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In his cross-examination, P.W.1 stated as follows: They reached Rayadurg Government Hospital at 9.00 PM. The duty doctor did not give any intimation to the police about the admission of the injured. After reaching the Government Hospital by ambulance, P.W.1 accompanied the injured into the hospital while the other persons who accompanied them stayed outside the hospital. The doctor did not obtain any signature from him after declaring that his son was brought dead. He alone went to the police station by leaving the dead body at the hospital. He admitted that there was a Circle Office Police Station abutting the Government Hospital. He stated that he got Ex.P1 drafted through an unknown person who was not a resident of his village. He studied up to fourth class but could not read and write but could sign. Meti Eswar (L.W.3) is also an illiterate. P.W.6 is a literate. P.W.1 was alone present when Ex.P1 was drafted. After preparing Ex.P1, he did not visit the Circle Office or the Police Station at Rayadurg to inform them about the incident but went to D.Hirehal Police Station and presented the report there. He said that he went to D.Hirehal Police Station on his own TVS 50 Moped from the hospital. It took about one hour time to reach D.Hirehal. He stayed in the police station for about twenty minutes. The police did not accompany him back to the Government Hospital, Rayadurg. He stayed in the hospital on that night. The police did not visit the hospital on that night. Meti Eswar (L.W.3), P.Ws.2, 3 and 6 also stayed at the Government Hospital, Rayadurg, throughout the night. He did not inform Meti Eswar (L.W.3), P.Ws.2, 3 and 6 about getting the report prepared and about his visit to D.Hirehal Police Station. The distance between Dodagatta and Gudesalapalli is about four kilometres. The house of P.W.3 is at a distance of 100 feet from his house, i.e., after five or six houses towards the South. The house of P.W.2 is situated near the house of P.W.3 and was separated by a road, i.e., adjacent to the road on the South. The house of P.W.6 is situated at a distance of half a kilometre on the road leading to Gudesalapalli. On the eastern side, in the house of P.W.3, there was a petty shop. There was another entrance on the South to the house of P.W.3. P.W. 3 and his wife both looked after the petty shop. For the house where the shop was there, there were two door ways. The shop was located at the front yard of the house on the East and would be kept open from morning to evening till 7.00 PM. In front of the shop and the house, there were no pials. P.W.1 stated that he did not know for what purpose the deceased went to Gudesalapalli. He said that the auto-rickshaw was standing in his name but he had not given any record to the police showing its ownership. He said that he did not know whether the deceased had a driving licence to drive the auto-rickshaw. After returning from Gudesalapalli, he said that his son narrated the incident to him for about 15 minutes and 20 to 25 minutes thereafter, the accused came to their house. There was no wordy quarrel between the accused and the deceased or himself. The accused stayed at their house for about ten minutes. Prior to the visit of the accused to their house, the deceased had already finished his bath. P.W.1 again said that the deceased took his bath after the accused went away from their house. He said that the deceased completed his bath and dressed within ten minutes. The deceased did not take any food or drink, like water or any other liquid. The deceased took his food and left the house at 5.00 PM. The deceased returned to the house and his dress was with colours and the auto-rickshaw was also stained with colours. He said that he did not show the clothes which were stained with colours but showed the auto-rickshaw to the police. Dodagatta Village was a bigger village than Gudesalapalli. He said that he did not observe whether the villagers of Dodagatta engaged in sprinkling of water on the next day of Ugadi. He denied the suggestion that coloured water sprinkling was only on Holi festival and not on Ugadi festival. He said that he did not warn the deceased not to leave the house after the accused threatened him, thinking that nothing would happen. He said that he went to the shop of P.W.3 thinking that the deceased would be available there. Generally, in the evenings the deceased used to sit at the shop of P.W.3 and chitchat with his friends. The first time, when he saw the deceased at the shop of P.W.3, he was sitting in front of the steps of the southern door. When he was at a distance of ten feet, he found a wordy quarrel going on between the deceased and the accused. P.Ws.2 and 6 were simply watching. They did not interfere. P.Ws.2 and 6 were the friends of the deceased. P.W.1 said that he did not indulge in a quarrel with the accused. He said that when he was coming towards the deceased and was at a distance within ten feet, the accused hacked the deceased. He said that he was coming from the western direction when the deceased was hacked. After hacking the deceased, the accused ran towards the eastern side. He did not run in the opposite direction of P.W.1. After hacking of the deceased, P.W.1 