Police Form No. 13, Exhibit Ka-12, letter to CMO for postmortem, Exhibit Ka-13, Photo of dead body of deceased Anita, Exhibit Ka-14, Namoona Seal, Exhibit Ka-15, letter to CMO for returning clothes of deceased Anita, Exhibit Ka-16, Form No. 33, Exhibit Ka-17, Form No.13 relating to deceased Soni, Exhibit Ka-18, letter relating to return of clothes of deceased Soni, Exhibit Ka-19, letter to CMO for postmortem and dead body of deceased Soni, Exhibit Ka-20, letter to R.I., Exhibit Ka-21, photo of dead body relating to deceased Soni, Exhibit Ka-22, namuna seal relating to Soni, Exhibit Ka-23 and for