Allahabad High Court
State Of U.P. vs Prabhati Lal Agrawal S/O Tuhiram And ... on 12 March, 2007
Author: Amar Saran
Bench: Amar Saran, R.N. Misra
JUDGMENT Amar Saran, J.
1. Since both the above-mentioned cases have been filed against the same judgement, they have been heard together and are being disposed of by this common judgement. However, for convenience, the Government Appeal No. 262 of 2002 shall be the leading case.
2. This Government Appeal has been preferred by the State against the judgement and order dated 5.9.2001 passed by the Additional District and Sessions Judge, Court No. 10, Kanpur Nagar in S.T. Nos. 225 of 1993 and 1028 of 1996, whereby the learned Judge has acquitted the respondents namely Prabhati Lal Agrawal, Sushil Kumar, Om Prakash Agrawal, Krishna Narain Mishra, Daya Shanker Mishra, Sabhajeet Singh, Ram Krishna Katjyar, Prem Narain Mishra and Hari Narain Mishra of the offence punishable under Sections 147/148/302/149/302/114 IPC.
3. As accused Prem Narain Mishra has died during the pendency of this appeal, the Government Appeal against him was made to abate by an order dated 15.4.2005.
4. We have heard learned Additional Government Advocate for the State, Shri Sushil Shukla, learned Counsel appearing for the informant, Shri Sarvesh, learned Counsel appearing for all the respondents except respondent No. 9 and Shri D.N. Singh, learned Counsel for respondent No. 9.
5. In a short compass the case of the prosecution is that on 12.7.1986 at about 6.45 P.M, Shri Munni Lal Yadav, D.W. 4, lodged an oral report at police station Kakadeo alleging that he is a resident of a hutment in front of plot J-2 of Vijay Nagar. At about 6.00 P.M. he was going to Vijay Nagar Ganda Nala crossing for getting fodder for his buffaloes. When he reached near Katiyar Soap Factory, he saw a crowd. On approaching the crowd he noticed that Asit Tiwari alias Munna Pandit was lying dead near the soap factory of Katiyar. There was an injury on his left abdominal region, which was bleeding. As the family members of Asit Tiwari were not present there, he went to their house which he found locked. The report of the incident was lodged by the Head Muharrir Manu Mehraj Mishra, which was entered in the form for a chik report, the copy of which was on the record as Ext. Kha 2 and a case was registered against unknown persons at case crime No. 308 of 1986, under Section 302 IPC.
6. The investigation was entrusted to S.O. Sabhajeet Singh (the accused), respondent No. 9, who made an entry in the general diary at 6.45 P.M. (Ext. Kha 3). S.O. Sabhajeet Singh, SI Shri M.P. Sharma and other police personnel proceeded to the spot with papers for conducting the inquest on the corpse. The inquest (Ext. Ka 2), photo Nash (Ext. Ka 3), Challan Lash (Ext. Ka 5) were also prepared and the dead body was sealed and sent for post mortem examination. Dr. R.B. Singh, P.W. 4, conducted the post-mortem examination on the body of the deceased Asit Tiwari at 3.15 P.M on 13.7.1986 at Ursola Hospital, Kanpur Nagar (Ext. Ka 6 ).
7. At about 8.15 P.M. on 12.7.1986 Smt. Nirmala, P.W. 1 sent a telegram (Ext. Ka 17 ) to the Senior Superintendent of Police and the District Magistrate, Kanpur Nagar alleging that Prem Narain Mishra, Kishan Narain Mishra, Hari Narain Mishra, Daya Shanker Mishra, Om Prakash Agrawal, Ram Kishan Katiyar and Sushil Kumar Katiyar in collusion with the S.O of police station Kakadeo Sabhajeet Singh and other police personnel have murdered her son Asit Tiwari alias Munna in the park in front of Block No. 7 of Vijay Nagar. She also made a request for protection. Smt. Nirmala also gave a written report (Ext. Ka 1) on 12.7.1986 addressed to the S.O. Police Station Kotwali Nagar, Kanpur mentioning that she was a resident of 10/11 Vijay Nagar, Kanpur. On 13.4.1985 the police had illegally attached her property and destroyed her house. She had even filed a case against the police of police station Kakadeo, which is pending in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate, Anwarganj. The accused Om Prakash Agrawal, and Ram Krishna Katiyar were hostile to her family and the local police was colluding with them. The S.O. Sabhajeet Singh had even filed a case under the Goonda Act against her son Asit Tiwari on wrong allegations. The High Court had stayed proceedings in the matter on 10.7.1986. On 12.7.1986 at about 5.00 P.M. the accused Ram Krishna Katiyar and Prem Narain Mishra called her son Asit Tiwari down and took him along with them for the purpose of compromising the dispute between them. They were saying that no purpose would be served in prolonging the dispute as they resided in the same Mohalla as the deceased. When the informant tried to stop them, they stated that it was a matter of the Mohalla and after that they took the deceased to the flour mill of accused Prabhati Agrawal, which was located in front of the park near Katiyar Soap Factory. After ten minutes Sukhveer Singh, P.W. 2, informed Smt. Nirmala that the above mentioned eight accused other than Sabhajeet Singh were making Asit drink liquor and he feared that they may murder him. She immediately rushed to the park with another son Vimlesh and there she saw Sabhajeet Singh, S.O. of police station Kakadeo coming out of the flour mill of Prabhati saying that the Sala should be killed. Thereupon Ram Krishna Katiyar, Prem Narain, Hari Narain Mishra fired at her son Asit Tiwari, who succumbed to his injuries on the spot. The other persons Sushil Kumar, Om Prakash, Prabhati Lal Agrawal, Krishna Narain Mishra and Daya Shanker Mishra were present at the spot and they were saying that Asit should not be left alive. The accused were also threatening the public that if any one approached, he would also be killed. She also stated that the dead body was lying in the park in front of Block 7, opposite to the soap factory and that S.O. Sabhajeet Singh had a principal role in murdering her son and it was for that reason that her report was not taken down by the police of police station Kakadeo. She was requesting for her report to be written down and for appropriate action because she and her family were greatly afraid of these accused (including S.O. Sabhajeet Singh).
