Delhi District Court
State vs Gauri Shankar on 16 November, 2011
IN THE COURT OF MS. SHUCHI LALER
METROPOLITAN MAGISTRATE - 04 : EAST:
KARKARDOOMA COURT : DELHI.
FIR No. 261/99
U/s 279/304A IPC
PS New Ashok Nagar
STATE Vs GAURI SHANKAR
JUDGMENT:
A Sr. No. of the case 02402R0 06821 2003 B Date of institution 18/04/2002 C Date of commission of 02/12/1999 offence D Name of the complainant Sh. Narender Singh, s/o Lt. Sh. Daroja Ji E Name of the accused & Gauri Shankar, s/o Sh. Lakhan Singh, r/o his parentage and address Village Turaya, PS Distt. Firozabad, UP. F Offence complained of U/s 279/304A IPC G Plea of the accused Pleaded not guilty H Order Reserved on 16/11/11 I Final order Acquitted J Date of such order 16/11/11 BRIEF FACTS AND REASONS FOR DECISION
1) The story of the prosecution is that on 02.12.1999 at about 02:05 pm at Roadside, Opposite Nitish Builder, Sangam Park, Khora Colony, Delhi, within the jurisdiction of PS New Ashok Nagar, the accused Gauri Shankar was driving a Truck bearing number DIG7912 in a rash and negligent FIR No. 261/99 PS New Ashok Nagar State Vs. Gauri Shankar Page No. 1 / 14 manner and while driving the said vehicle in such a manner, the accused struck against one Akash (deceased), s/o Sh. Narender Singh and as a result of which Akash died. Thus, accused Gauri Shankar is alleged to have committed offence punishable under section 279/304A IPC.
2) On the basis of the said allegations and on the complaint of the complainant Sh. Narender Singh, an FIR bearing number 261/99 under section 279/304A IPC was lodged at Police Station New Ashok Nagar on 02.12.1999.
3) After investigation, chargesheet under section 173 Cr.P.C was filed on 18.04.2002. The accused was summoned to face trial and he was supplied the copy of charge sheet as per section 205 Cr.P.C. On the basis of the chargesheet, a notice for the offence punishable under section 279/304A IPC was framed against the accused Gauri Shankar and read out to the said accused, to which the accused pleaded not guilty and claimed trial on 07.01.2003.
JUDICIAL RESOLUTION To bring home the guilt of rash and negligent driving to the accused, three things need to be proved by the prosecution that to beyond any reasonable doubt. Three essential ingredients are as follows: (1) That the accident actually took place.
(2) That the accident took place due to rash and negligent driving.
FIR No. 261/99 PS New Ashok Nagar State Vs. Gauri Shankar Page No. 2 / 14
(3) That the accused was the person who was driving the vehicle at the relevant time.
These words i.e "rash" and "negligent", have not been defined in the Indian Penal Code. However as per Blacks Law Dictionary, Eighth Edition the word 'Negligent' is characterized by a person's failure to exercise the degree of care that someone of ordinary prudence would have exercised in the same circumstances.
Quoting from the article "Negligence, Mens Rea and Criminal Responsibility" by H.L.A.Hart in Punishment and Responsibility the dictionary further goes on to explain the difference between an act done inadvertently and an act done negligently.
"[A] careful consideration is needed of the difference between the meaning of the expression like 'inadvertently' and 'while his mind was a blank' on the one hand, and 'negligently' on the other hand. In ordinary English, and also in Lawyer's English, when harm has resulted from someone's negligence, if we say of that person that he has acted negligently we are not thereby merely describing the frame of mind in which he acted. 'He negligently broke a saucer' is not the same kind of expression as 'he inadvertently broke a saucer'. The point of adverb 'inadvertently' is merely to inform us of the agent's psychological state, whereas if we say 'He broke it negligently' we are not merely adding to this an element of blame or reproach, but something quite specific, viz. we are referring to the fact that the agent failed to comply with a standard of conduct with which any ordinary reasonable man could and would have complied: a standard requiring him to take precautions against harm. The FIR No. 261/99 PS New Ashok Nagar State Vs. Gauri Shankar Page No. 3 / 14 word 'negligently', both in legal and non legal contexts, makes an essential reference to an omission to do what is thus required: it is not a flatly descriptive psychological expression like 'his mind was a blank'."
The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Sixth Edition defines 'Rash' as doing something that may not be sensible without first thinking about the possible results.
