Gauhati High Court
Sri Nitul Saikia vs The State Of Assam And Anr on 13 September, 2021
Author: Suman Shyam
Bench: Suman Shyam, Parthivjyoti Saikia
Page No.# 1/18
GAHC010098062020
THE GAUHATI HIGH COURT
(HIGH COURT OF ASSAM, NAGALAND, MIZORAM AND ARUNACHAL PRADESH)
Case No. : Crl.A./205/2020
SRI NITUL SAIKIA
S/O SRI MANGOLA SAIKIA, VILL-UTTAR PETBOHA, P.S.-RAHA, DIST-
NAGAON, ASSAM, PIN-782460
VERSUS
THE STATE OF ASSAM AND ANR
REPRESENTED BY THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, ASSAM
2:TULAN SAIKIA
S/O LATE BEJIA SAIKIA
VILL-UTTAR PETBOHA
P.S.-RAHA
DIST-NAGAON
ASSAM
PIN-78246
Advocate for the Petitioner : MR. N UDDIN
Advocate for the Respondent : PP, ASSAM
BEFORE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SUMAN SHYAM HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE PARTHIVJYOTI SAIKIA JUDGMENT AND ORDER (Oral) Page No.# 2/18 Date : 13-09-2021 (Suman Shyam, J) Heard Mr. N. Uddin, learned counsel appearing for the appellant. We have also heard Ms. B. Bhuyan, learned Additional Public Prosecutor, Assam, representing the State/respondent No.1. None has appeared for the informant/respondent No.2.
2. The sole appellant Nitul Saikia was convicted under Sections 302/451 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) by the judgment and order dated 21.10.2019 passed by the learned Additional Sessions Judge No.1, Nagaon, in Sessions (TJ) Case No.47/2018 for committing the murder of Pori Saikia and sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life and also to pay fine of Rs.1000/-, in default of payment of which, to undergo rigorous imprisonment for further period of two months for committing the offence under Section 302 IPC. The appellant was also sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for one year and to pay fine of Rs.500/- and in default, to undergo rigorous imprisonment for further period of one month, for committing the offence under Section 451 of the IPC. Both the substantive sentences were to run concurrently.
3. The prosecution case, in a nutshell, is that on 20.07.2017, at about 10.40 p.m. the accused/appellant came to the house of the deceased in the absence of her husband and inflicted multiple stab injuries on her body with a knife. The victim was immediately rushed to the Nagaon B.P. Civil Hospital by a 108 ambulance but next morning she succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment in the hospital.
4. On 21.07.2017 at around 6.10 p.m., Sri Tulon Saikia i.e. the husband of the Page No.# 3/18 deceased had lodged an ejahar before the Officer-in-Charge, Raha Police Station, reporting the incident. Based on the ejahar, Raha P.S. Case No.202/2017 was registered under Sections 452/302 of the IPC. Thereafter, usual investigation was carried out by the police whereby, statement of the witnesses were recorded, the knife used in commission of the crime was seized along with a blood stained bed- sheet from the place of occurrence, inquest was conducted on the dead body and the body was sent for post-mortem examination. The I.O. had also arrested the accused person and got his confessional statement recorded by the learned Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nagaon under Section 164 Cr.P.C. On completion of investigation, the I.O. had submitted charge-sheet against the appellant under Section 302 of the IPC.
5. The learned trial court had framed charges against the accused under Sections 452/302 of the IPC. The charges were read over and explained to him but since the accused had pleaded not guilty and claimed to be tried, the matter went for trial.
6. There is no eye-witness to the occurrence and the prosecution case is entirely based on circumstantial evidence. In order to bring home the charges framed against the accused/appellant, the prosecution had examined as many as nine witnesses out of which, two witnesses viz. the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nagaon (CW-
1) and a constable serving in the Raha Police Station (CW-2), were examined as Court witnesses.
7. PW-1, Dr. Ajit Goswami was the SDM & HO on duty at Nagaon B.P. Civil Page No.# 4/18 Hospital on 21.07.2017 and he had conducted post-mortem examination on the dead body of Pori Saikia. PW-1 has deposed that as per the post-mortem report, the following injuries were found in the dead body :-
"On examination, I found the following :-
Multiple penetrating stab injuries by sharp weapon, two symmetrically placed on both side of the chest on the middle of the breast; 2"x 1"x 6" which are penetrating the lung tissue. Similar wounds on both upper thighs two symmetrically placed above the abdomen; right one is penetrating to the liver. Cut mark on right carotid artery stabbing in nature. Hemoperitoneum and blood found in the pleural cavity."
