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2005(2) JLJ 433
(SUPREME COURT)
Arijit Pasayat and C.K. Thakker, JJ.
Munshi Singh Gautam and others v. State of M.P.
Criminal Appeal No. 919 of 1999: against the judgment of M.P. High Court passed in Criminal Appeal No. 478 of 1993;
Decided on 16.11.2004.
On the night intervening 19th and 20th June, 1984, to extort a confession from one Shambhu Tyagi (hereinafter referred to as the ‘deceased‘), he was brought to the police station where he was beaten, as a result of which he died and thereafter to remove the traces of the crime and conceal the acts, the dead body was thrown near a nala. The accused persons, five in number, who were police officers of Police Station, Shahjahanabad, Bhopal, thus committed offences punishable under sections 330, 302 and 201, IPC.•... The trial Com1, after recording the evidence and hearing the parties, found each of the accused persons guilty and sentenced them. ... Being aggrieved by the said judgment, conviction and sentence, the accused-appellants have filed appeal before this High Court.
The appellants filed appeals before the Madhya Pradesh High Court. By the impugned judgment, the High Court dismissed the appeals. [Paras 11 & 12
Held: One significant aspect cannot be lost sight of. That is the role of accused B.S. Chaudhury. His definite plea was that the deceased was lying injured near the nala and information to that effect was received at the police station. But his statement before Dr. K.N. Agarwal (PW 1) was entirely different. [Para 27
The plea that the deceased had come to the police station in severe condition and, after telling his name, had, collapsed, gets falsified by the categorical statement made by the accused in his statement under section 313 of the Code to the effect that on receiving information the deceased was lying unconscious in injured state. In this view of the matter, the case being one of custodial torture, accusations have been established so far as accused-appellant Gulab Singh alias Gulab Singh Chaudhury is concerned. [Para 28
The injuries were confined to the skin and upper level of the body. Grievous injuries were not found on vital parts of the body like head, liver, spleen, heart, lungs etc. The duration of the injuries - were widely variant. The righ1 lung of the deceased was
TB-affected. The combined effect of alcohol and the injuries shortened the period of death and resulted in a quicker death. That being so, the conviction in terms of section 304 Part II, IPC cannot be faulted. AIR 2003 SC 215 relied on. [Para 29
(2) Constitution of India--Arts. 20(3) and 22--manifest Constitutional protection extended to every citizen -- guarantees held out for making life meaningful and not mere animal existence--it is therefore difficult to comprehend how torture and custodial violence can be pennitted to defy right flowing from Constitution. [Para 4
(3) Government--teaches by example--if the Government becomes a law breaker, it breeds contempt for law--it invites every man to become a law unto himself. Justice Brandies and (1961) 367 US 643 relied on. [Para 4
(4) State--functionaries of--paramount duty is to protect citizens and not to commit gruesome offences against them--vulnerability of human rights assumes a traumatic torture. AIR 1980 SC 709, (1992) 3 SCC 249, AIR 1993 SC 1960, 1994 Supp. 3 SCC 100, (1995) 3 SCC 702, 1995 JLJ 517 (SC) and JT 1997(1) SC 1 relied on. [Para 5
(5) Evidence Act, 1872--S. 60--case of police torture or custodial death--direct evidence is rarely available--bound by the ties of brotherhood, police personnel feign ignorance about the offence. [Para 6
(6) Courts--must not lose sight of the fact that death in police custody is perhaps one of the worst kinds of crime in civilized society--stem measures are to be taken to check it or foundations of criminal justice delivery system would be shaken. [Para 7
(7) Penal Code, 1860--Ss. 330 and 331--causing hurt to extort confession-- punishable by 10 years of imprisonment--convictions are very few because of want of evidence--atrocities within the police stations often do not leave much traces. [Para 8
(8) Government, Legislature and Courts--custodial torture and death -- Government and Legislature should give serious thought to‘ recommendation of Law Commission that onus of proving contrary to the presumption of commission of crime -- should be with the police officer having custody -- Courts are also required to change their outlook, approach, appreciation and attitude. [Para 8
(9) Evidence Act, 1872--S. 9--accused not known to the witness -- identification soon after the arrest is of great importance -- it shows tight direction of investigation and also corroboration with Court evidence. 1995 Supp. 1 SCC 80 relied on. [Para 22
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Pasayat, J. -- 1. "If you once forfeit the confidence of our fellow citizens you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people, all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time" said Abraham Lincoln, This Court in Raghubir Singh v. State of Haryana [AIR 1980 SC 1087] and Shakila Abdul Gafar Khan (Smt.) v. Vasant Raghunath Dhoble and another [2003(7) SCC 749], took note of these immortal observations while deprecating custodial torture by the police.
2. Custodial violence, torture and abuse of police power are not peculiar to this country, but it is widespread. It has been the concern of international community because the problem is universal and the challenge is almost global. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 which marked the emergence of a worldwide trend of protection and guarantee of certain basic human rights stipulates in Article 5 that "no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." Despite this pious declaration, the crime continues unabated, though every civilized nation shows its concern and makes efforts for its eradication.
3. If it is assuming alarming proportions nowadays all around it is merely on account of the devilish devices adopted by those at the helm of affairs who proclaim from rooftops to be the defenders of democracy and protectors of peoples' rights and yet do not hesitate to condescend behind the screen to let loose their men in uniform to settle personal scores, feigning ignorance of what happens and pretending to be peace loving puritans and saviours of citizens' rights.
4. Article 21, which is one of the luminary provisions in the Constitution of India, 1950 (in short, the 'Constitution') and is a part of the scheme for fundamental rights, occupies a place of pride in the Constitution. The Article mandates that no person shall be deprived of his life and personal liberty except according to the procedure established by law. This sacred and cherished right, i.e., personal liberty, has an important role to play in the life of every citizen. Life or personal liberty includes a right to live with human dignity. There is an inbuilt guarantee against torture or assault by the State or its functionaries. Chapter V of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (for short the 'Code') deals with the powers of arrest of persons and the safeguards required to be followed by the police to protect the interest of the arrested person. Articles 20(3) and 22 of the Constitution further manifest the Constitutional protection extended to every citizen and the guarantees held out for making life meaningful and not a mere animal existence. It is, therefore, difficult to comprehend how torture and custodial violence can be permitted to defy the rights flowing from the Constitution. The dehumanizing torture, assault and death in custody which have assumed alarming proportions, raise serious questions about the credibility of rule of law and administration of criminal justice system. The community rightly gets disturbed. The cry for justice becomes louder and warrants immediate remedial measures. This Court has in a large number of cases expressed concern at the atrocities perpetuated by the protectors of law. Justice Brandies's observations, which have become classic, are in following immortal words :
"Government as the omnipotent and omni-present teacher teaches the whole people by its example, if the Government becomes a law breaker, it breeds contempt for law, it invites every man to become a law unto himself." [In (1928) 277 US 438, quoted in (1961) 367 US 643 at page 659).
5. The diabolic recurrence of police torture is resulting in a terrible scare in the minds of common citizens that their lives and liberty are under a new and unwarranted peril because guardians of law destroy the human rights by custodial violence and torture invariably resulting in death. T
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