Elaborating further, in State of H.P. v. Piar Chand, Cr. Appeal No. 109 of 2003, decided on 2.6.2003, Himachal Pradesh High Court, while dealing with the meaning of the expression " rashness " and " negligence " held as follows :
"18. Criminal rashness is doing a dangerous or wanton act with the knowledge that it is so and may cause injury but without intention to cause injury and without knowledge that injury would probably be caused. Therefore, to incur criminal liability, the act must be done with rashness or indifference as to the consequences. Criminal negligence is the gross and culpable neglect or failure to exercise reasonable care and proper precaution imperative to be adopted by a person to avoid causing of injury to the public or a person or a individual."
The court would also like to refer to a very recent judgment of the Hon´ble Supreme Court of India elaborating further the requirements of section 304A of IPC. Quoting from Rathnashalvan v. State of Karnataka, (SC) 2005 A.I.R. (SC) 1064.
"Section 304A applies to cases where there is no intention to cause death and no knowledge that the act done in all probability will cause death. The FIR No. 261/99 PS New Ashok Nagar State Vs. Gauri Shankar Page No. 4 / 14 provision is directed at offences outside the range of Sections 299 and 300 IPC. The provision applies only to such acts which are rash and negligent and are directly cause of death of another person. Negligence and rashness are essential elements under Section 304A. Culpable negligence lies in the failure to exercise reasonable and proper care and the extent of its reasonableness will always depend upon the circumstances of each case. Rashness means doing an act with the consciousness of a risk that evil consequences will follow but with the hope that it will not. Negligence is a breach of duty imposed by law. In criminal cases, the amount and degree of negligence are determining factors. A question whether the accused's conduct amounted to culpable rashness or negligence depends directly on the question as to what is the amount of care and circumspection which a prudent and reasonable man would consider it to be sufficient considering all the circumstances of the case. Criminal rashness means hazarding a dangerous or wanton act with the knowledge that it is dangerous or wanton and the further knowledge that it may cause injury but done without any intention to cause injury or knowledge that it would probably be caused.
As noted above, " Rashness " consists in hazarding a dangerous or wanton act with the knowledge that it is so, and that it may cause in jury. The criminality lies in such a case in running the risk of doing such an act with recklessness or indifference as to the consequences.
Criminal negligence on the other hand, is the gross and culpable ne glect or failure to exercise that reasonable and proper care and pre FIR No. 261/99 PS New Ashok Nagar State Vs. Gauri Shankar Page No. 5 / 14 caution to guard against injury either to the public generally or to an individual in particular, which, having regard to all the circumstances out of which the charge has arisen it was the imperative duty of the accused person to have adopted.
8. The distinction has been very aptly pointed out by Holloway, J. in these words :
"Culpable rashness is acting with the consciousness that the mischievous and illegal consequences may follow, but with the hope that they will not, and often with the belief that the actor has taken sufficient precautions to prevent their happening.
The imputability arises from acting despite the consciousness.
Culpable negligence is acting without the consciousness that the illegal and mischievous effect will follow, but in circumstances which show that the actor has not exercised the caution incumbent upon him and that if he had, he would have had the consciousness. The imputability arises from the negligence of the civic duty of circumspection." (See In Re :
Nidamorti Nagabhusanam 7 Mad. HCR 119)".
In order to prove the above said allegations, the prosecution cited 12 witnesses, of which the eye witnesses are Narender Singh, Sharwan Singh and Brahm Singh, who have been cited as PW1, PW2 and PW3 in the list of witnesses. All the other remaining witnesses are formal witnesses and none of them is a witness to the accident.
Retired SI Kedar Nath appeared as PW1 who proved his report FIR No. 261/99 PS New Ashok Nagar State Vs. Gauri Shankar Page No. 6 / 14 Ex.PW1/A regarding the mechanical inspection of the offending vehicle.
Dr. B. K. Sharma appeared as PW2 who proved his report Ex.PW2/A regarding the post mortem of the deceased Akash.
Ct. Udaivir Singh appeared as PW3 who deposed that on 02.12.1999, on receiving DD No.9A, he along with SI Brahm Dutt reached at the spot, where IO recorded the statement of the father of the deceased and IO got registered the FIR through PW3. In his cross examination, PW3 denied the suggestion that he did not see the blood on the left front wheel of the truck and near the body and he did not visit the spot.
