HIGH COURT OF MADHYA PRADESH : JABALPUR Criminal Appeal No.227/1996 (1) Hariram, son of Dayanand Kirar, aged about 58 years, (2) Bhav Singh, son of Dayanand Kirar, aged about 48 years, (3) Bharatlal, son of Hariram Kirar, aged about 28 years. All residents of Village Bildhari, P.S. Tendukheda, Distt. Narsinghpur …Appellants vs. State of M.P., through SHO of P.S. Tendukheda, Distt. Narsinghpur …Respondent Shri S.C. Datt, Senior Counsel with Shri G.P. Patel, Advocate for the appellants. Shri Sudesh Verma, Govt. Adv. for the respondent/State. J U D G M E N T (12.12.2011) This appeal has been preferred against the judgment-dated 25.1.1996 passed by Additional Sessions Judge, Gadarwara Distt. Narsinghpur in S.T. No.20/1994, whereby the appellants, though charged with the offences under Sections 147, 302 and 323 or in the alternative 302 and 323 read with 149 of the IPC, were convicted and sentenced as under – No. & name of the appellant Convicted under Section Sentenced to 1. Hariram (hereinafter referred to as ‘A1’) 304 Part I of the IPC undergo R.I. for 10 years and fine of Rs.2000/- and in default, to suffer R.I. for 2 years. 2. Bhav Singh 3. Bharatlal (for short ‘A2’ & ‘A3’ respectively) 304 Part I read with 34 of the IPC undergo R.I. for 10 years and fine of Rs.2000/- and in default to suffer R.I. for 2 years. SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION PREFERRED AGAINST THE JUDGMENT AND REGISTERED AS SLP(CRI.) NO.6848/12 HAS BEEN DISMISSED BY THE APEX COURT ON 09.01.2012. For the reasons recorded in the judgment, all the three co- accused namely Damodar, son of A1 & brother of A3 and Jeevanlal and Pritam, both sons of A2 and nephews of A1, were acquitted of the charges. 2. Prosecution story, in short, may be narrated thus - (a) Agricultural lands belonging to the appellants and the complainant party were contiguously situated in village Bildhari. (b) On 25.11.1993 at about 9:00 a.m. in the Village, finding that the appellants and the co-accused, armed with lathies, were causing damage to embankment between the fields, Narayan Singh (since deceased) raised objection. In the course of altercation that ensued, the appellants and their companions jointly assaulted Narayan Singh and his brother Parvat Singh (PW2) with lathies. Sustaining injuries on head, Narayan Singh fell down and rendered unconscious. He was immediately taken to Police Station Tendukheda. Rajesh Tiwari (PW9), the SHO, registered a case under Sections 147, 148, 294, 307 and 447 of the IPC against the appellants and the co-accused (since acquitted) upon the FIR (Ex.P-3) lodged by Parvat Singh. (c) Both the injured viz. Narayan Singh and Parvat Singh were sent to PHC, Tendukheda where they were examined by Dr. Ashok Kumar Jain (PW8). The medical expert advised X-ray examination of skull of Narayan Singh. Radiologist Dr. S.K. Maheshwari (PW1) noticed fractures on left parietal & temporal bones of Narayan Singh. On the same day, at about 8:35 p.m., Narayan Singh succumbed to the injuries. Accordingly, the case was converted into one under Section 302 of the IPC. :: 2 :: Criminal Appeal No.227/1996 (d) After inquest proceedings, the dead body was sent for post-mortem examination. Dr. C.S. Shiv (PW5) opined that cause of Narayan Singh's death was coma due to sub-dural and extra-dural haemorrhage as a consequence of injury to the brain. According to him, the injury to the skull was sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death. (e) During investigation, Sub Inspector Rajesh Tiwari (PW9) inspected the spot and seized control & bloodstained soil therefrom. He also seized bloodstained clothes of the deceased. The appellants and co-accused were apprehended and at their instance, respective weapons of offence viz. lathies were recovered. 3. The appellants abjured the guilt and pleaded false implication due to prevailing enmity in view of dispute as to land. In the examination, under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, A1 and A2 specifically raised plea of private defence and also put written statements to the effect that it was the complainant party that was the aggressor. According to them, - (i) Narayan Singh did ask A1 as to why he was digging the embankment and upon answer that he was only cleaning the embankment from his side, Narayan Singh assaulted them and Parvat Singh had also joined in the assault. (ii) Had they not saved themselves, both Narayan Singh and Parvat Singh would have killed them. 4. Legality and propriety of the convictions have been challenged mainly on the following grounds - (i) Same set of evidence that was not found sufficient to substantiate the charges against the co-accused could not have formed basis of conviction of the ap- :: 3 :: Criminal Appeal No.227/1996 pellants, particularly A3 as there is not an iota of evi- dence to suggest that he had also shared a common intention to kill Narayan Singh. (ii) Existence of injuries on the persons of A1 and A2 clearly established probability of the defence. (iii) In the light of admission made by Autopsy Surgeon Dr. C.S. Shiv (PW5) (in paragraph-8 of his cross- examination) that the head injury received by Narayan Singh was likely to cause death, the appellants ought to have been found guilty of the offence under Part II of Section 304 of the IPC. In response, learned Government Advocate, while inviting attention to the corresponding incriminating pieces of ocular evidence and a categorical opinion recorded in the post-mortem report (Ex.P-5) as to nature of head injury, has submitted that the convictions are well-merited. 