said that he did not observe as to where the deceased fell down because he ran behind the accused. There was bleeding even when he returned back to the deceased but he was alive. Even at the time of shifting him into the auto-rickshaw, there was profuse bleeding. He and his son, Meti Eswar (L.W.3), got blood-stains on their clothes. They travelled about ten kilometres by auto-rickshaw from the village. He drove the auto-rickshaw while the others were sitting in the back seat. A lot of blood had fallen on the back seat and at the foot space. He showed the blood stains in the auto-rickshaw to the police. He was facing towards the North when his son was hacked. Rayadurg is at a distance of 20 kilometres from their village. From the beginning, he knew that their village was in the limits of D.Hirehal Police Station. He did not know whether there was a Government Hospital in D.Hirehal. He did not know whether persons, by name, Boya Mallikarjuna and Boya Eswaraiah, were residing in their village and stated that he did not know them. He denied the suggestion that the deceased had enmity with the said two persons and there was a quarrel between them about ten days prior to the incident. He said that he reached the police station and after giving the report, he reached the hospital in one hour. He travelled on his moped from the police station to the hospital for about one hour. He denied the suggestion that the deceased did not sustain injuries at the house of P.W.3 and that he gave a false compliant and was deposing falsely to extract money from the accused. He said that he did not note any special features of the axe at the time of the incident and admitted that such type of axes were available in every agricultural family. After giving Ex.P1-report, he did not see M.O.1-axe. He said that the police recovered M.Os.2 to 5 from the body of the deceased at the mortuary but did not obtain his signature. He denied the suggestion that M.Os.2 to 5 did not belong to his son.

In his cross-examination, P.W.3 stated as follows: His house consists of two joint portions (antu-middelu). There were four doorways on the eastern side of his house. The inner measurement of his shop room was east-west five and a half feet. Adjacent to the West of the shop room, there was a bathroom. A person standing in front of his house cannot see the southern door of his house and what is happening there. He and his wife looked after the shop business. They closed the shop doors at 8.00 PM but kept open the main door entrance of their house. They kept open the southern door as their daughter used to sit facing that door to read. Their daughter was aged 12 years. At the time of the incident, his wife and his daughter were in the shop. He was in the hall in the house, sitting idle. The deceased, P.W.2 and P.W.6 were sitting side by side and talking. The accused came there and hacked the deceased while the three of them were sitting. He was in the hall at that time. The three persons were sitting in front of his house. When the accused hacked a blow on the head of the deceased, the deceased leaned towards the right side on P.W.6. P.W.6 did not hold the deceased. He said that P.W.6 and P.W.2 did not try to catch hold of the accused. P.W.1 came there two minutes after the hacking. He came running. By the time P.W.1 came there, the deceased had fallen on the house door entrance, i.e., head and body portion inside the house with the lower limbs outside. P.W.1 did not touch the deceased to ascertain whether he was dead or alive. P.W.3 said that he caught hold of the head to verify whether the deceased was alive or dead while P.W.2 and the others ran behind the accused. There was bleeding through the injuries on the head. P.W.3 stated that his clothes were not stained with blood but his hands were stained with blood. He said that he did not show his hands to the police. He further stated that the clothes of P.Ws.1, 2 and 6 were stained with blood. There were blood stains inside the auto-rickshaw. Blood had fallen at the place where the deceased was hacked. He said that he did not show the blood stains to the police. He denied the suggestion that he did not inform the police that the deceased, P.W.2 and P.W.6 were talking together at the southern door entrance; that the incident occurred there and that the deceased fell back into his house at that door and was struggling. P.W.1 came from the western side whereas the accused ran towards the eastern side. P.W.1 was running from the southern side of his house when P.W.3 first saw him and P.W.1 was at a distance of eight feet. P.W.3 stated that he was in the hall of his house when the deceased was hacked and he reached the deceased after he fell into his house. He said that till the body of the deceased was removed from the house, he stayed in the house. He said that his wife and his daughter stayed in the shop and they did not come to the spot after the incident. He said that he saw P.W.2 and P.W.6 even prior to shifting of the injured from his house. He said that he did not state before the police that P.W.1 brought the auto-rickshaw from his house. The auto-rickshaw stopped near the house of P.W.1 on the road for five minutes and P.W.3 stated that he washed his hands and caught it. He