2011 Supreme(UK) 139

2011 (1) N.C.C. 805
SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
Hon’ble Mr. Justice P. Sathasivam and Hon’ble Dr. Justice B.S. Chauhan
Criminal Appeal No. 674 of 2006
STATE OF U.P. – Appellant
Versus
NARESH & ORS. – Respondents
Decided on : 08.03.2011

Headnote:(A) Injured Witness — Credibility of — Evidence of an injured witness must be given due weightage — It is unlikely that he had spared the actual assailant in order to falsely implicate someone else — Also, testimony of an injured witness is accorded a special status in law — Mere contradictions on trivial matters can not render injured witness deposition untrustworthy. (Para 23)

       (B) Related Witnesses — Merely relationship cannot be a factor to affect credibility of a witness — In such a case the defence has to lay foundation if plea of false implication is made and the Court had to analyse the evidence of related witnesses carefully to find out whether it is cogent and credible — (2009) 10 SCC 477 relied. (Para 24)

       (C) Independent Witness — Non-examination of — Effect — In a case like this, it may be difficult for the prosecution to procure an independent witness, wherein the accused had killed one person at the spot and seriously injured the other — An independent witness may not muster the courage to come forward and depose against such accused. (Para 24)

       (D) Ocular Evidence — Discrepancies — Effect — Appreciation of minor contradiction, inconsistences embellishments or improvements on trivial matters — That do not affect the case of the prosecution case — Not a ground for rejection of the evidence in its entirety. (Para 25)

       (E) F.I.R. — Non-naming of accused in — If the informant fails to name a particular accused in the F.I.R. — Such ground alone cannot tilt the balance of the case in favour of the accused — It is settled legal proposition that FIR is not an encyclopedia of the entire case — It may not and need not contain all the details — Naming of the accused therein may be important but not naming of the accused in FIR may not be a ground to doubt the contents thereof. (Para 26)

       (F) Criminal Jurisprudence — Appeal against order of acquittal — Interference — Scope — A well settled law in that while dealing with a judgment of acquittal, an appellate court must consider the entire evidence on record so as to arrive at a finding as to whether the views of the trial court were perverse or otherwise unsustainable. (Para 27)

       ¼v½ pksfVy lkf{k;ksa dh fo'oluh;rk & pksfVy lk{kh ds lk{; dks okafNr egRo fn;k tkuk visf{kr gS & ;g laHko ugha gS fd mlds }kjk okLrfod geykoj dks blfy, cpk;k x;k Fkk rkfd fdlh vU; O;fDr dks >wBk Qalk;k tk lds & ,d pksfVy lk{kh ds lk{; dh laiqf"V dks dkuwu dh fuxkg esa ,d fo'ks"k ntkZ iznku fd;k tkrk gS & dsoy ek= egRoiw.kZ ekeyksa esa fojks/kkHkkl gksus ls pksfVy lk{kh ds c;ku dks vfo'oluh; djkj ugha fn;k tk ldrkA ¼izLrj 23½

       ¼c½ lEcU/kh ¼fj'rsnkj½ lk{kh & ek= fj'rsnkjh fdlh lk{kh dh fo'oluh;rk dks izHkkfor ugha dj ldrh & ,sls dsl esa cpko i{k dks ,slk vk/kkj cukuk gksrk gS fd ;fn >wBs dsl esa Qalk;s tkus dk rdZ fn;k tk, rks U;k;ky; dks lEcU/kh lk{kh ds lk{; dk fo'ys"k.k lko/kkuh iwoZd djuk pkfg, rkfd ;g irk yxk;k tk lds fd og Bksl vkSj fo'oluh; gS & (2009) 10 SCC 477 ij vk/kkfjrA ¼izLrj 24½

       ¼l½ Lora= lk{kh dk c;ku u fy;k tkuk vkSj mldk izHkko & bl izdkj ds dsl esa vfHk;kstu ds okLrs ;g dfBu gks ldrk gS fd og dksbZ Lora= lk{kh miyC/k djk;s ftlesa vfHk;qDr }kjk nq?kZVuk LFky ij ,d O;fDr dh gR;k dj nh xbZ Fkh vkSj nwljs dks xaHkhj :i ls t[eh dj fn;k x;k Fkk & dksbZ Hkh Lora= lk{kh vkxs vkus dk lkgl ugha dj ldrk vkSj ,sls vfHk;qDr ds fo#) c;ku ugha ns ldrkA ¼izLrj 24½

       ¼n½ ,d ek= lk{kh ds lk{; esa fHkérk gksus dk izHkko & ekewyh fHkérk] fojks/kkHkkl dks lq'kksfHkr djuk] vFkok egRoiw.kZ ekeyksa esa lq/kkj djuk vkfn dh n'kk esa bl ls vfHk;kstu ds dsl ij izHkko ugha iM+rk vkSj ;g lEiw.kZ lk{; dks vLohdkj djus dk vk/kkj Hkh ugha gSA ¼izLrj 25½

       ¼;½ izFke lwpuk fjiksVZ esa vfHk;qDr dk uke ntZ u fd;k tkuk & ;fn lwpuk okgd fdlh fo'ks"k vfHk;qDr dk uke izkFkfedh esa ntZ djus esa foQy jgrk gS rks ,slk rdZ dsoy dsl ds larqyu dks vfHk;qDr ds i{k esa iyV ugha ldrk & ;g izfrikfnr fofèk fl)kUr gS fd izFke lwpuk fjiksVZ lEiw.kZ dsl dh fMD'kujh ugha gksrh & blesa dsl dk lEiw.kZ fooj.k ugha gks ldrk vkSj gksuk vko';d Hkh ugha gS & vfHk;qDr dk uke gksuk egRoiw.kZ gks ldrk gS ijUrq izFke lwpuk fjiksVZ esa vfHk;qDr dk uke uk gksuk ml dsl ds lEcU/k esa lansg fd;s tkus dk vk/kkj ugha cu ldrkA ¼izLrj 26½

       ¼j½ vijkf/kd fof/k 'kkL= & nks"keqfDr ds vkns'k ds fo#) vihy esa gLr{ksi fd;s tkus dk foLrkj & bl esa ,d izfrikfnr fl)kUr gS fd tc nks"keqfDr ds fu.kZ; ij fopkj fd;k tk, rks vihysV U;k;ky; dks i=koyh esa miyC/k lEiw.kZ lk{; dk ewY;kadu djuk pkfg, rkfd ,sls fu.kZ; ij igq¡pk tk lds] ;k rks fopkj.k U;k;ky; dk n`f"Vdks.k nks"kiw.kZ Fkk vFkok vU; izdkj ls fVdkÅ ugha FkkA ¼izLrj 27½