PW-1 has also opined that the cause of death of the deceased was due to shock and haemorrhage as a result of stab injury sustained.
8. PW-2, Sri Tulan Saikia is the informant in this case. PW-2 has deposed that the occurrence took place on 20.07.2017 during the night hours and on that night he was not at home as he was working as a security guard in a private company at Meghalaya. According to the PW-2, on the night of the incident, at around 10.45 p.m. one Lukumoni Saikia of his village had telephoned him and told that his wife was in a serious condition and he should immediately come home. On the same night PW-2 returned from Meghalaya and on reaching the Nagaon B.P. Civil Hospital at around 3.00 a.m. he had seen stab injuries on various parts of the body of his wife who was undergoing medical treatment. PW-2 has further deposed that at that time his wife was in a condition to speak and she told him that Nitul Saikia, son of Mangala had caused stab injuries on her person. Although his wife was referred to the Page No.# 5/18 Guwahati Medical College & Hospital for better treatment, yet, she succumbed to her injuries before she could be brought to Guwahati for treatment. PW-2 has also stated that on 21.07.2017 he had lodged an ejahar (Ext-2) at the Raha Police Station and Ext-2(1) was his signature. PW-2 has further stated that the ejahar was drafted by someone under his instruction and that he was with the scribe at the time of writing the ejahar. During his cross-examination, PW-2 has stated that he knew the scribe of the ejahar but did not know his name. PW-2 has also stated that he did not tell the police that Lukumoni Saikia of his village had informed him over telephone that his wife was serious and he should come home immediately. He also did not say in his previous statement before the police that his wife was in a speaking condition because the police did not ask him nor did he tell them that his wife told him in the hospital that Nitul Saikia, son of Mangala had caused stab wounds on her body.
9. PW-3, Sri Bishnu Prasad Saikia is a neighbor of the accused Nitul Saikia as well as the informant Tulan Saikia. PW-3 has deposed to the effect that the occurrence took place about a year back but he did not remember the exact date and time of the occurrence but it was around 10.30/11 p.m. At that time he was about to go to sleep after having dinner when Madhav Saikia and his wife knocked at the door and asked him to go to the house of Pori Saikia as something had happened to her. He then went to the house of Pori Saikia and found her lying in the courtyard in a pool of blood. At that time some other villagers had also gathered there. Having seen the injured he immediately rushed to the house of Renu Bora i.e. the village headwoman (PW-4) and informed her about the incident. PW-3 has also stated that he had called an ambulance (108) over telephone and took the victim to the Nagaon B. P. Civil Page No.# 6/18 Hospital. However, next day, at around 11/11.30 a.m. the victim succumbed to her injuries at the hospital. PW-3 has also stated that when he had met the victim, she was not in a position to talk. This witness was declared as hostile witness. During his cross- examination by the prosecution side, PW-3 has stated that at the relevant time, when he had reached the house of Pori Saikia, she was asking for water. PW-3 has, however, denied that in his previous statement made before the I.O. he had stated that when he reached the house of Pori Saikia she had said that she had been assaulted by the son of Mangala i.e. the accused. During his cross-examination by the defence side, PW-3 has stated that he had heard that the victim was asking for water and when they were taking her to the hospital at Nagaon, she was vomiting and till her death she could not speak anything.
10. PW-4, Smt. Renu Bora is the village headwoman. This witness has stated in her deposition that at the time of the occurrence she was in her house. At that time, PW-3 and Kobi Saikia had gone to her house and informed about the incident by telling her that somebody had assaulted Pori Saikia at her house and her husband was not there at home. Then she, along with those persons, came to the house of Pori Saikia and saw that she was lying just in front of the door of her house in a pool of blood and there was heavy bleeding. PW-4 has deposed that she had asked Pori Saikia as to who had assaulted her and she replied by saying that son of Mangala Saikia had stabbed her with a knife. According to PW-4, the police had recovered the knife in her presence by following the instruction of the accused Nitul Saikia and also seized the same in her presence. Ext-3 was the seizure list and Ext-3(1) was her signature. PW- 3 has also stated that the knife was recovered from a torn bag kept in the backside Page No.# 7/18 of the house of accused Nitul Saikia.
