IN THE HIGH COURT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH AT SHIMLA Cr. Appeal No. 771 of 2008 Reserved on: 27.12.2017 Decided on: 01.01.2018 _________________________________________________P_________

State of Himachal Pradesh …..Appellant Versus .

Santosh Kumar ……Respondent __________________________________________________________

Coram The Hon'ble Mr. Justice Chander Bhusan Barowalia, Judge.

1 Whether approved for reporting? Yes.

For the appellant : Mr. Pushpinder Jaswal, Dy. AG. For the respondent : Mtr. Surinder Saklani, Advocate.

Chander Bhusan Barowalia, Judge The present appeal, under Section 378 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, has been maintained by the appellant-State of Himachal Pradesh, assailing the judgment of acquittal, dated 20.08.2008, passed by the learned Judicial Magistrate 1st Class (II), Dharamshala, District Kangra, H.P, in criminal case No. 83-1I/2005, under Sections 279, 337 and 338 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 187 of Motor Vehicles Act.

2. Briefly the facts giving rise to the present appeal as per the prosecution story are that on 28.08.2005, at about 07:30 p.m., Rahul Katoch/complainant (hereinafter to be 1Whether reporters of Local Papers may be allowed to see the judg