Case: Gopal Singh &amp; Another Vs. State of Madhya Pradesh &amp; Another

the dying declaration, was a reasonable conclusion which, in an appeal against acquittal, was not liable to be set aside.7. We have already referred to the fact that the learned Sessions Judge was not prepared to accept the evidence of Umraodas, P.W. 1 and Chhotulal, P.W. 7, that deceased Modsingh had named the appellants as assailants when they met him in the morning at 8.00 a.m. on the road side. Detailed reasons have been given by the learned Sessions Judge why he considered their evidence unsatisfactory. The High Court, however, in one sentence expressed its opinion that the evidence of these two witnesses, amongst others, corroborated the dying declaration in respect of the identity of the appellants without giving any reasons why it differed on the point from the learned Sessions Judge. It is obvious that the High Court was so well satisfied by the written dying declaration as establishing the identity of the appellants that it ignored to consider the evidence of Umraodas, P.W. 1 and Chhotulal, P.W. 7 independently to see how far they were reliable. In an appeal against acquittal we think the High Court ought to have expressed itself more fully why it considered the learned Sessions Judges conclusion was unreasonable. In our opinion that conclusion is unexceptionable.8. But even if we assume that the High Court was right in concluding that the dying declaration established the identity of the appellants, it was certainly not of that character as would warrant its acceptance without corroboration. It is settled law that a court is entitled to convict on the sole basis of a dying declaration if it is such that in the circumstances of the case it can be regarded as truthful. On the other hand if on account of an infirmity, it cannot be held to be entirely reliable, corroboration would be required. See Khushal Rao v. The State of Bombay. (1958 SCR 552.) In this case, it must be first remembered that though the names of the appellants fathers were known to Modsingh and others who accompanied him to the Police Station, their fathers names and present residence have not been mentioned. It is rather unusual for Police Officers not to enquire and record in the first information the full name and address of the persons complained against. Secondly, the assault had taken place in a jungle on a dark night which may cause mistaken identity. Thirdly, neither Modsingh nor any of his relations had given any cause to the appellants, personally, to plan and execute a murderous attack on him. Fourthly, there were other persons bearing the appellants names in the same village and admittedly they were on inimical terms with the deceased. Fifthly, the deceased had named Hatesingh also as one of the assailants although it has now turned out in the evidence of Umraodas, P.W. 1 that the deceased and Hatesingh had cordial relations with each other. In these circumstances, sufficient corroboration would be required for acting on the dying declaration. Apparently, the High Court thought that corroboration was necessary and this it sought in the recovery of the blood stained shirt and bushshirt from the room of the appellants which the learned Sessions Judge had specifically discarded. We think that the learned Sessions Judge had given very satisfactory reasons for discarding this evidence and, in our opinion, the High Court was in error in taking a different view, especially, when the High Court had realised that there was something fishy in the manner in which a blood stained shirt was recovered from Hatesingh who had been acquitted. Hatesingh, like the appellants, had been arrested on the 10th. His shirt which he was wearing at the time was not seized. But next day his shirt was seized because some blood spots were noticed. It is rather extraordinary that the police should not see blood stains on the shirt when he was arrested but should notice them on the next day. The High Court, therefore, was right in discarding that evidence because it is plain enough that at the time of the arrest there must not have been really any blood stains on the shirt of Hatesingh. Similar considerations should have weighted with the court with regard to the alleged recovery of the shirt and the bushshirt from the room of the appellants. The appellants were living in a room close to the Police Station. They were arrested on the afternoon of 10th. One should have expected the Police to search the room immediately but it does not appear from the record that a search was made at the time. On arrest, the person of Gopalsingh was searched and an iron key with an iron ring attached to it was found on this person. See Ext. P. 6. The same, however, does not appear to have been sealed and it is obvious that the police had the key. Though the Police and the Pancha Madan Lal, P.W. 9 claim that the appellant Gopal Singh produced the key with which the door of the room is opened next day at 2.00 p.m. we feel no doubt at all that the key must have been in the possession of the police till that time. In these circumstances the learned Sessions Judge was quite right in suspecting the recovery of the blood stained shirt and bushshirt from the room. If Hatesinghs shirt could show blood stains on the 11th there was no difficulty in the shirt and the bushshirt recovered from the room of the appellants showing similar blood stains. There was no reason whatsoever why the room of the appellants was not immediately searched for finding blood stained clothes. The memos containing the disclosure statements are worthless and the High Court has rightly not relied upon those statements. In our opinion, therefore, there was no good reason for the High Court to discard the conclusion of the learned Sessions Judge that the recovery of the shirt and the bushshirt cannot be regarded as above board.