11. PW-5, Sri Sonmoni Saikia is also a person belonging to the same village and he has deposed that on the night of the incident, at around 10.30 p.m. while he was in his bed, he had heard a hullah and came to the house of Pori Saikia. Then he found Pori Saikia was lying in a pool of blood in the verandah of her house. PW-5 has also deposed that Pori Saikia had told him that "Nitul Saikia, the son of Mangala, has stabbed me with a knife". He then called 108 ambulance over telephone and thereafter, injured Pori Saikia was taken to the hospital. On the next morning police visited the house of Pori Saikia and seized one knife vide seizure-list Ext-3 in his presence. PW-5 has also stated that the police has seized one blood stained bed- sheet from the house of the victim in his presence and Mat. Ext-B is the seized bed- sheet which was seized vide seizure-list Ext-4. This witness had proved his signatures in both the seizure-lists as Ext-3(2) and 4(1) respectively. During their cross-examination, nothing adverse could be elicited by the defence side so as to shaken the PWs-4 and 5 and both these witnesses had remained firm in their cross-examination.
12. PW-6, Sri Deba Kanta Saikia is a seizure witness and had proved his signature Ext-3(3) in the seizure-list.
13. Sri Binoy Kumar Roy was posted at the Raha Police Station on 21.07.2017 as Attached Officer and was examined by the prosecution side as PW-7. The PW-7 has stated that on 21.07.2017, at about 5.10 a.m., the village headwoman of Uttar Petboha village had informed him over telephone that last night i.e. on 20.07.2017 at about 11.00 p.m. Nitul Saikia, son of Mangala Saikia of her village had stabbed one Page No.# 8/18 Pori Saikia, wife of Tulan Saikia causing multiple injuries on her person and the injured had been shifted to B.P. Civil Hospital, Nagaon by 108 ambulance and the victim had succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment. PW-7 has stated that upon receipt of such information, G.D. Entry No.478 dated 21.07.2017 was made by the Officer-in-Charge of Raha Police Station and he was directed to visit the place of occurrence. Accordingly, he, accompanied by his staff, had rushed to the place of occurrence, examined the witnesses, drew sketch map of the place of occurrence, seized one blood soaked bed sheet from the house of the deceased vide seizure-list No.4. He had also conducted inquest on the dead body of deceased Pori Saikia, went to the house of the accused but he was not found there. The dead body of Pori Saikia was then sent for post-mortem examination. On the same day, at around 6.20 p.m., a formal ejahar was lodged by Tulan Saikia i.e. the husband of the deceased which was received and registered by Moloy Kumar Acharya, who was the Officer-in- charge of Raha Police Station, as Raha P.S. Case No.202/2017 under Section 302 of the IPC. The PW-7 has also stated that he was entrusted with the task of carrying out investigation in the aforesaid case and while carrying out search for the accused, he found him inside the jungle of village Uttar Petboha where he was apprehended by the police and brought to the Police Station. Upon interrogating the accused had confessed to have stabbed Pori Saikia with a knife and said that he had kept the knife hiding inside a plastic bag on the backside of his house. The I.O. has also stated that the accused had led him to his house and showed the knife and the bag in presence of witnesses. Then he seized the knife vide seizure-list Ext-3 and Ext-3(4) was his signature. Mat. Ext-A is the knife which he had seized on being shown by the Page No.# 9/18 accused. The I.O. (PW-7) had also confirmed that the accused was forwarded to the court for recording his confessional statement and Mat. Exts-A and B were sent to the FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) for serologic test. The FSL report dated 22.09.2017 had shown that the samples had tested positive for human blood in both the Mat. Exts-A & B. Upon completion of investigation he had submitted charge-sheet against the accused Nitul Saikia under Section 452/302 of the I.P.C.
