CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 267-DB OF 2000 -1- IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH. DATE OF DECISION: March 20, 2009 Parties Name Surjit Singh alias Gogo ...APPELLANT. VERSUS State of Punjab ...RESPONDENT CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE JASBIR SINGH HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE JORA SINGH PRESENT: Mr. R.S.Cheema, Sr. Advocate, with Mr. J.S. Mehandiratta, Advocate, for the appellant. Mr. D.S. Brar, D.A.G., Punjab, None for the revision petitioner. JASBIR SINGH, J. JUDGMENT This order will dispose of Criminal Appeal No. 267-DB of 2000 and also Criminal Revision No. 1203 of 2000 involving common facts. For facility of dictating judgment, facts are being extracted from Criminal Appeal No. 267-DB of 2000. By filing this appeal, Surjit Singh alias Gogo has laid challenge to the judgment and order dated May 20, 2000, vide which he was convicted for commission of an offence under Section 302 read with Section 34 IPC and sentenced to undergo imprisonment for life . It was allegation against the appellant that on January 12, 1977, he along with Tarlochan Singh had committed murder of Hari Singh son of Kundan Singh. CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 267-DB OF 2000 -2- It is necessary to mention here that FIR No. 13 dated January 13, 1977, was registered against Tarlochan Singh and the appellant – accused. During investigation, the appellant – accused was not arrested and was declared a proclaimed offender. Trial continued against above named Tarlochan Singh, who was convicted and sentenced on August 19, 1977. As per information supplied, he has undergone his entire sentence. The appellant was arrested on February 13, 1999 and thereafter he was tried and convicted as found mentioned in earlier part of this order. Case of the prosecution, as noticed by the trial Court in para No. 2 of the judgment, reads thus: “The prosecution version, in short, in the supplementary challan is that the FIR in the instant case was registered on the basis of statement of the complainant Gurbachan Singh Sarpanch recorded on 13.1.,1977. According to the complainant, he is Sarpanch of village Panchayat Baddon. Mohan Singh father of Tarlochan Singh had opposed complainant Gurbachan Singh in the election for the post of Sarpanch. Tarlochan Singh son of Mohan Singh ( since convicted) was aggrieved against Gurbachan Singh complainant on this account because the complainant defeated Mohan Singh father of Tarlochan Singh accused ((since convicted). Sohan Singh and his sons Tarlochan Singh and Kuldip Singh were driving truck at Ganganagar, where they were required by the police in connection with the commission of some offence and Gurbachan Singh complainant used to accompany the police party in the investigation regarding CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 267-DB OF 2000 -3- which Tarlochan Singh was nursing grudge and during his every visit to the village, after taking liquor Tarlochan Singh used to resort to abuse of the village people and when the complainant tried to intervene, Tarlochan Singh started having a grudge against the complainant. On 12.1.1977 at about 9 PM complainant Gurbachan Singh along with his brothers, Hari Singh, who is employed in C.R.P.F. And Mehnga Singh, resident of the same village and Ujagar Singh son of Rulia Singh, resident of village Qadian P.S. Sadar, Jalandhar who had also come to his house in connection with Lohri celebration, were enjoying Lohri celebrations in their Poultry farm where an electric bulb was on. In the meanwhile Tarlochan Singh alias Teji son of Sohan Singh armed with a rifle along with Surjit Singh alias Gogo son of Joginder Singh, resident of the same village, who is the son/ friend of his paternal uncle, who was armed with a naked Kirpan came on the metalled road and started abusing by calling names of the complainant. When Hari Singh brother of complainant Gurbachan Singh tried to stop him from doing so and came a step ahead, Tarlochan Singh fired a shot from his rifle upon the right side of the chest of Hari Singh, as a result of which he fell down on the ground. Tarlochan Singh and Surjit Singh accused left the place with their respective weapons of offence. Out of fear none followed them. Hari Singh was bleeding profusely from his injuries. Inder Singh another brother of the complainant Gurbachan Singh arrived at the spot. They carried Hari Singh in a tractor CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 267-DB OF 2000 -4- trolley to the Primary Health Centre, Mahilpur. The doctor examined Hari Singh and opined that he had died. Doctor sent a ruqa to the police. ASI Dhanpat Rai arrived in the hospital and recorded the statement of complainant Gurbachan Singh and he signed the same in token of its correctness. The ASI prepared the inquest report and the dead body was thereafter sent to Hoshiarpur for postmortem examination.” After arrest of the appellant – accused on February 13, 1999, supplementary challan was put in Court against him for trial. The appellant was charge-sheeted for commission of an offence punishable under Section 302 read with Section 34 IPC. He pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. In order to prove his guilt, the prosecution produced in Court five witnesses and also brought on record documentary evidence to prove its case. On completion of prosecution evidence, statement of the appellant – accused was recorded under Section 313 Cr.P.C. Incriminating material was put to him. He denied the same, claimed innocence and false implication. In his statement, he has deposed as under: “I am innocent. I am a family man, I am gentle law abiding citizen having clean antecedents. I never indulged with any anti-social elements. In the month of December/ January, 1977, I was making efforts to go to abroad. Many times I had gone to travel agents and the offices to Delhi. This process went on in December, 1976/ January, 1977 and ultimately I had gone abroad on 21.2.1977 and came back in 1982. Again I went abroad and I used to come to India intermittently after few CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 267-DB OF 2000 -5- years. Nobody told me that I was wanted in a case. Now I have come to India on 8.2.1999. I was not absconding. I came to know about the case. So, I appeared before the police on 13.2.1999 voluntarily with Harvinder Singh and another. I have been falsely involved in this case being related to Tarlochan Singh. At