2011 Supreme(UK) 493

2012 (1) N.C.C. 26
UTTARAKHAND HIGH COURT
Hon'ble Mr. Justice Servesh Kumar Gupta
Government Appeal No. 204 of 2007
STATE OF UTTARAKHAND – Appellant
Versus
GANESH RAM – Respondent
Decided on : 12.09.2011

Headnote:(A) Criminal trial — In a case where if two views are possible on the evidence produced in the case, one indicating to the guilt of the accused and the other to his innocence — Then the view favourable to the accused is to be accepted — Also, in reaching a conclusion about the guilt of the accused — Court has to appreciate, analyse and assess the evidence by the yardstick of probabilities, its intrinsic value and the animus of witnesses. (Para 12)

       (B) Criminal trial — Illegal importing of foreign liquor in district Pithoragarh — Pleaded that due to accused's altercation with the Excise Inspector on the matter of checking of the Jeep — That alleged recovery was planted — Held — That it was not probable for the Excise Inspector and his companion staff, who had no enmity or animosity with the accused from earlier, to plant a huge number of bottles of English liquor from the possession of the accused, merely on some altercations on the question of checking. (Para 13)

       (C) Criminal trial — Recovery of 120 bottles of Rum and 10 Bottles of Whisky, from the accused's jeep, registered in the name of his wife — Held — That the chemical analysis of the recovered liquor would be necessary in the case of country made liquor — But in view of Rule 282 of the Excise Manual — It was not necessary in every case that the recovered liquor might be sent for chemical analysis — In the present case, recovered liquor was very well labelled and sealed with apparent look of production of Government distillery — Also, the same was tested by the Excise inspector, who might have an experience of testing liquor — Therefore, an analysis thereof by public analyst, not necessary. (Paras 15 to 21)

       (D) Criminal trial — Minor discrepancies — A settled principle of law that in every criminal trial, minor contradictions and discrepancies are always bound to occur — Because the power of observance by various witnesses at a point of time and description of the incident in the court at different times, varies — Also, the retention of the sequence of incident and the minor details in the memory and narrating the same on being enquired by the defence counsel in the court, varies from person to person, depending upon many factors — Held — Minor discrepancies or contradictions, if they are not shattering the very substance of the prosecution case, should be ignored by the court.

        (Para 22)

       (E) Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, Sec. 452(1) and U.P. Excise Act, 1910, Sec. 72 — U/s 60(1)(a) of the Excise Act, the vehicle used for commission of the said offence was confiscated — In appeal of the accused, learned Sessions Judge held that the proceedings of confiscation were to be initiated separately u/s 72 Excise Act — In appeal of the State, held that the Magistrate had wide powers u/s 452(1), Criminal code to dispose of the property, used in commission of the offence, including to confiscate such vehicle — Also the powers of the Collector u/s 72, Excise Act are in addition to the said powers of the Magistrate u/s 452, Cr.P.C. (Paras 23 and 24)

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