14. Sri Subrangshu Dhar, who was posted as the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nagaon and had recorded the confessional statement of the appellant under Section 164 Cr.P.C. was examined as CW-1. From the testimony of CW-1 it appears that the accused was produced by the I.O. before him on 22.07.2017 for recording his confessional statement and he was sent to judicial custody for reflection. The accused was in judicial custody from 22.07.2017 till 24.07.2017. Eventually, the confessional statement of the accused was recorded on 24.07.2017 at about 10.30 a.m. in his chamber and at that time, no police man was present. From the evidence of CW-1 we find that all the procedural formalities before recording the confessional statement of the accused was complied with in this case and his statement was also recorded by the learned Chief Judicial Magistrate only upon reaching a satisfaction that the same was being made by the accused voluntarily. CW-1 has also proved the confessional statement Ext-5, which he had recorded in his own handwriting
15. CW-2, Sri Chandan Das is the Constable posted at Raha Police Station, who had submitted G.D. Entry No.478 dated 21.07.2017 before the court as per the instruction of the Officer-in-Charge of Raha Police Station. This witness has stated that Page No.# 10/18 Ext-Z was the Raha P.S. G.D. Entry No.478 dated 21.07.2017 which was made on the basis of information received at 5.00 a.m. on that day from the village headwoman of Petboha village.
16. We also find from the record that on 24.07.2017 the accused Nitul Saikia had recorded his confessional statement before the learned Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nagaon, wherein he had stated as follows :-
"I have been in Nagaon Jail for the last two days. I have had a meal before coming to the court today. Pari Saikia is the wife of Tulan Saikia. Their house is adjacent to my house. We are the inhabitants of the same village Uttar Petboha. The marriage between Pari and Tulan took place around 8/10 years ago. Two years ago, I had a altercation with Pari and Tulan in connection with a boundary. Pari lodged a police case against me regarding this issue that I had assaulted and abused Pari and Tulan. I had to obtain bail from the court. Afterwards, I had been in a love affair with Pari Saikia for the last 1 ½ years. She always invited me to her house at night over phone in order to sleep with her (meaning sexual relation). I indulged in sexual relationship with Pari as per her wish (means sexual intercourse).
But, it has been a year since we do not have any sexual relationship. But, occasionally Pari took money from me in order to withdraw the criminal case against me.
Around 10:00 p on 20/07/2017, I went to the house of Pari Saikia to ask her why she had not withdrawn the police/criminal case lodged against me even after taking money from me. Then, Pari told me that she would not withdraw the case and then she pushed me out of the house. At that time, Tulan was not at home.
Then I got angry. I engaged in an altercation with Pari. Then I Page No.# 11/18 stabbed Pari in her abdomen with a knife that was hung on a wall. She fell on the ground. I did not think that she would die. I returned home and fell asleep. Commotion arose in the morning and I came to know that Pari had died. Thereafter, I fled to a jungle in fear. I remained in the jungle till the evening. Later, I thought that I had made a huge mistake and therefore, I wanted to confess. I have committed a sin. I should be imposed with punishment. I surrendered before police by appearing at the police station."
17. While recording his statement under Section 313 Cr.P.C. the accused/appellant had denied all the incriminating circumstances put to him including the confessional statement recorded on 24.07.2017 but the defence side did not lead any evidence.
18. Referring to the materials available on record, Mr. N. Uddin, learned counsel for the appellant, submits that the conviction of the appellant is based on the testimony of PWs-3, 4 and 5 which includes a hostile witness as well as the confessional statement of the accused. The prosecution has also failed to examine key witnesses Madhab Saikia and his wife and there is no explanation for not doing so. The learned counsel, therefore, submits that there is no cogent evidence on record to sustain the conviction of the appellant. Alternately, Mr. Uddin has argued that the confessional statement of the accused clearly indicates that there was an altercation between the accused and the victim immediately before the occurrence as a result of which, the accused, in a heat of passion and having lost his sense of self- control, had struck the victim. Contending that the knife seized by the police is a Page No.# 12/18 common article found in every household and that there was no pre-meditation on the part of the accused, Mr. Uddin submits that there is no evidence to suggest that the accused had the intention to cause death to the victim. As such, submits Mr. Uddin, the conviction of the appellant under Section 302 of the I.P.C. be set aside and he be convicted under section 304- Part-II of the I.P.C. In support of his above argument, the learned counsel for the appellant has relied upon the decisions of the Supreme Court rendered in the case of State of U.P. vs. Indrajeet alias Sukhatha reported in (2000) 7 SCC 249 and in Mavila Thamban Nambiar vs. State of Kerala reported in (2009) 17 SCC 441.