said that he did not say before the police that the auto-rickshaw was stopped near P.W.1's house and that he washed his hands and caught it. He said that no other villagers were present near his house or in his house. The distance between Rayadurg and Dodagatta is about 20 kilometres. There is a Government Hospital at D.Hirehal. They knew that their village was within the limits of D.Hirehal Police Station. The injured was alive till they reached the hospital. P.W.1 did not inform them about his going to D.Hirehal Police Station for giving a report. He, P.Ws.2 and 6 did not go inside the hospital to see the dead body after information was given by P.W.1. They saw the dead body in the hospital in between 9.00 and 9.30 PM. At that time, the police were not present near the dead body. They did not inform the doctor about the incident or their identity. The Circle Office and the police station were far away from the hospital. They knew that Dodagatta Police Circle is at Rayadurg. He, P.W.2, P.W.6 and P.W.1 did not try to report the matter in the Police Circle Office at Rayadurg. P.W.3 stated that they did not advise P.W.1 to give a report at the Circle Office, Rayadurg. He said that throughout the night they stayed at the hospital in grief. He said that generally in the months of March to May in every year, there would be a power cut in the village. He denied the suggestion that power cut would be more in the month of April. He also denied the suggestion that there would be a power cut from 6.00 PM to 9.00 PM in Dodagatta Village. He denied the suggestion that he had not stated before the police that the accused had hacked on the right and left side of the head and on the right thumb and palm of the deceased. He denied the suggestion that he had not stated before the police that he went to the hospital along with the deceased. He denied the suggestion that he had stated before the police as in Ex.D2 portion of his Section 161 CrPC Statement. He said that the Sub-Inspector of Police or Circle Inspector of Police did not visit the hospital and did not examine them. On 08.04.2008, no police examined him. P.W.1 was his close friend. He denied the suggestion that no incident took place near his house and that he was deposing falsehoods at the instance of P.W.1.

In his cross-examination, P.W.6 stated as under: The distance between his house and the house of P.W.3 is about half a kilometre on the same road towards the East. The house of P.W.1 was situated to the North of P.W.3's house. P.W.3's house is at a distance of 200 feet. The shop of P.W.3 was located on the front side of his house. Adjacent to the shop, there was another door on the front side. The shop and adjacent door were the front portions of the house. P.W.1 was close to him. P.W.3 was also close to him. Generally, they used to go there everyday. When he and P.W.2 were talking, the wife of P.W.3 was present in the shop. She was transacting business at that time when the deceased came there and was talking to them. The customers were coming and going to the shop. When the hacking took place, the wife of P.W.3 was doing business in the shop. Customers were also present in the shop. P.W.3 has no children. P.W.6 said that he did not know whether there was a big galata in connection with an incident involving Meti Eswar (L.W.3), who allegedly outraged the modesty of a girl by name Nagamani, daughter of Mallikarjuna, and in this connection, a galata took place between the deceased and the said Mallikarjuna. P.W.6 stated that when the accused came, P.W.2, the deceased and he were talking to each other by sitting side by side with a gap of half foot. The accused came to the spot in the usual way but not holding his arms at the back. There was a wordy quarrel between the deceased and the accused for about two minutes. P.W.6 stated that he and P.W.2 never tried to interfere and separate the accused and the deceased. When the accused hacked for the first time, they immediately got up. He said that they tried to catch hold of the accused but did not try to push him aside. When the accused hacked for the first time, the deceased was sitting. P.W.6 said that he tried to catch hold of the accused from the side but did not go in between. When the accused hacked for the first time, P.W.6 stated that he and P.W.2 were at a distance of 3 feet from the accused. He said that the accused was at an arm's distance but they did not try to catch him as he was having an axe in his hand. When the deceased received the second injury, the accused was at a distance of 3 feet from them. The deceased was sitting even when he was hacked the third time. He and P.W.2 were in standing position. He and P.W.2 stood up when the accused hacked the deceased the first time. He said that they did not observe the axe carried by the accused. He said that blood had fallen on their clothes. He said that when they first saw P.W.1, they were sitting. When they first saw P.W.1, the deceased had received injuries. He said that P.W.1 came to the spot from the opposite direction of the accused. By the time they saw P.W.3, the accused ran away. P.W.1 did not try to rescue the deceased. P.W.6 however stated that he had informed the police that P.W.1 tried to rescue the deceased. Small blood