Sh. Narender Singh appeared as PW4 who deposed that on 02.12.1999 at about 02:00 pm, he took his son Akash, aged around three and a half year for nature of call in front of Nitish Welder where one truck bearing no. DIG7912 came from the side of Mayur Vihar PhaseIII in fast speed and struck against his son Akash. The skull of his son broke opened and his son died on the spot. Further examination of PW4 was deferred for want of case property. However, thereafter he never appeared for remaining examination as he expired and in absence of his cross examination, his testimony cannot be read into evidence.
Sh. Dev Naryan Singh appeared as PW5 who deposed that on 03.12.1999, he identified the dead body of his grandson Akash vide Ex.PW5/A. DO SI Ram Kishan appeared as PW6 who proved the present FIR Ex.PW6/A and endorsement on the rukka Ex.PW6/B. Ct. Chako M. J. appeared as PW7 who deposed that on 02.12.1999, on receiving DD entry no. 39B, he reached at Khora Colony road FIR No. 261/99 PS New Ashok Nagar State Vs. Gauri Shankar Page No. 7 / 14 where SI Brahm Dutt met him along with the offending truck bearing no. DIG7912 and the same was seized vide memo Ex. PW4/B. Sh. Shyam Singh appeared as PW8 who deposed that on 02.12.1999, he took the photographs of the dead body.
Except eye witnesses Narender Singh, Sharwan Singh and Brahm Singh, all the remaining 9 witnesses cited by prosecution are formal witnesses and sufficient only to prove that the deceased was died and that an FIR with respect to the said incident was lodged on the same day at PS New Ashok Nagar vide FIR bearing No. 261/99.
PW Narender Singh, Sharwan Singh and Brahm Singh were summoned on several occasions and they were also summoned through IO as well as through DCP concerned, however, the summons sent to the PW Narender Singh and Brahm Singh were received back unserved with the report that they have expired and summons sent to PW Sharwan Singh were received back unserved with the report that he had left the given addresses and was not traceable. Thus, in view of the report on summons, the court came to the conclusion that PW Narender Singh and Brahm Singh had expired and PW Sharwan Singh was not traceable and ordered vide order dated 16.11.2011 that the said witnesses be not summoned again and therefore dropped them from the list of witnesses.
In the absence of testimony of the eye witnesses Narender Singh, Sharwan Singh and Brahm Singh, the prosecution can never prove that the death of the deceased Akash in the present case was a result of an act of accused and that the accident was caused by the vehicle bearing number DIG7912, FIR No. 261/99 PS New Ashok Nagar State Vs. Gauri Shankar Page No. 8 / 14 which was being driven by the accused Gauri Shankar in a rash and negligent manner.
In the present case there are three eye witnesses namely Narender Singh, Sharwan Singh and Brahm Singh, who could not be appear before the court for their complete deposition. No other witness is competent enough to prove the guilt of the accused.
In the absence of testimony of Narender Singh, Sharwan Singh and Brahm Singh, the testimony of all the remaining witnesses together is insufficient to prove the allegations against the accused qua offences u/s 279/304A IPC.
The case is at the stage of PE, however, in the absence of testimony of Narender Singh, Sharwan Singh and Brahm Singh, there is nothing incriminating against the accused for proceeding further and recording the statement of remaining formal witnesses would be futile and wastage of judicial time, resources and money.
In the opinion of the court, the present case is a fit case where the court should exercise its power under section 258 of Cr.P.C and stop the proceedings qua offences u/s 279/304A IPC as continuing with trial will not only be wastage of state money rather it will also be wastage of judicial time and harassment to the accused.