19. Ms. B. Bhuyan, learned Addl. Public Prosecutor, Assam, on the other hand, has argued that the oral dying declaration brought on record by the prosecution through PWs-2, 3, 4 and 5 finds due corroboration from the evidence available on record. Moreover, the confessional statement of the accused in this case was recorded by following due process of law. Relying on such materials available on record the learned trial court had rightly convicted the appellant and sentenced him to undergo the jail sentence. Under the circumstances, submits Ms. Bhuyan, there is no justifiable ground for this Court to interfere with the impugned judgment and order of the learned trial court.
20. We have considered the arguments advanced by the learned counsel appearing for both the sides and have also carefully gone through the materials available on record.
21. From a perusal of the impugned judgment we find that the conviction of the Page No.# 13/18 appellant/accused is primarily based on the testimony of PWs-3, 4 and 5, the Mat. Exts-A & B as well as the confessional statement of the accused recorded under Section 164 Cr.P.C.
22. The PW-2 i.e. the husband of the victim has deposed that his deceased wife had told him in the hospital that it is the accused who had stabbed her. PW-2 was not at home when the occurrence took place but it appears from the evidence on record that he had reached back Nagaon from Meghalaya in the early hours of 21.07.2017 after receiving telephonic information regarding his wife's condition from a co-villager. However, it has come out during his cross-examination that he had not stated before the police about the oral dying declaration made before him by the victim. There is also no evidence to show that the victim was conscious and was in a position to speak while undergoing treatment in the B.P. Civil Hospital at Nagaon. Rather, it appears from the testimony of PW-4 and the I.O. (PW-7) that the victim had died in the early hours of 21.07.2017. Therefore, it is doubtful as to whether PW-2 had actually heard his injured wife making a dying declaration. To that extent we are of the view that the learned trial court has rightly not relied upon the testimony of PW-2 for convicting the accused.
23. In so far as the evidence adduced by PWs-4 and 5 is concerned, their testimony is found to be consistent, free from contradiction and hence reliable. Both these witnesses have clearly deposed that they had heard the victim say that the son of Mangala Saikia (i.e. the accused) had stabbed her with a knife. Not only that PW-5 had even mentioned the dying declaration of deceased Pori Saikia in the exact Page No.# 14/18 words uttered by the victim. It has also come out from the testimony of PW-4 that the knife was recovered by the police on being shown by the accused. The statement of PW-4 finds due corroboration from the evidence of PW-7 (the I.O.). Therefore, the oral dying declaration brought on record by the PWs-4 and 5 appears to be truthful, the unalloyed truth and hence, had been rightly relied upon by the learned trial court.
24. Although PW-3 has been declared as a hostile witness, yet, this witness has also stated that when he went to the place of occurrence he had seen Pori Saikia lying in her courtyard in a pool of blood and some villagers had also gathered there. Having witnessed the occurrence he immediately went to the house of PW-4 and informed her and then called 108 ambulance and took the victim to the hospital. The aforesaid testimony of PW-4 finds corroboration from the other evidence available on record.
25. It has been clearly established from the evidence adduced by the witnesses examined by the prosecution that the incident took place at around 10.30 p.m. on 20.07.2017 in the house of deceased Pori Saikia when her husband (PW-2) was away in connection with his employment. The fact that the deceased had died homicidal death due to multiple stab injuries sustained in her body has also been duly established from the medical evidence brought on record.
26. In so far as the retracted confessional statement of accused Nitul Saikia is concerned, we have already noted that the statement of the accused was recorded by the learned Chief Judicial Magistrate (CW-1) after adhering to all the procedural norms. The accused was given sufficient time for reflection and was also informed about the implication that his confessional statement might have in future.
Page No.# 15/18 Despite knowing the same and after sufficient time for reflection, the accused had recorded his statement by giving a vivid description of the circumstances which had led to the incident. From a reading of his statement recorded under Section 164 Cr.P.C. we are of the view that the confession was made by the accused voluntarily and the same appears to be truthful. Therefore, merely because the accused/appellant had subsequently retracted from his confession, that alone cannot be a ground to interfere with his conviction recorded by the learned trial court upon due appreciation of the entire evidence available on record.
