Criminal Appeal No 323 of 1978
1098 From the Judgment and Order dated 931976 of the Orissa High Court in Criminal Appeal No 1 of 1974
NK Agarwal for the Appellant
Ms Mona Mehta and RK Mehta for the Respondent
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by OZA J
This appeal has been filed after obtaining leave from this Court by the appellant against his conviction under Section 302 and sentence of imprisonment for life awarded by Sessions Judge Mayurbharj Kenjhar Baripada by his order dated 8th December 1973 and maintained by High Court of Orissa by its judgment dated 9th March 1976
The prosecution case in short was that the deceased Bhatal Majhi had some land dispute with Jitrai Majhi and his brothers
It is alleged that Jitrai Majhi did away with the deceased through the instrumentality of the present appel lant
The incident is alleged to be at the night intervening between 13th and 14th December 1968
Bhatal Majhi was found dead in the morning of 14th December 1968 by the road side near a weekly market known as Joka Hata with his throat cut
Bishnu Majhi the brother in law of the deceased PW 1 identified the dead body and lodged the information to Bangriposi Police Station the same day Ext
The assailant was reported to be unknown
PW 10 the Second Officer attached to the said Police Station investigated into the case held an inquest des patched the dead body for post morten examination seized certain incriminating articles and finally arrested the appellant on 151268 at 11 am The same day 3 am he arrested accused Jitrai Majhi
The weapon of offence a razor MO IV was produced by accused Jitrai Majhi which was seized under Ext
5 Investigating Officer PW 10 forwarded both the accused Jitrai Majhi and Kansa Behera present appellant in custody to Court the appellant escaped as the lock up was defective and hecould not be traced
Finally a charge sheet was submitted against both Jitrai and Kansa indicating the appellant as absconder
Jitrai was discharged by the Sub Divisional Magistrate Baripada vide his order dated 2721970 for want of prima facie case as against him
So the case as against him needs no consideration
Later after the apprehension of the appellant on 22872 he was committed to the Court of Sessions on 286
1099 The prosecution examined 10 witnesses and nobody was examined in defence
There is no eye witness of the inci dent
The learned courts below convicted the appellant on the basis of circumstantial evidence
The circumstances established against the appellant are i that he was last seen with the deceased on the evening of 13th Dec 1968 when it is alleged that he and deceased took liquor together ii that a dhoti and shirt were recovered from the possession of the appellant when he was arrested on 151268 and these articles were found to be stained with human blood and iii that PWs 7 and 8 have deposed to about an extra judicial confession made by this appellant when he was ultimately arrested after absconding in Bihar
So far as the first circumstance that the appellant was seen with the deceased on the evening preceding the night when the deceased is alleged to have been killed is not in dispute
This fact has been established by the evidence of PWs 3 and 4 and the appellant himself in his statement also admitted that he was there although his case was that the deceased throat was cut by Jitrai Majhi who also was an accused and was discharged on the basis of police papers by the Sub  Divisional Magistrate
It is clear that only on the basis of this circumstances the appellant could not have been convicted and as this circumstance is not in dispute in our opinion it is not necessary to go into this ques tion
Learned counsel appearing for the appellant contended that the circumstances appearing in evidence indicate that the deceased and Jitrai Mejhi had some trouble about land
It is alleged that the deceased land was pledged with Jitrai and the possession of the land was given to him
When the deceased offered him to repay the loan so that he may get back his land it is alleged that Jitrai refused to give possession on the plea that the land was purchased by him
Ultimately it is alleged that the deceased took forcible possession of the land from Jitrai and therefore Jitrai bore a grudge against the deceased
It was also contended that the razor the alleged instrument of offence was recovered at the instance of Jitrai when he was arrested and that was also found stained with blood
It was contended by learned counsel that in fact the appellant s case is that it was Jitrai who cut the throat of the deceased and this also is born out from a circumstance that next morning the appellant went to the wife of the deceased and informed her that their husband was lying dead at the place of occurrence
It was also contended by learned counsel that the two witnesses who deposed about the dying declaration are PWs 7 and 8 but in fact 1100 PW 8 in cross examination has gone back on that statement
It contended that even otherwise the dying declaration is a weak piece of evidence
As regards the recovery of a shirt and dhoti which are alleged to be stained with human blood it was contended that there is no clear evidence to indicate that the appel lant was wearing dhoti at the time of the incident
As regards shirt it was Contended that although the serologist report indicate that it is stained with human blood but blood grouping is not there
In this view of the matter the presence of some stains of human blood after sometime could not be a circumstance on the basis of which any conclusive inference could be drawn
It was therefore contended that in view of these circumstances it could not be held that the circumstances point to the only conclusion of the guilt of the appellant
It is significant that the wife of the deceased who has been examined as a witness deposed that next morning the appellant went to her and told her that her husband was lying dead but she did not believe him and later Phudan Majhi came and told her that her husband was ill and wanted her to accompany him without taking food and she stated that she went alongwith him and found her husband lying dead with his throat cut
It is interesting that this Phudan Majhi who came and told her a false story has not been examined
The three circumstances on the basis of which the appel lant has been convicted have to be considered
The last one ie
the extra judicial confession is proved by PWs 7 and 8
A perusal of the evidence of PW 8 discloses that this witness in cross examination went back and denied any con fession having been made by the appellant
The other witness is PW 7 who no doubt has spoken about an extra judicial confession made by the appellant