In "P. Ramachandra Rao v. State of Karnataka" AIR 2002 SUPREME COURT 1856 ( Coram : 7 S. P. BHARUCHA, C.J.I., S. S. M. QUADRI, R. C. LAHOTI, N. SANTOSH HEGDE, DORAISWAMY RAJU, Mrs. RUMA PAL, A. PASAYAT, JJ.) the Honorable Supreme Court while FIR No. 261/99 PS New Ashok Nagar State Vs. Gauri Shankar Page No. 9 / 14 commenting upon the right to speedy justice observed:
"22. Is it at all necessary to have limitation bars terminating trials and proceedings? Is there no effective mechanism available for achieving the same end? The Criminal Procedure Code, as it stands, incorporates a few provisions to which resort can be had for protecting the interest of the accused and saving him from unreasonable prolixity or laxity at the trial amounting to oppression. Section 309, dealing with power to postpone or adjourn proceedings, provides generally for every inquiry or trial, being proceeded with as expeditiously as possible, and in particular, when the examination of witnesses has once begun, the same to be continued from day to day until all the witnesses in attendance have been examined, unless the Courts finds the adjournment of the same beyond the following days to be necessary for reasons to be recorded. Explanation2 to Section 309 confers power on the Court to impose costs to be paid by the prosecution or the accused, in appropriate cases; and putting the parties on terms while granting an adjournment or postponing of proceedings. This power to impose costs is rarely exercised by the Courts. Section 258, in Chapter XX of Cr.P.C., on Trial Summons cases, empowers the Magistrate trying summons cases instituted otherwise than upon complaint, for reasons to be recorded by him, to stop the proceedings at any stage without pronouncing any judgment and where such stoppage of proceedings is made after the evidence of the principal witnesses has been recorded, to pronounce a judgment of acquittal, and in any other case, release the accused, having effect of discharge. This provision is almost never used by the Courts. In appropriate cases, inherent power to the High Court, under Section 482 can be invoked to make such orders, as may be necessary, to give effect to any order under the Code of Criminal Procedure or to prevent abuse of the process of any Court, or otherwise, to secure the ends of justice. The power is wide and, if judiciously and consciously exercised, can take care of almost all the situations where interference by the High Court becomes necessary on account of delay in proceedings or for any other reason amounting FIR No. 261/99 PS New Ashok Nagar State Vs. Gauri Shankar Page No. 10 / 14 to oppression or harassment in any trial, inquiry or proceedings. In appropriate cases, the High Courts have exercised their jurisdiction under Section 482 of Cr.P.C. for quashing of first information report and investigation, and terminating criminal proceedings if the case of abuse of process of law was clearly made out. Such power can certainly be exercised on a case being made out of breach of fundamental right conferred by Article 21 of the Constitution. The Constitution Bench in A.R. Antulay's case referred to such power, vesting in the High Court (vide paras 62 and 65 of its judgment) and held that it was clear that even apart from Article 21, the Courts can take care of undue or inordinate delays in criminal matters or proceedings if they remain pending for too long and putting to an end, by making appropriate orders, to further proceedings when they are found to be oppressive and unwarranted." (emphasis supplied) "30.For all the foregoing reasons, we are of the opinion that in Common Cause case (I) (1996 AIR SCW 2279 : AIR 1996 SC 1619 : 1996 Cri LJ 2380) (as modified in Common Cause (II) 1997 AIR SCW 290 : AIR 1997 SC 1539 : 1997 Cri LJ 195 (1998 AIR SCW 3208 : AIR 1998 SC 3281 : 1998 Cri LJ 4596) and Raj Deo Sharma (I) and (II) (1999 AIR SCW 3522 : AIR 1999 SC 3524 : 1998 Cri LJ 4541), the Court could not have prescribed periods of limitation beyond which the trial of a criminal case or a criminal proceeding cannot continue and must mandatorily be closed followed by an order acquitting or discharging the accused. In conclusion we hold: (1) The dictum in A.R. Antulay's case is correct and still holds the field.
(2) The propositions emerging from Article 21 of the Constitution and expounding the right to speedy trial laid down as guidelines in A.R. Antulay's case, adequately take care of right to speedy trial. We uphold and reaffirm the said propositions. (3) The guidelines laid down in A.R. Antulay's case are not exhaustive but only illustrative. They are not intended to operate as hard and fast rules or to be applied like a straitjacket formula.
Their applicability would depend on the factsituation of each case. It is difficult to foresee all situations and no generalization can be made.
FIR No. 261/99 PS New Ashok Nagar State Vs. Gauri Shankar Page No. 11 / 14 (4) It is neither advisable, nor feasible, nor judicially permissible to draw or prescribe an outer limit for conclusion of all criminal proceedings. The timelimits or bars of limitation prescribed in the several directions made in Common Cause (I), Raj Deo Sharma (I) and Raj Deo Sharma (II) could not have been so prescribed or drawn and are not good law. The criminal courts are not obliged to terminate trial or criminal proceedings merely on account of lapse of time, as prescribed by the directions made in Common Cause Case (I), Raj Deo Sharma Case (I) and (II) . At the most the periods of time prescribed in those decisions can be taken by the courts seized of the trial or proceedings to act as reminders when they may be persuaded to apply their judicial mind to the facts and circumstances of the case before them and determine by taking into consideration the several relevant factors as pointed out in A.R. Antulay's case and decide whether the trial or proceedings have become so inordinately delayed as to be called oppressive and unwarranted. Such timelimits cannot and will not by themselves be treated by any Court as a bar to further continuance of the trial or proceedings and a mandatorily obliging the court of terminate the same and acquit or discharge the accused.