5. In order to appreciate the merits of the rival contentions in a proper perspective, it is necessary to first advert to the medical evidence available on record. 6. Dr. Ashok Kumar Jain (PW8) proved existence of the following injuries - o n the person of Narayan Singh (as described in the report [Ex.P-20]) (i) Contusion at left eye ball and left orbital region. (ii) Bleeding from left ear. (iii) Contusion at left temporal region 6 cm in diameter. on the person of Parvat Singh (as described in the report [Ex.P-22]) (i) Lacerated wound at right side of vault of scalp and left :: 4 :: Criminal Appeal No.227/1996 parietal part of scalp, size of both 2 cm x ½ cm x ½ cm (ii) Abrasion at right humerus 3 cm x 1 cm. (iii) Contusion at back of upper part of right forearm 6 cm x 2 cm. (iv) Abrasion at right shoulder 3 cm x 1 cm. on the person of Hariram (as described in the report [Ex.D-3]) Abrasion present at right ear pinna 1 cm x ½ cm. Black scab present over it. on the person of Bhav Singh (as described in the report [Ex.D-2]) (i) Healed abrasion present at left shoulder 3 cm x 2 cm. Hard scab present over it. (ii) Infected lacerated wound over left thumb 2 cm x 2 cm x ½ cm. Pus present over it. (iii) Tenderness over mid and front of left thigh, size of tendered area 4 cm in diameter. 7. Radiologist Dr. S.K. Maheshwari (PW1) testified that fractures were noticed on left parietal and temporal bones of Narayan Singh whereas Dr. C.S. Shiv (PW5), the Autopsy Surgeon, described the findings on internal examination of scalp of Narayan Singh in the following words - Scalp haematoma left, frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital bones, dark blackish in colour present, fracture of left frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital bones 9” long x ½” wide. Extended from 1” above the left supra-orbital ridge to occipital on back. Multiple bone pieces present. Bluish black in colour with extra-dural haematoma, left of scalp (underneath). Sub-dural haematoma (on section of membrane) left hemisphere of brain present. Brain congested and clotted haematoma present on the left hemisphere of brain. :: 5 :: Criminal Appeal No.227/1996 8. All this evidence clearly established that Narayan Singh’s death was homicidal in nature. 9. It is true that in his cross-examination, Autopsy Surgeon Dr. C.S. Shiv (PW5) agreed with the suggestion that the injury on Narayan Singh’s head was likely to cause death but he failed to explain as to why a different opinion suggesting that injury to the skull was sufficient to cause death in the ordinary course of nature, was tendered. A doctor is usually confronted with questions on different possibilities and probabilities of causing injuries and therefore, views expressed by him depend upon the manner questions were asked and the answers given by him to such questions need not be last word on such possibilities (See. Ram Swaroop v. State of Rajasthan AIR 2008 SC 1747). Further, as observed by the Supreme Court in Mayur Panabhai Shah v. State of Gujarat AIR 1983 SC 66, there is no irrebuttable presumption that a doctor is always a witness of truth. In this view of the matter, the admission made by Autopsy Surgeon as to nature of the head injury, not being in conformity with corresponding findings suggesting that extra-dural haematoma and sub-dural haematoma were noticed underneath the fractured frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital bones, was of no consequence. 10. Babulal, named in the FIR as intervener, was not examined by the prosecution and the eyewitness account given by Janki Bai (PW3) and Surat Singh (PW4), respectively wife and cousin of the deceased, was not found worthy of credence. However, Parvat Singh (PW2), the injured witness and younger brother of the deceased, vividly described as to how the objection raised by Narayan Singh against digging of embankment by the appellants and their companions had culminated into his death. As per his :: 6 :: Criminal Appeal No.227/1996 statement, during the altercation, A1 not only retorted by saying that he would even dig Narayan Singh but also struck a blow on Narayan Singh’s head whereas A2 hit at left eye of Narayan with a lathi. Nothing inconsistent with the version recorded in the FIR (Ex.P-3) by SHO Rajesh Tiwari (PW9) at his instance could be elicited in his cross-examination and the omissions regarding minute details of the roles played by each and every accused in the joint assault did not assume any significance as the FIR need not be an encyclopedia of the prosecution case. 11. Presence of Parvat Singh, the injured witness, on the spot could not be doubted. Moreover, the injuries received by A1 and A2 also confirmed their involvement in the incident leading to death of Narayan Singh. 12. In the light of the overwhelming evidence, learned trial Judge did not commit any illegality in holding that the injuries found on the persons of Narayan & Parvat Singh were authored by A1 and A2. 