8. On the said report, the Superintendent of Police (City) directed the In-charge, Swaroop Nagar to register a case and thereupon the Head Muharrir Ram Chandra Rai, P.W. 5, of police station Swaroop Nagar prepared a chik FIR on 13.7.1986 at 7.15 P.M. (Ext. Ka 7 ) whereby a case was registered against all the accused under Sections 147/148/149/302/34 IPC and it was mentioned therein that the investigation would be done by Police station Kakadeo. Thereafter the investigation was transferred to various investigating officers and agencies and the investigation was finally concluded by the CBCID.
9. Shri Gyan Prakash Mishra, P.W. 6, recorded the statements of the witnesses during investigation. Another investigating officer Shri M.L. Yadav prepared site plan (Ext. Ka 8). The second investigating officer Shri Kripal Kureel obtained sanction for the prosecution of Sabjajeet Singh from the Government (Ext. Ka 11) and submitted a charge sheet against him (Ext. Ka 13 ). He also filed a charge sheet against the other accused persons (Ext. Ka 12 ).
10. The charges were framed against accused Sushil Kumar, Om Prakash Agrawal, Prabhati Lal Agrawal, Krishna Narain Mishra and Daya Shanker Mishra under Sections 147/302/149 IPC and against Sabhajeet Singh, under Section 302/114 IPC and against Ram Krishna Katiyar, Prem Narain Mishra and Hari Narain Mishra under Sections 148/392/149 IPC. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges and claimed to be tried.
11. In support of its case the prosecution has examined P.W. 1, Smt. Nirmala, who proved her FIR (Ext. Ka 1). She also filed a second carbon copy of the report (Ext. Ka 3) during cross examination.
12. P.W. 2, Sukhveer Singh, was produced to corroborate his version. He supported the prosecution case and stated that he had been threatened by the accused. Letter (Ext. 1) and envelop (Ext. 2) sent by him to S.P. Kanpur Nagar in respect of the threats was also proved by this witness.
13. P.W. 3, Constable Ram Swaroop, proved his visit to the place of incident on 12.7.1986 along with the S.O. Sabhajeet Singh (accused), S.I Babban Singh, in-charge Shastrinagar outpost and other police personnel. On the direction of S.O. Sabhajeet Singh, S.I. Babban Singh prepared the inquest report on the body of the deceased Asit Tiwari alias Munna. He sealed the dead body and sent it for post-mortem examination along with relevant papers. This witness also proved the copies of the inquest, photo nash, sample seal and Challan lash.
14. P.W. 4, Dr. R.B. Singh, who conducted post-mortem on the body of the deceased at 3.15 P.M. on 13.7.1986, found the dead body of average built. Rigor mortis had passed off from the upper extremities and it was passing off from the lower extremities. The abdomen was distended and postmortem staining was present on the back side. The body was smeared with mud. The following ante-mortem injuries were seen.
1. Fire arm wound of entry 1.5 cm x 1.00 cm. cavity deep. The injury was on the lower part of the abdomen on the left side 4 cm above the left iliac crest. Tattooing and charring were present in an area of 8 cm x 7 cm around the wounds.
2.0n internal examination he found the 3rd and 4th vertebrae lacerated and one pellet was extracted from the third vertebrae which was fractured. After sealing the pellet he handed it over to the Constable. The wall and peritoneum in the abdomen were lacerated and the abdominal cavity contained 700 M.L. of blood. The stomach contained 8 ounces of semi digested food consisting of rice and daal. The small intestine was found perforated.
The cause of death was shock and hemorrhage as a result of ante-mortem injuries.
15. P.W. 4, Dr. R.B. Singh, proved the post-mortem report and opined that the death could have occurred on 12.7.1986 between 5 and 5.15 P.M. due to firearm injuries.
16. P.W. 5, SI Ram Chandra Rai, who was posted as Head Muharrir at police station Swaroop Nagar, has deposed that at 7.15 P.M. constable Raj Kumar brought an application given by Smt. Nirmala and on that application there was an order of the S.P. (City) to register the case and to commence investigation. On the basis of the said application, he prepared chik FIR and proved the same. The chik FIR was sent to police station Kakadeo for necessary action as the matter related to police station Kakadeo.