drops had fallen at the place where the deceased was sitting. He denied the suggestion that he had not stated before the police that they were sitting on the steps in front of the shop. The deceased fell to his back and the head portion was at a distance of one and half feet from where he was sitting. They reached the hospital between 8.00 and 8.30 PM. Rayadurg is at a distance of 20 KMs. from Dodagatta Village. At about 7.45 PM, they shifted the deceased from the auto-rickshaw into the ambulance. It took them five minutes to shift him into the auto-rickshaw at the scene of the offence. From the scene of the offence, they reached P.W.1's house and stopped there for about two minutes. Thereafter, they did not stop the auto-rickshaw anywhere till the ambulance came. They travelled by auto-rickshaw for about 9 KMs. From the spot where they shifted the deceased into the ambulance, there was a road to reach D.Hirehal. He knew that their village was in the limits of the D.Hirehal Police Station. He knew that there was a Government Hospital in D.Hirehal. They did not telephone to D.Hirehal police from the scene of offence or from the place where the deceased was shifted into the ambulance. He stated that he could not say whether the deceased was alive or dead till he was admitted in the hospital. He admitted that he and P.W.3 were literate. He said that he did not know whether P.W.2 was literate or not because he studied up to fifth class only. He said that he did not advise P.W.1 to give a report in the Circle Office at Rayadurg when he informed him that the deceased died. He said that at about 8.20 PM, P.W.1 informed them that the deceased died. He said that P.W.2 and he did not try to give information to the police after the incident. He said that the police came to the hospital on the next day and they did not inform to anybody about the incident. He said that he did not know at what time P.W.1 went to the police station and whether he went to the police station or not. He said that till the police came to the hospital on the next day, he did not know where P.W.1 had gone and what happened to the dead body, but it was in the hospital. After being informed of the death of the deceased by P.W.1, he said that he went into the hospital and saw the dead body and returned back. He said that throughout that night, P.W.2, P.W.3 and he stayed outside the hospital, i.e., in the veranda. During that time, no police visited the hospital to see the dead body. He saw P.W.1 during that night at about 1.30 AM at the hospital. He did not advise P.W.1 to give a report in the Circle Office or in the Police Station at Rayadurg. P.W.2 and P.W.3 also did not advise him. P.W.1 did not inform them that he gave a report to the police. From Kalyam Circle, D.Hirehal is situated at a distance of 26 to 30 kilometres. D.Hirehal Police came and recorded his statement in writing. They also examined P.Ws.1 to 3 and recorded their statements. He said that he did not know whether the police obtained their signatures or not, but again added that the police took their signatures. He denied that he had stated before the police that he came to know through P.W.1 about shifting of the deceased into an ambulance and that the doctor declared him dead whereupon P.W.1 gave a report in D.Hirehal Police Station, as set out in Ex.D3 portion of his Section 161 CrPC statement. He denied the suggestion that no incident occurred at the house of P.W.3 and that the accused had no connection with the death of the deceased and that he was deposing falsehoods at the instance of P.W.1 and P.W.3.

P.W.6's evidence is even more damaging to the case of the prosecution. According to him, when the accused hacked the deceased, P.W.1 was at a distance of 10 feet. At that stage, he said that P.W.1, P.W.2 and he tried to catch hold of the accused but he ran towards the tank of the village with the axe. The deceased, according to him, fell on his back at the door entrance of P.W.3. In his cross-examination, he said that when the accused came, P.W.2, the deceased and he were talking to each other sitting side by side with a gap of half foot. He stated that while there was an altercation between the accused and the deceased for about two minutes, neither he nor P.W.2 tried to interfere or separate the accused and the deceased. When the accused hacked the deceased the first time, he claimed that he immediately got up. He further stated that the deceased was sitting when the accused hacked him the first time. He further claimed that the deceased was still sitting till he was hacked the third time while he and P.W.2 were in a standing position. Significantly, neither P.W.1 nor P.W.3 stated so. He also admitted that blood fell on all their clothes. He then contradicted himself by saying that when they first saw P.W.1 they were sitting, but by that time itself the deceased had received injuries. If they stood up as soon as the accused hacked the deceased the first time, there is no explanation as to how they could be sitting when they saw P.W.1. According to him, P.W.1 came to the spot from the opposite direction of the accused. Further, P.W.6 claimed that P.W.3 was close to him but he did not even know that P.W.3 had a daughter and claimed that he had no children.