13. Adverting to the question of liability of A3, who is none other than the son of A1, it may be observed that there was nothing on record to suggest that he had also participated in the joint assault. Further, no injury was found on his body. However, learned trial Judge proceeded to infer sharing of a common intention on his part simply because it was he who had provided the cause of quarrel by digging the embankment. The reasoning was apparently fallacious as the "act" referred to in the later part of Section 34 means the ultimate criminal act with which the accused is charged of sharing the common intention. Although, section 34 is applicable even if no injury has been caused by the particular accused himself (see. Pulla Reddy v. State of A.P. AIR 1993 SC 1899 yet, as explained by a :: 7 :: Criminal Appeal No.227/1996 three-Judge Bench of the Supreme Court in Suresh v. State of U. P. (2001) 3 SCC 673 - “a common intention presupposes prior concert, which requires a prearranged plan of the accused par- ticipating in an offence. Such preconcert or preplanning may develop on the spot or during the course of com- mission of the offence but the crucial test is that such plan must precede the act constituting an offence. Com- mon intention can be formed previously or in the course of occurrence and on the spur of the moment. The exis- tence of a common intention is a question of fact in each case to be proved mainly as a matter of inference from the circumstances of the case.” It may be that when some persons start with a pre-arranged plan to commit a minor offence, they may in the course of their committing the minor offence come to an understanding to commit the major offence as well. Such an understanding may appear from the conduct of the persons sought to be made vicariously liable for the act of the principal culprit or from some other incriminatory evidence but the conduct or other evidence must be such as not to leave any room for doubt in that behalf (Dharam Pal v. State of Haryana AIR 1978 SC 1492 referred to). 14. In the light of aforesaid facts and circumstances of the case and the well settled position of law on the subject, it was not safe to convict A3 by taking recourse to Section 34 of the IPC. Like the acquitted co-accused, he was also entitled to benefit of doubt. 15. The only question that remains to be considered is as to whether learned trial Judge committed any error in convicting A1 and A2 for the offence under Section 304 Part I of the IPC. 16. Learned Senior Counsel has strenuously contended that in view of admission made by medical expert as well as the :: 8 :: Criminal Appeal No.227/1996 observation made by learned trial Judge in Para 77 of the judgment, the conviction of A1 and A2 for the offence under Section 304 Part I of the IPC was not justified. However, a bare perusal of the paragraph would reveal that learned Judge had only misquoted the ratio laid down by the Supreme Court in Jayaraj v. State of Tamil Nadu AIR 1976 SC 1519. As explained in Jayaraj’s case - “The first clause of Section 300 reproduces the first part of Section 299. Therefore, ordinarily if the case comes within clause (a) of Section 299, it would amount to murder. However, if one of the special exceptions in Section 300 applies, the offence would be culpable homicide not amounting to murder. If the act of the accused falls under clause (b) of Section 299, that is to say, if the intended bodily injury is likely to cause death as distinguished from one which is sufficient to cause death in the ordinary course of nature, clause Thirdly of Section 300 would not apply. 17. Coming to the facts of the case, it may be seen that Narayan Singh had died within 12 hours after sustaining the head injury. Corresponding findings of the Autopsy Surgeon clearly suggested that the blow on Narayan Singh’s head was struck with great force. Post-mortem report also indicated that skull injury was sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death. Further, in the examination, under Section 313 of the Code, existence of prevailing animosity arising out of land dispute was clearly admitted by A1 and A2. On similar facts, the Apex Court in Baij Nath v. State of Uttar Pradesh AIR 2009 SC 426, proceeded to uphold the conviction under Section 304 Part I of the IPC. 18. For these reasons, none of the contentions raised against legality and propriety of the conviction of A1 and A2 has any merit or substance. As informed by learned Govt. Advocate, A1 has already suffered the impugned custodial sentence. :: 9 :: Criminal Appeal No.227/1996 19. This brings me to the question of sentence awarded to A2. Considering the nature of respective allegations found proved and other facts and circumstances of the case including that a period of more than 18 years has already elapsed after the incident in question, interests of justice would be met if the term of custodial sentence is reduced to 7 years (See. Baij Nath’s case (supra). 20. Consequently, the appeal is allowed in part. In the result, - (i) Conviction of A1 Hariram under Section 304 Part I of the IPC and the consequent sentences are hereby affirmed. (ii) Conviction of A2 Bhav Singh under Section 304 Part I read with 34 of the IPC and consequent sentence of fine are hereby affirmed but the term of sentence of imprisonment is reduced from 10 years to 7 years. (iii) Conviction of A3 Bharatlal under Section 304 Part I read with 34 of the IPC and the consequent sentences are hereby set aside. Instead, he is acquitted of the offence. Fine amount, if deposited, be refunded. His bail bonds shall stand discharged. 21. A2 Bhav Singh is on bail. He is directed to surrender to his bail bonds before the trial Court on 21.2.2012 for being committed to custody for undergoing remaining part of sentence. Appeal partly allowed. (R.C. Mishra) JUDGE 12.12.2011 :: 10 :: Criminal Appeal No.227/1996