17. P.W. 6, Gyan Prakash Mishra, the investigating officer gave evidence about the investigation of the case and deposed that on 12.2.87 he was posted as Inspector with the crime branch of the CID. On receiving the order to investigate the case, he commenced investigation and recorded the statements of the witnesses and obtained the general diary of police station Kakadeo with respect to entries at serial Nos. 14 to 24. He visited the spot and prepared a site plan. He also corroborated the site plan prepared by S.O. Sabhajeet Singh (accused) and thereafter by Shri M. L. Yadav.
18. P.W. 7, Kripal Kureel, also gave evidence of investigation. He deposed that he received the investigation from the investigating officer Shri Mahima Rai on 15.2.1992 and after the sanction had been obtained from the State Government on the application sent by Shri Mahima Rai for the prosecution of Sabhajeet Singh, he submitted a charge sheet against the accused persons.
19. In their statements under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, all the accused denied the prosecution version and claimed to be innocent and stated that they had been falsely implicated due to enmity and that the witnesses were inimical to them.
20. Accused, Sabhajeet Singh, Om Prakash Agrawal and Hari Narain Mishra also filed written statements in their defence.
21. In his written statement S.O. Sabhajeet Singh referred to innumerable favourable entries and awards given to him for controlling crime in Kanpur Nagar. He was posted in police station Kakadeo on 16.8.1984 and prior to that a case under Section 294 IPC was registered against the deceased Asit Tiwari alias Munna, who had criminal antecedents. There were eight cognizable and 7 non-cognizable reports against the deceased and the deceased Asit Tiwar had even fired at SI Sheo Singh in a place under Kidwai Nagar police station. He had neither arrested Asit Tiwari in any case nor investigated any of the cases against him as the role of a S.H.O. is only to investigate cases of murder and other criminal cases equivalent thereto. The case under the Goonda Act was initiated against the deceased Asit Tiwari and three others on the recommendation of CO. on the examination of the case register of police station Kakadeo by the Circle Officer. On the recommendation of S.S.P and S.P., the District Magistrate had Initiated proceedings under the Goonda Act against Asit Tiwari. Asit Tiwari had obtained a stay order from the High Court. However, the externment proceedings proceeded against the other three accused, who were externed from the district. He had no personal enmity with the deceased Asit Tiwari. He vehemently denied the allegation of Smt. Nirmala that one day after the assassination of Smt. Indira Gandhi, he visited her house and enquired about Asit and threatened to charge him with cases of robbery and murder. He denied the claim of Smt. Nirmala Tiwari of having submitted a complaint against him to higher police officers and no such complaint was produced before him. On the date of incident, i.e. 12.7.1986 at Vijay Nagar tri-crossing a meeting of Comrade Mohammad Hanif, the vice President of West Bengal Vidhan Sabha was convened which fell in the jurisdiction of police station Kakadeo. On 12.7.1986 he reached the police station at 9.05 A.M. and he had left the police station at 3.05 P.M for gust and checking duty and reached the place of meeting at 4.15 P.M. He sent back Constable Raj Kishore to police station Kakadeo for getting force at the meeting place and himself remained there. A number of eminent persons addressed the meeting where he was present along with the other Inspectors. After the meeting ended at 6.30 P.M., he reached the police station by police jeep. At 6.45 P.M. on 12.7.1986 on the basis of oral information given by Munna Lal, he registered a case under Section 302 IPC at case crime No. 308/86 against unknown persons and started investigation of the case. He filled up the inquest and visited the place of incident along with other police personnel and also directed the Head Muharrir to inform the higher authorities. He recorded the statement of the informant Munna Lal, the informant of the case and sent the dead body for postmortem. As the family members of the deceased were not present and their house was locked, he sent SI Babban Singh to search for the accused and the family members of the deceased and he himself also searched for them. He also recorded the statements of the people present there. The hotel owner, Jugul Kishore, D.W. 5, stated that the deceased and two other boys took food at his hotel at 4.30 P.M. Apart from that he recorded the statements of Ravinder Singh, Rajesh Kumar Mishra, Ram Prasad, cycle mechanic and Panki Ram Gupta etc. In their statements they had stated that they had no knowledge about the accused. After that he recorded the statements of the witnesses under Section 161 Cr.P.C. Thereafter he searched for the owner of the flour mill Prabhati Lal, owner of soap factory Ram Kishan Katiyar and oil licensee Smt. Draupadi, but they could not be found. He deposited the blood stained and plain earth at the police station. On 13.7.1986 when he reached police station Kakadeo in the night, the Head Muharrir informed him that Smt. Nirmala had given a written report, which was entered in the G.D. report No. 2 at 2.00 A.M. As the report contained allegations against this officer, he himself stopped investigating the case and sent a report to the higher officials requesting them to get the investigation conducted by some high ranking officer from some other police station.