no stage copies of the statements of Mehnga Singh or Ujagar Singh were supplied to me. Gurbachan Singh is alive and is residing in Canada and he has good and regular communication with his brothers Mahan Singh and Inder Singh and other relatives. He used to come to India of and on.” He also led evidence in defence. The trial Court on appraisal of evidence as led by both the parties found the appellant guilty and accordingly convicted and sentenced him as mentioned in earlier part of this order. Counsel for the appellant, Shri R. S. Cheema, Senior Advocate, has vehemently contended that the trial Court was not justified in convicting and awarding sentence to the appellant. Even as per case of the prosecution, except showing his presence at the spot, no active role was attributed to the appellant – accused in the occurrence, which resulted into murder of Hari Singh. Shri Cheema stated that there was no motive with the appellant to participate in the alleged crime, further that he was named only being closely related to the main accused Tarlochan Singh. At the relevant time, it was known in the village that the appellant will be going to a foreign country to earn his livelihood, to frustrate that he was named in this case. Counsel further states that even alleged weapon of offence was not recovered. He by making reference to rough site plan, which was prepared CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 267-DB OF 2000 -6- by the Investigating Officer immediately after the occurrence had taken place, argued that presence of the appellant was not shown in that document. He prayed that the appeal be allowed, impugned judgment and order convicting and sentencing the appellant be set aside and the appellant be acquitted of the charge framed against him. Prayer made by counsel for the appellant has vehemently been opposed by counsel for the State, who, by making reference to the statements made by the prosecution witnesses and documentary evidence on record, argued that the prosecution was successful in bringing home guilt to the appellant – accused and his conviction and sentence were perfectly justified. He further argued that in view of order passed in the previous trial of Tarlochan Singh co-accused on July 28, 1977, under Section 299 Cr.P.C., statement made by Gurcharan Singh, complainant, at whose instance FIR was recorded, was rightly read against the appellant – accused. Name of the appellant was mentioned in the FIR, recording of which was very prompt. He prayed that the appeal having no substance be dismissed. After hearing counsel for the parties, we feel that this appeal deserves to be allowed. Post-mortem on the dead body was conducted by Dr. Jatinder Kumar Bajaj (PW3), on January 13, 1977, at 2 PM. He found the following injuries on the person of the deceased: “ 1. Fire arm wounds 8 in number (wounds of entry) on size ½ inches diameter with blacken and inverted margins present in an area of 3 inches x 2 inches in the front of right chest over 5th, 6th and 7th rid area. These were half inch right lateral to mid sternal line. The distance in between these wounds varied to ½ inches to ¾ inches. Fire arm wounds half inch x ¾ inches with CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 267-DB OF 2000 -7- E-verted margins present on the back of right chest 8 inches below and in line with the inferior angle of scapula. It was 2 ½ inches from the midline. It was a wound exit. 3.6areas of discolouration of size varying from ½ inch x ½ inch to ½ inches. These were of bluish colour present on the back of chest right side in an area of 5 inches x 5 inches just below injury No. 2. On exploration 7 pellets were removed from this area of the deceased.” Injuries were found to be ante-mortem in nature and were sufficient to cause death in the ordinary course. All the three injuries were firm arm wounds. As per case of the prosecution, the appellant – accused was shown armed with a naked sword. Except his coming to the place of occurrence with the main accused Tarlochan Singh, no other overt act has been attributed to him. Even Gurbachan Singh (PW4), whose statement made in the earlier trial, was read against the appellant, has nowhere stated that even exhortation was raised by the appellant. Sword was not recovered. We have perused the rough site plan Ex. PK prepared by Dhanpat Rai (PW5), the Investigating Officer, immediately after the alleged occurrence. In the site plan Ex. PK, there is no mention of the presence of the appellant. The Investigating Officer has so admitted when deposing in Court. It has also come on record that the occurrence had taken place at about 9 PM. The deceased was shifted to the nearby hospital and thereafter FIR was recorded at 12. 40 AM on January 13, 1977. Special report reached the concerned Magistrate at about 9 AM on January 13, 1977. Sequence of events mentioned above clearly indicate that there was sufficient opportunity CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 267-DB OF 2000 -8- available with the complainant and the witnesses to introduce and increase number of the assailants. It appears that the appellant was added as an accused on account of his close relationship with Tarlochan Singh, who fired the fatal shot. As per prosecution story, there may be motive with Tarlochan Singh to cause injuries to the deceased, whereas there was no motive with the appellant to cause any injury to the deceased. None of the witnesses have stated that the appellant ever had any altercation, prior to the date of occurrence with the deceased. It was a day of Lohri, the people in the rural areas are always in high spirit on the said date, may be, with a view to give company and without knowing intention of the main accused, the appellant might have gone with him. There is no evidence that he had any common intention with Tarlochan Singh to commit murder of Hari Singh. As such liability cannot be fastened upon him by invoking the provisions of Section 34 IPC. In view of above, we allow this appeal set aside the impugned judgment and order and acquit the appellant of the charge framed against him. Widow of deceased Hari Singh, namely, Smt. Lajwanti has filed Criminal Revision No. 1203 of 2000 with a prayer to impose sentence of fine upon the respondent – accused. In view of findings given by us as above, revision petition also fails and the same is dismissed. (JASBIR SINGH) JUDGE (JORA SINGH) JUDGE March 20, 2009. DKC CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 267-DB OF 2000 -9-