(5) The Criminal Courts should exercise their available powers, such as those under Sections 309, 311 and 258 of Code of Criminal Procedure to effectuate the right to speedy trial. A watchful and diligent trial Judge can prove to be better protector of such right than any guidelines. In appropriate cases jurisdiction of High Court under Section 482 of Cr.P.C. and Articles 226 and 227 of Constitution can be invoked seeking appropriate relief or suitable directions. (6) This is an appropriate occasion to remind the Union of India and the State Governments of their constitutional obligation to strengthen the judiciary - quantitatively and qualitatively by providing requisite funds, manpower and infrastructure. We hope and trust that the Governments shall act." (emphasis supplied) In "Pankaj Kumar v. State of Maharashtra" AIR 2008 SUPREME COURT 3057 (Coram : 2 C. K. THAKKER AND D. K. JAIN, FIR No. 261/99 PS New Ashok Nagar State Vs. Gauri Shankar Page No. 12 / 14 JJ.)the Honorable Supreme Court, while relying upon the aforesaid judgment, observed:
"16. Notwithstanding elaborate enunciation of Article 21 of the Constitution in Abdul Rehman Antulay (supra), and rejection of the fervent plea of proponents of right to speedy trial for laying down timelimits as bar beyond which a criminal trial shall not proceed pronouncements of this Court in "Common Cause" A Registered Society Vs. Union of India (UOI) and Ors., "Common Cause", A Registered Society Vs. Union of India and Ors., Raj Deo Sharma Vs. State of Bihar and Raj Deo Sharma II Vs. State of Bihar gave rise to some confusion on the question whether an outer time limit for conclusion of criminal proceedings could be prescribed whereafter the trial court would be obliged to terminate the proceedings and necessarily acquit or discharge the accused. The confusion on the issue was set at rest by a sevenJudge Bench of this court in P. Ramachandra Rao Vs. State of Karnataka. Speaking for the majority, R.C. Lahoti, J. (as his Lordship then was) while affirming that the dictum in A.R. Antulay's case (supra) is correct and still holds the field and the propositions emerging from Article 21 of the Constitution and expounding the right to speedy trial laid down as guidelines in the said case adequately take care of right to speedy trial, it was held that guidelines laid down in the A.R. Antulay's case (supra) are not exhaustive but only illustrative. They are not intended to operate as hard and fast rules or to be applied like a straitjacket formula. Their applicability would depend on the factsituation of each case as it is difficult to foresee all situations and no generalization can be made. It has also been held that it is neither advisable, nor feasible, nor judicially permissible to draw or prescribe an outer limit for conclusion of all criminal proceedings. Nonetheless, the criminal courts should exercise their available powers such as those under Sections 309, 311 and 258 of CrPC to effectuate the right to speedy trial. In appropriate cases, jurisdiction of the High Court under Section 482 CrPC and Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution can be invoked seeking appropriate relief or suitable directions. The outer limits or power of limitation expounded in the aforenoted judgments were held to be not in consonance with the legislative FIR No. 261/99 PS New Ashok Nagar State Vs. Gauri Shankar Page No. 13 / 14 intent." (emphasis supplied) Accordingly, in the opinion of the court, in the light of the above cited judgments, the court needs to exercise its power under section 258 Cr.P.C qua offences u/s 279/304A IPC to make the ends of justice meet.
In the absence of testimony of eye witnesses namely Narender Singh, Sharwan Singh and Brahm Singh and in the light of the aforesaid discussion and cited judgments, the court while protecting the right of the accused person to have speedy justice invokes the power conferred upon it under s.258 of Cr.P.C to stop the proceedings against the accused person Gauri Shankar qua offences u/s 279/304A IPC in the present summons police case and hereby releases the accused Gauri Shankar under sections 279/304A IPC, which shall have the effect of acquittal.
As per section 437A of the Cr.P.C, as inserted vide the Amendment Act, which came into force on 31.12.2009, the personal bond and the surety bond of the accused as well as surety shall remain intact for a period of six months from today.
File be consigned to Record Room.
Announced in open (SHUCHI LALER ) court on 16.11.2011. MM04/ East/ KKD, Delhi Certified that this judgment contains 14 pages and each page bears my signatures.
(SHUCHI LALER ) MM04/ East/ KKD, Delhi 16.11.2011 FIR No. 261/99 PS New Ashok Nagar State Vs. Gauri Shankar Page No. 14 / 14