22. He further mentioned that subsequent investigating officers found the investigation conducted by him and the papers prepared by him to be correct and that if he was involved in the incident he was unlikely to have conducted an impartial investigation and prepared a site plan and inquest report etc., which were found to be correct by subsequent Investigating officers. No order was passed by the higher officers to stop the investigation, although he himself had submitted a report to them for this purpose. On orders of higher officers, the CO. visited the spot and made enquiries from the public and sent a special report to the higher officers. The C.O also found that Smt. Nirmala had wrongly included his name in the incident. The special report is present in the office of the CBCID. While he was posted at the police station Kakadeo between from 16.8.1984 to 11.8.86 a number of persons had given reports against the deceased Asit Tiwari, who was arrested a number of times and was also challaned under the Goonda Act. Hence Smt. Nirmala was under the impression that all the action had been taken against Asit Tiwari at his instance, but the fact was that neither had he arrested Asit Tiwari nor had he investigated any case against him. Rather he was in law and order duty along with senior officers at the time of incident.
23. Accused Om Prakash Agrawal in his written statement under Section 313 Cr.P.C. stated that his house was about 100-150 paces from the house of the deceased where he was running a grocer's shop at Rawatpur station. He had six daughters and one son and one year prior to the incident, the deceased and his brother had a quarrel with his children and he had restrained his children from talking to Asit and Vimlesh. Few days after the dispute on 10.4.1985 Asit and his brother Vimlesh and one Nandey had fired at him injuring him and his wife Smt. Saroj had taken him to hospital for treatment and a report to this effect had been lodged at police station Kakadeo at case crime No. 163 of 1985, under Section 307 IPC against Asit, Vimlesh and Nandey. This had annoyed the informant Smt. Nirmala and her two sons Asit and Vimlesh who had abducted his two daughters Km. Manju and Km. Meenu and a report to this effect had been lodged at case crime No. 195 of 1985, under Sections 363/366 IPC against Smt. Nirmala Tiwari, Asit and Vimlesh.
24. The accused Prabhati Lal was sala of his elder brother Mam Chandra Agrawal, who used to reside with his family at house No. 53/5 of Vijay Nagar Colony. He owned a flour mill located in front of his house and he used to spend time with Prabhati Lal Agrawal. In the cases under Sections 307 and 363/366 IPC Prabhati Lal had given him help and gone to the hospital and the police station along with his wife, hence Nirmala and her sons were hostile to Prabhati. In the case under Section 307 IPC, the deceased Asit, his brother Vimlesh and one Nandey had to go to jail and they were bailed out. Likewise, in the case under Sections 363/366 IPC, Nirmala, P.W. 1, the deceased Asit and his brother Vimlesh had to go to jail and they were later bailed out. On 22.6.1985 the deceased Asit and his companion Dablu alias Virendra Singh arrived at his house and hurled abuses and threatened him that if he did Pairvi in the cases against them, they would kill him and also threatened to drive him of this house. He lodged a report about that incident, which was annexed. In spite of the threats he had given evidence in a case under Section 307 IPC against the deceased and others. He learnt about murder of the deceased Asit on 12.7.1986 at about 7.00 P.M. when he was at his shop. On returning home after closing his shop at about 9.00 P.M. he had come to know that in view of the report lodged by him and his wife against Asit, Vimlesh and Nirmala, he has been falsely implicated in the murder case of Asit Tiwari.
25. In his written statement filed along with his 313 Cr.P.C. statement, the accused Hari Narain Mishra had stated that his father Daya Shanker Mishra has been residing since 1965 in 7/7 Vijay Nagar Colony. He was a machinist in Small Arms Factory. He was the oldest of the four brothers. Other brothers Krishna Narain Mishra, Prem Narain Mishra and Shyam Narain Mishra were younger to him. His younger brother Prem Narain Mishra used to run a hotel in 1982-83. On 5.9.1983 4-5 policemen along with a Sub Inspector of police station Kakadeo came to the hotel at 11.00 A.M. At that time he was present along with his younger brother Prem Narain and when they asked the police personnel to pay for the meal, they began abusing and caught hold of Prem Narain Mishra and took them to police station and implicated him in a case under Section 25 of the Arms Act. The report of the incident was given to the higher officials by Krishna Narain Mishra. Both the brothers were acquitted in the case under Section 25 Arms Act on 3.6.1986. It was because of their involvement in the case under Section 25 Arms Act, his increments had been stopped, about which he had filed an appeal before the Ordinance Factory Board, Calcutta. The allegation of Nirmala that Asit Tiwari had lodged a report in the factory is false.
26. On 3.3.1986, the deceased Asit Tiwari and his companion Srikant Dubey had fired with a country-made pistol on the accused Sushil Kumar Katiyar, which had injured him. A report was lodged at police station Kakadeo and the case was registered at case crime No. 102 of 1986, under Section 307 IPC. In that case his brother Krishna Narain Mishra was the witness. Both the accused, deceased Asit and Srikant were arrested and later on released on bail. During the course of trial Asit died. In that case Sushil Kumar Katiyar and Krishna Kumar Mishra had deposed against Srikant Dubey. The deceased Asit and Smt. Nirmala were putting pressure on this accused and his family members that they should not depose in the case against Asit and Srikant. On their refusal, the family members of Asit had become hostile and hence they had falsely implicated this accused and his father and two brothers.