This is after a long lapse of time as admittedly this appellant absconded after his arrest on 151268 and was later arrested on 22872 and this extra judicial confession therefore appears to have been made after a long lapse of time
The circumstances in which this appellant was apprehended and this statement is alleged to have been made also is rather interesting
In Bihar this appellant was apprehended for having committed theft and that he was produced before the Mukhiya of the Village PW 7 and the Mukhia wanted him to be handed over to the police
That it is alleged that the appellant said that I am wanted in connection with a murder case and I am hiding from the police and therefore requested not to be handed over to the police and in this background it is alleged that he made a statement that he has killed one Bhatal Majhi
1101 Such an extra judicial confession for proving which two witnesses were produced
One of these witnesses has gone back on that statement and this statement is alleged to have been made after a long lapse of time in our opinion is a piece of evidence on which no reliance could be placed and under these circumstances in our opinion this piece of evidence has to be left out of consideration
As regards the recovery of a shirt or a dhoti with blood stains which according to the serologist report were stained with human blood but there is no evidence in the report of the serologist about the group of the blood and therefore it could not positively be connected with the deceased
In the evidence of the Investigating Officer or in the report it is not clearly mentioned as to what were the dimensions of the stains of blood
Few small blood stains on the cloths of a person may even be of his own blood especially if it is a villager putting on these clothes and living in villages
The evidence about the blood group is only conclusive to connect the blood stains with the deceased
That evidence is absent and in this view of the matter in our opinion even this is not a circumstance on the basis of which any infer ence could be drawn
So far as the appellant being with the deceased in the evening is concerned it is not in dispute
But it is also significant that the instrument of the offence was recovered at the instance of one Jitrai Majhi who has been discharged and under these circumstances therefore the evidence about the appellant having been seen in the evening with the deceased also is of no consequence
It is a settled rule of circumstantial evidence that each one of the circumstances have to be established beyond doubt and all the circum stances put together must lead to the only one inference and that is of the guilt of the accused
As discussed above the only circumstance which could be said to have been estab lished is of his being with the deceased in the evening and on that circumstance alone the inference of guilt could not be drawn especially in the circumstances of the case where one another accused person from whom an instrument of of fence was recovered who had a grudge against the deceased has been let off
In the light of the discussions above therefore in our opinion the courts below were wrong in convicting the appellant on these facts
The appeal is therefore allowed the conviction and sentence passed against the appellant are set aside
It is reported that he is in custody
He shall be set at liberty forthwith
NPV Appeal allowed


Summary:
The prosecution alleged that the deceased had some land dispute with one of the accused and his two brothers that the deceased was done away through the instrumentality of the appellant and that his body with the throat cut was found by the road side
The brother in law of the deceased identified the dead body and lodged information with the police
After investigation the appellant and the other accused were arrested
The weapon of offence was produced by the other accused
Both the accused were remanded to judi cial custody for the alleged murder of the deceased
The appellant escaped and was declared as absconder
The other accused was discharged for want of prima facie case against him
After a long lapse of time the appellant was apprehend ed and was committed to sessions
On the basis of circum stantial evidence that the appellant was seen with the deceased on the evening preceding the day on which the deceased was found dead that a dhoti and shirt stained with human blood were recovered from his possession when he was arrested and that an extra judicial confession was made by him when he was arrested after absconding he was con victed under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and sen tenced to imprisonment for life
The High Court having confirmed the conviction and sentence the appellant ap pealed to this Court
Allowing the appeal by special leave 1097 HELD 1
It is a settled rule of circumstantial evidence that each one of the circumstances has to be established beyond doubt and all the circumstances put together must lead to the only inference and that is of the guilt of the accused
1101E 21a It is not in dispute that the appellant was seen with the deceased on the evening preceding the night when the deceased is alleged to have been killed
This fact has been established by the evidence of PWs 3 and 4 and the appellant himself has admitted it even though his caSe Was that the throat of the deceased was cut by the other ac cused
Even the wife of the deceased has deposed that the appellant had told her that her husband was lying dead
It is clear that only on the basis of this circumstance the appellant could not have been convicted
1099C D 21b As regards recovery of a shirt and dhoti with blood stains there is no evidence in the report of the Serologist about the blood group and therefore the evi dence could not positively be connected with the deceased
The evidence of blood group is only conclusive to connect the blood stains with the deceased
In the absence of such evidence this could not be a circumstance on the basis of which any inference could be drawn
110lB D 21c Regarding the extra judicial confession by the appellant made after a long lapse of time no reliance could be placed on it especially in view of the circum stances in which the appellant was apprehended and the statement made and also because of the denial by one of the two witnesses that the appellant had made by confession
1100F 1101A 22 The only circumstances which could be said to have been established is of the appellant being with the deceased in the evening and on that circumstance alone the inference of guilt could not be drawn especially in the circumstances of the case where another accused person from whom an in strument of offence was recovered and who had a grudge against the deceased had been let off
1101F 3
The conviction and sentence passed against the appel lant are set aside
1101G