27. The recovery of the knife on being lead by the accused as well as the seizure of a blood stained bed sheet from the house of the victim, the FSL report testing positive for human blood and the fact that the accused was arrested from the jungle under circumstances narrated by the I.O. have been duly proved by bringing proper evidence on record. These circumstances, viewed in the light of the testimony of the prosecution witnesses as well as the confessional statement of the accused person recorded under section 164 Cr.P.C. leaves no room for doubt that the prosecution has succeeded in establishing beyond doubt by leading cogent evidence that it was none other than the accused/appellant who had caused multiple stab injuries on the person of the victim Pori Saikia leading to her death.
28. Having held as above, let us now examine the plea of the appellant's counsel seeking conversion of the conviction of the appellant on the ground that the incident took place under grave and sudden provocation and without any pre-meditation.
29. As noted above, the confessional statement of the accused clearly shows that Page No.# 16/18 the victim had told him that she would not withdraw the pending criminal case and pushed the accused out of her house which had enraged the accused. Then an altercation took place with the victim which had resulted into the accused stabbing her in the abdomen with a knife which was hanging on the wall. It has also come out from the confessional statement that the accused was having an illicit relationship with the victim and on assurances that the criminal case instituted by her against the accused would be withdrawn, the victim also used to take money from the accused. Under such circumstances, the behaviour of the victim, in suddenly refusing to withdraw the case and pushing the accused out of her house would naturally cause anger to any person who had expectation of a completely different behaviour from the victim.
30. The accused has also mentioned in his confessional statement that by assaulting the victim he had made a huge mistake and had committed a sin. That is why he had made the confession. The aforesaid statement of the accused also shows remorse on his part and lends further assurance to this Court so as to assume that the assault on the victim by the accused was a sudden reaction on the face of provocation coming from the victim. There is also no evidence to show that the accused had acted with pre-meditation inasmuch as even the knife used in the incident was not brought by the accused but was hanging in the wall of the house of the victim.
31. The confessional statement of the accused has been relied upon for his conviction. The confession of the accused has to be read in its entirety and any Page No.# 17/18 bifurcation of such statement would not be permissible. If the entire statement of the accused recorded under section 164 Cr.P.C. is taken on its face value, then it would be apparent that the victim had in fact provoked the accused just before the occurrence. Therefore, we find force in the submission of Mr. Uddin that the incident took place under grave and sudden provocation from the victim and the accused/appellant had acted in a heat of passion, having lost his sense of self- control. We are, however, unable to agree with the submission of the learned counsel for the appellant that there was no intention to cause death in this case. The multiple injuries caused by a sharp weapon (knife) on the vital parts of the body would be sufficient to presume that the accused had assaulted the victim with the intention to cause death to her.
32. In the case of Indrajeet alias Sukhatha (supra) only two injuries were inflicted on the deceased by an implement which is normally used in carpentry and one of the two injuries was found to be sufficient to cause death. No motive for committing the murder could either be alleged or proved. It was under such facts and circumstances that the Apex Court has held that there was neither any intention to cause death nor knowledge that death would inevitably be caused on account of such injury. Accordingly, the conviction of the accused under section 302 was converted to one under Section 304 Part-II of the IPC.
33. Likewise, in the case of Mavila Thamban Nambiar (supra) death was caused due to the single injury caused on the chest with a pair of scissor. Taking note of the facts and circumstances of that case, the Supreme Court had held that it would be Page No.# 18/18 reasonable to infer that the accused had the knowledge that the injury might result into death but the intention to cause death cannot be inflicted upon him.
34. Coming to the case in hand, as noted above, the motive to assault the victim has been established and the multiple stab injuries on the vital parts of the body of the victim leaves us convinced that the appellant did have the intention to cause death of the deceased. In view of the above, we are of the unhesitant opinion that the present would be a case coming within the ambit of Section 304 - Part-I of the IPC.
35. For the reasons stated herein above, we convert the conviction of the appellant/accused from Section 302 IPC to one under Section 304 - Part-I of the IPC and award him sentence of 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. The jail sentence of the accused/appellant would, however, stand adjusted against the sentence of imprisonment already served by the appellant. In so far as the conviction of the appellant under Section 451 IPC and the fine imposed by the learned trial court is concerned, the same would remain undisturbed.
The appeal is allowed to the extent indicated above.
Send back the LCR.
JUDGE JUDGE Comparing Assistant