27. The accused also examined D.W. 1, Pramod Kumar Mishra, Additional Superintendent of Police, who was Circle Officer of police station Swaroop Nagar from 1985 to 1986. He deposed about the meeting of the Communist Party at Vijay Nagar tri-crossing on the date of incident and stated that the S.O. Sabhajeet Singh remained at that meeting from before 4.30 p.m. till 6.30-7.00 p.m. He also deposed that on 12.7.1986 information of the murder in Vijay Nagar reached him by wireless, whereupon he directed the S.O. Sabhajeet Singh to proceed to the spot and to get the inquest conducted by some SI. After receiving the special report, he himself proceeded to the spot and made enquiries from some persons and submitted his supervisory report to the police high-ups, wherein he mentioned that Sabhajeet Singh had been falsely implicated in this case as he was present with him at the time of incident. He also mentioned that when Sabhajeet Singh started investigation, there was no allegation against him, but when an allegation was specifically made against him, then he transferred the investigation to Inspector Nawabganj on Sabhajeet's request that the case should be transferred from him as he was being nominated in the case.
28. D.W. 2, Constable Ram Sajivan Yadav has also supported the written statement given by the Accused-Sabhajeet Singh and stated that Sabhajeet Singh was present along with him at Vijay Nagar crossing on 12.7.1986 between 4.00 P.M. to 6.30 P.M. in proper dress and thereafter he went to the place of incident by Jeep along with SI S.P. Sharma, Constable Ramagya Singh and two police persons. They returned at about 9.30 P.M. along with force. He also stated that at the time of assassination of Smt. Indira Gandhi, one Inspector R.K. Singh was the in-charge of police station Kakadeo as S.O. Sabhajeet Singh had left one day earlier in view of the death of his father and Shri R.K. Singh remained in-charge of the police station for 7-8 days until Sabhajeet Singh returned.
29. D.W. 3, SI S.K. Singh was also examined for the statements recorded by him during investigation.
30. D.W. 4, Munna Lal Yadav had been examined for proving his first information report and he reiterated the averments mentioned therein.
31. D.W. 5, Jugul Kishore, deposed that on the date of incident the deceased Asit had a meal at his hotel along with two other boys at 4.30 p.m. At 5.00 p.m. he proceeded to buy vegetables and on return he saw that Asit Tiwari was lying dead near the soap factory.
32. D.W. 6, Ram Bahadur, deposed that he had a plastic beads manufacturing factory in the land of Prabhati Lal, where there was a flour mill, which was not functioning and that he was a witness of the incident. On 12.7.1986 at about 5.30-6.00 p.m. when this witness was locking his factory, and was standing near an empty place near the gate on account of rain, he saw Asit Tiwari coming on a cycle followed by 2-3 boys. There was an exchange of words between them and soon after he heard the sound of fire and saw Asit Tiwari falling down and also saw the two boys running away on the road side. These two boys did not belong to the mohalla nor did he recognize them.
33. There was no dispute that the time and place where the deceased Asit Tiwari fell down and succumbed to his injuries as a result of firing by firearms was in the evening of 12.6.78 at the park opposite to Block 7, Vijay Nagar, police station Kakadeo, This fact was even admitted by the defence witness, D.W. 6 Ram Bahadur.
34. It was argued by Shri Sushil Shukla, learned Counsel for the complainant that the grounds of acquittal recorded by the trial court are perverse and illegal and there was sufficient evidence to connect the accused-respondents with the offence. Two eye witnesses Smt. Nirmala Tiwari, P.W. 1 and Sukhveer Singh, P.W. 2 had fully corroborated the prosecution case. However, as the S.H.O. of the police station concerned was also made an accused for conspiring to commit the offence, hence he had deliberately spoiled the case of the prosecution; first by getting the FIR lodged by an outsider Munna Lal, D.W. 1 on 12.7.1986 at 6.45 P.M. and that it was after a great deal of effort that the FIR was lodged by P.W. 1, Smt. Nirmala Tiwari, the mother of the deceased, at police station Swaroopnagar on 13.7.1986 at 7.15 P.M. The said witnesses were natural and truthful witnesses, who gave a reasonable explanation for their presence. The alleged FIR lodged by Munna Lal was vague and nebulous and would not bar the admissibility of the FIR lodged at the instance of Smt. Nirmala, which contained definite information about the names and roles of the accused. There was no material on record to show that the deceased was of a bad character or that anyone else other than the accused could have committed his murder. The hostility of the prosecution agencies to Smt. Nirmala is apparent from the fact that even after Smt. Nirmala had contacted the S.S.P, who had passed an order to register the FIR, after Smt. Nirmala met the S.H.O. concerned in the night of 12/13.7.1986, yet the report was only registered on the next day, i.e. on 13.7.1986 at 7.15 P.M.
35. In our opinion, there was no illegality, much less any perversity in the order of the Sessions Judge acquitting the accused-respondents. Simply because an outsider had lodged the report on 12.7.1986 at 6.45 P.M. mentioning therein that he found the deceased Asit Tiwari lying dead in front of Katiyar soap factory when he passed by that way and the family members of the deceased were absent, was no ground for inferring that the said FIR was an instrumentality of the police, or that inspite of the fact that the mother of the deceased and another witness had actually witnessed the incident and were present, the police were refusing to lodge their report because they were making S.H.O. Sabhajeet Singh also an accused and that it was in a malafide manner that the S.H.O. had set up Munna Lal Yadav, an outsider to lodge this report.
36. Even without going into the question of the inadmissibility or otherwise of the report subsequently lodged by Smt. Nirmala Tiwari, which was registered on 13.7.1986 at 7.15 P.M. at police station Swaroopnagar in view of the earlier report by Munnal Lal Yadav which according to Sri Shukla was a vague and nebulous document and merely mentioned the fact that an offence had taken place and the deceased was lying dead with a bleeding injury on his chest on the left side, or holding the report inadmissible because Smt. Nirmala Tiwari had herself given an earlier version of the incident in the form of an admitted telegram (Ext. Ka 17) sent by her on 12.7.86 at 8.15 pm to the SSP and D.M. Kanpur, the question still remains whether the evidence given by Smt. Nirmala, P.W. 1 and Sukhveer Singh, P.W. 2 can be implicitly relied on, and the credibility that is to be assiged to the rival defence version. The reason for her presence at the place of incident given by Smt. Nirmala was that on the date of incident, i.e. 12.7.1986 at about 5.00 P.M. the accused-respondents Ram Krishna Katiyar and Prem Narain Mishra had called her son Asit Tiwari downstairs and were talking about some compromise. When she tried to stop them they answered that it was a matter of the Mohalla which needed to be settled, hence she did not protest. Thereafter these accused persons had taken away her son Asit to the park in front of block 7 to the soap factory of Ram Krishna Katiyar and the adjoining flour mill of Prabhati Lal Agrawal. She further stated that after ten minutes Sukhveer Singh @ Nande, P.W. 2, informed her that the above mentioned eight accused persons (excluding SHO Sabhajeet Singh) were making Asit drink liquor and he feared that they may murder him. Smt. Nirmala immediately rushed to the park with another son Vimlesh and there she saw S.H.O. of police station Kakadev, Sabhajeet Singh, coming out of the flour mill of Prabhati Lal in plain clothes. He was asking the other accused to murder the deceased and that he would see to the repercussions. Thereupon Ram Krishna Katiyar, Prem Narain and Hari Narain Mishra fired at her son Asit Tiwari, who succumbed to his injuries on the spot. The other persons Sushil Kumar, Om Prakash, Prabhati Lal Agrawal, Krishna Narain Mishra and Daya Shanker Mishra were present at the spot and they were crying that Asit should not be left alive. The accused were also warning the public not to come nearby.
37. In our view if the deceased had gone along with the accused Ram Krishna and Prem Narain Mishra in spite of her objection as Smt. Nirmala alleges, there was no reason for her to become so agitated as to immediately proceed to the place of incident on receiving the news that her son, the deceased was drinking liquour with the accused persons. For the class of persons to which the deceased appeared to belong, we think that mere taking of alcohol (if at all) with some persons could not have led to an immediate inference in the mind of the complainant that the said persons would murder the deceased causing her to rush to the spot, since Sukhvir @ Nande, PW 2 is not said to have disclosed that the accused were threatening, assaulting or abusing the deceased at that time. Also as the learned Sessions Judge has rightly pointed out that if indeed the deceased and the accused were so inimical would the deceased have immediately gone along with the accused on their mere invitation. Moreover the post mortem report indicated no liquour in the stomach of the deceased.
38. As P.W. 2 Sukhveer Singh Bedi @ Nande has also substantially reiterated the same version as Smt. Nirmala and described the taking of alcohol by the deceased with the accused which made him suspect that they would murder the deceased, hence he had called the mother of the deceased Smt. Nirmala. This version could not be believed for the same reason that we have not been able to rely on the version set up by Smt. Nirmala Tiwari.
39. Moreover according to the trial judge Sukhvir is a partisan and chance witness. His resides in another mohalla 1/2 a km away and the only reason given by him to reach the spot was that he had gone to see Dr. Surya Narayan for medicines at 11.30 a.m. on the same day. Coincidentally S.I. Yaqub Khan was damaging the property and throwing out goods from the deceased's house. On his inquiries from the police as to why they were behaving in this manner he was scolded by them. Then he promised to be a witness for the informant about that incident. Again coincidentally he was passing that way to visit his friend Prem Prakash Nautiyal at the material time (5 p.m.), when he saw the deceased consuming liquour with the accused as described above which he reported to the informant. Hence on both occasions his presence at the spot was purely co-incidental. PW 2 Sukhvir Singh also admits that he was a co-accused along with the deceased Asit, and his brother Vimlesh in the attempted murder case of accused respondent Ashok Agarwal, in which the informant was Ashok's wife Saroj Agarwal, and that he was acquitted although Vimlesh was convicted. He also admits being a witness for Smt. Nirmala Tiwari in the case against SI Yaqub Khan when Yaqub is said to have damaged Smt. Nirmala Tiwari's property which was attached because the accused Vimlesh (her son) was absconding. In that case he was also made an accused. All these facts show the partisanship of this witness (PW 2) with the informant Nirmala Tiwari and hostility to the accused respondents.
40. Other persons such as Pintu painter and Ashok in whose presence, according to PWI Nirmala, the deceased left his home with the accused on the date and time of incident, have not been produced. Even Vimlesh the other son of the informant who is said to have accompanied her to witness the incident has not been produced.
41. Likewise the 5 or 6 persons who arrived on hearing the gun shots after the incident, and the 10 persons before whom the accused left after the incident (including Rama Shankar, Nayyar Chauhan, and Pandey who were named by PW 2 Sukhvir have also not been examined and thus we are only left with the two highly partisan witnesses PW 1 Smt. Nirmala Tiwari and Sukhvir @ Nande.
42. Referring to the telegram sent by Smt. Nirmala Tiwari to the Senior Superintendent of Police and the District Magistrate, Kanpur on 12.7.1986 at 8.15 P.M., it has been argued by Shri D.N. Singh, learned Counsel appearing for accused-Sabhajeet Singh, that the contents of the said telegram also do not make out the case of the informant set up in the FIR, as the said telegram (Ext. Ka 17) does not mention the name of the accused Prabhati Lal Agrawal. So far as the accused S.O. Sabhajeet Singh was concerned, he was only assigned the role of conspiracy and the actual role of exhortation mentioned in the report of Smt. Nirmala Tiwari was absent in the telegram. Whilst in her cross-examination Smt. Nirmala Tiwari had admitted that before sending the telegram she had prepared the written report, however, the telegram fails to mention the details about the time of incident, nor the names of the three assailants, who are said to have fired nor even that her son Vimlesh and P.W. 2 Sukhveer Singh were present at that time. It also does not mention that the police of P.S. Kakadev refused to take down her report. This is surprising as Smt. Nirmala Tiwari herself stated that she was a graduate and was a teacher and there is no material to suggest that she was mentally disturbed so that she could not mention these facts in the long telegram sent by her. We accordingly concur with the findings of the learned Sessions Judge in this regard.
43. The trial court has further observed that the medical evidence Is also inconsistent with the eyewitness account. The post-mortem report simply shows a single firearm wound of entry 1.5 cm x 1.00 cm. cavity deep. The injury was on the lower part of the abdomen on the left side 4 cm above the left iliac crest. Tattooing and charring were present in an area of 8 cm x 7 cm around the wounds. This injury would normally have been caused from a very close range. Even though three persons are said to have fired on the deceased with country-made pistols, we find only this single firearm injury on the deceased. For these reasons, it does appear that the witnesses Smt. Nirmala Tiwari, P.W. 1 and Sukhveer Singh, P.W. 2 are giving an exaggerated version and were not present at the time of incident.
44. Also Smt. Nirmala Tiwari appears to be a fairly Influential person as she herself admits that she was able to reach the DIG when her report was not taken down and on his direction, she was sent to the S.S.P. by police jeep and thereafter the order was passed for registration of the case by the S.P. and the case was registered. Also she seems to be so influential that she could even start prosecution of SI Yakoob Khan for demolition of her property on the date of incident at 11.30 a.m. On these facts, it does appear that this witness would not have meekly allowed the FIR by Munna Lal Yadav to be registered on 12.7.1986 at 6.45 p.m. if she was present at the place at the time of incident.
45. The trial court has also rightly observed that an effort could have been made for production of the then Head Muharrir of police station Kakadev for showing that on account of the influence of S.O. Sabhajeet Singh, the report of the informant against accused was not being lodged, but this has not even been done.
46. So far as accused-respondent S.H.O. Sabhajeet Singh was concerned, we are in agreement with the finding of the learned Sessions Judge that there does not appear to be such great hostility of Sabhajeet with the deceased that he would come out in the open and exhort the other accused to murder the deceased in the manner alleged. The trial judge is right in observing that even though as per the prosecution documents (Ext. 15 and 16) there were 9 cognizable cases against the deceased Asit, but only in one case under the Goonda Act and in 7 non-cognizable cases the S.O. Sabhajeet Singh was the investigating officer. The mere fact that the deceased had succeeded in obtaining a stay from the High Court against the notice under the Goonda Act (which was also against other persons) would not constitute sufficient motive for the S.O. to instigate the other accused to commit his murder at the time, and place of incident in the manner alleged.
47. The so-called action that accused Sabhajeet Singh has sought to have initiated against the deceased after the assassination of Smt. Indira Gandhi, did not find mention in the FIR lodged by Smt. Nirmala Tiwari, P.W. 1 and it is a development in her evidence. Smt. Nirmala Tiwari herself concedes in her cross-examination that in her affidavit dated 22.7.1986 she had not mentioned that S.O. Sabhajeet Singh had come to apprehend her son in the aftermath of the assassination of Smt. Indira Gandhi. So far as the prosecution allegation that it was at the instance of S.O. Sabhajeet Singh that Smt. Saroj Agrawal had filed a case on 10.4.1985 at case crime No. 163, under Section 307 IPC against the deceased Asit Tiwari, his brother Vimlesh and the witness Sukhveer Singh for an attempt to murder her husband-accused-Om Prakash Agrawal, it was wrongly suggested that the report had been lodged maliciously at the instance of the accused S.O. sabhajeet Singh because the said case resulted in conviction of Vimlesh for five years RI, ( although Asit Tiwari escaped conviction in that case because he was already dead at the time of pronouncement of that judgement). The witness Sukhveer Singh @ Nande was, however acquitted in that case.
48. Similarly, the suggestion of Smt. Nirmala Tiwari that the case under Section 363/366 IPC, which was filed on 23.4.1985 at case crime No. 195 by Smt. Saroj Agrawal at police station Kakadev against the deceased Asit, Guddu Tiwari and the informant Smt. Nirmala Tiwari for abduction of her two minor daughters, was only at the instance of S.O. Sabhajeet Singh, is also not correct because the genuineness of that case is corroborated by the fact that Asit Tiwari, Vimlesh Tiwari and Smt, Nirmala Tiwari went to jail, and were bailed out by the Sessions court, although they were subsequently acquitted.
49. A similar suggestion given in the written argument filed on behalf of Smt. Nirmala Tiwari that a case under Section 307 IPC lodged by accused-respondent Sushil Kumar Katiyar on 3.3.1986 against the deceased Ait Tiwari and another person Srikant for attempting murder of Sushil Kumar Katiyar was also at the instance of the accused-Sabhajeet Singh, is falsified by the fact that in the said case Srikant was convicted by the Sessions Judge in S.T. No. 94 of 1988 to five years RI on 28.3,1989. However, the deceased Asit Tiwari escaped conviction in that case because he was dead by the date of the said judgement.
50. The trial court has also rightly accepted the alibi evidence of S.O. Sabhajeet Singh, in respect of which, P.W. 3, Constable Ram Swaroop had admitted in his cross-examination that on the material date there was a meeting of Communist Party at the Vijay Nagar Sabjimandi tri-crossing (although he could recollect whether the time of the meeting was 6.30 or 7.00 p.m.), and for organizing that meeting the police of Kakadev and other police stations were present and S.H.O. ( Sabhajeet Singh) and S.D.M. Security were also present for management of the meeting.
51. Furthermore, the then CO. Shri Pramod Kumar Mishra, D.W, 1 and Constable Driver, Ram Sajiwan, D.W. 2 have also given evidence for showing that S.O. Sabhajeet Singh was present at Vijay Nagar tri-crossing on the date of incident in connection with the meeting of the Communist Party in official dress between 4.00 6.30 P.M. when the said meeting was being conducted.
52. Another reasons given by the trial court that even though Smt. Nirmala Tiwari arrived soon after the incident, but she did not try to take Asit Tiwari to the hospital, is also inconsistent with the conduct of a mother.
53. Similarly, even though the inquest evidence shows that it had rained at the time of incident and the post-mortem report also shows that the ground and clothes of the deceased were wet. The fact of rain was also deposed to by D.W. 1, Pramod Kumar Mishra and D.W. 6, Ram Bahadur. The ignorance of Smt. Nirmala Tiwari, P.W. 1 in that context that she did not know whether there was wet mud at the place where the dead body was lying, is also suggestive of her absence at the time of incident or immediately thereafter when the body was lying on the ground at the place of incident. P.W. 2, Sukhveer Singh had even denied that it had rained at the time of incident and he claims that the land was dry and there was no wet slush. This is clearly inconsistent with the data given in the inquest and post-mortem reports which shows the body smeared with mud.
54. For all these reasons as well as the other reasons mentioned in the judgement of acquittal given by the trial court, it cannot be said that the judgement acquitting the accused-respondents, is in any manner unreasonable, perverse or illegal. It is well settled that even if it is possible to take another view on the evidence, is no ground for interfering with the order of acquittal.
55. The principles for considering where acquittals may be reversed in an appeal against acquittal under Section 378 Cr.P.C have been eruditely outlined by the apex Court in paragraph 7 of Bhagwan Singh v. State of M.P. :
We do not agree with the submission of the learned Counsel for the appellants that under Section 378 of the Code of Criminal Procedure the High Court could not disturb the finding of facts of the trial Court even if it found that the view taken by the trial Court was not proper. On the basis of the pronouncements of this Court, the settled position of law regarding the powers of the High Court in an appeal against an order of acquittal is that the Court has full powers to review the evidence upon which an order of acquittal is based and generally it will not interfere with the order of acquittal because by passing an order of acquittal the presumption of innocence in favour of the accused is reinforced. The golden thread which runs through the web of administration of justice in criminal case is that if two views are possible on the evidence adduced in the case, one pointing to the guilt of the accused and the other to his innocence, the view which is favourable to the accused should be adopted. Such is not a jurisdiction limitation on the appellate Court but a Judge-made guidelines for circumspection. The paramount consideration of the Court is to ensure that miscarriage of justice is avoided. A miscarriage of justice which may arise from the acquittal of guilty is no less than from the conviction of an innocent. In a case where the trial Court has taken a view ignoring the admissible evidence, a duty is cast upon the High Court to reappreciate the evidence in acquittal appeal for the purposes of ascertaining as to whether all or any of the accused has committed any offence or not. Probable view taken by the trial Court which may not be disturbed in the appeal is such a view which is based upon legal and admissible evidence.
56. Keeping the aforesaid observations in mind on the amplitude of the powers of the appellate court to interfere with findings of acquittal recorded by the trial court and after an in-depth review of the evidence we have reached a conclusion that the findings of the trial court are reasonable and proper and the appreciation of the evidence cannot be described as unwarranted, unjust or illegal. There is thus no force in this government appeal which is accordingly dismissed.
57. The criminal revision against acquittal filed by Smt. Nirmala Tiwari is also dismissed.
58. A copy of this order may also be placed in the file of criminal revision.
59. The respondents are on bail. Their bail bonds are cancelled and sureties are discharged.