Decision (1 = appeal accepted, 0 = rejected): 1

Explanation:
1[ds]The High Court, however, preferred to rely on the bare word of the Magistrate Mr. Shakya who, when questioned in theas to why he had not enquired about the names of the fathers, stated that he did not think it necessary to ask their fathers names and residence because a case was pending in his court. This explanation is rightly not accepted by the High Court as satisfactory. However, the High Court was prepared to proceed on the learned Magistrates statement that a case was pending, and that is how the High Court came to the conclusion that Gopalsingh and Dulesingh mentioned in the dying declaration must be the appellants. We think that the High Court was not justified in relying on any part of the statement made by Mr.statement, therefore, made by Mr. Shakya that a case was pending in his court at that time was not made by him of his own knowledge but on the basis of some rumours. He had not remembered if Modsingh had come before him in any case. In these circumstances, therefore, his bare statement that a case was pending in his court at that time between Modsingh, on the one hand, and some others, on the other, has really no value. And if the evidence of Mr. Shakya on the question as to whether a case was pending is discarded, there is no other evidence to show that a case in which Modsingh and the fathers of the appellants were involved was actually pending at the time. The High Court was inclined not to agree with the learned Sessions Judge because it was satisfied that the allegation with regard to the pending case or cases made in the dying declaration clearly establish the identity of the appellants. But if, as we have shown, there was really no evidence about the pending case or case it would mean that the conclusion of the Session Judge that there was no sufficient identification of Gopalsingh and Dulesingh, as mentioned in the dying declaration, was a reasonable conclusion which, in an appeal against acquittal, was not liable to be set aside.7. We have already referred to the fact that the learned Sessions Judge was not prepared to accept the evidence of Umraodas, P.W. 1 and Chhotulal, P.W. 7, that deceased Modsingh had named the appellants as assailants when they met him in the morning at 8.00 a.m. on the road side. Detailed reasons have been given by the learned Sessions Judge why he considered their evidence unsatisfactory. The High Court, however, in one sentence expressed its opinion that the evidence of these two witnesses, amongst others, corroborated the dying declaration in respect of the identity of the appellants without giving any reasons why it differed on the point from the learned Sessions Judge. It is obvious that the High Court was so well satisfied by the written dying declaration as establishing the identity of the appellants that it ignored to consider the evidence of Umraodas, P.W. 1 and Chhotulal, P.W. 7 independently to see how far they were reliable. In an appeal against acquittal we think the High Court ought to have expressed itself more fully why it considered the learned Sessions Judges conclusion was unreasonable. In our opinion that conclusion is unexceptionable.8. But even if we assume that the High Court was right in concluding that the dying declaration established the identity of the appellants, it was certainly not of that character as would warrant its acceptance without corroboration. It is settled law that a court is entitled to convict on the sole basis of a dying declaration if it is such that in the circumstances of the case it can be regarded as truthful. On the other hand if on account of an infirmity, it cannot be held to be entirely reliable, corroboration would be required. See Khushal Rao v. The State of Bombay. (1958 SCR 552.)  In this case, it must be first remembered that though the names of the appellants fathers were known to Modsingh and others who accompanied him to the Police Station, their fathers names and present residence have not been mentioned. It is rather unusual for Police Officers not to enquire and record in the first information the full name and address of the persons complained against. Secondly, the assault had taken place in a jungle on a dark night which may cause mistaken identity. Thirdly, neither Modsingh nor any of his relations had given any cause to the appellants, personally, to plan and execute a murderous attack on him. Fourthly, there were other persons bearing the appellants names in the same village and admittedly they were on inimical terms with the deceased. Fifthly, the deceased had named Hatesingh also as one of the assailants although it has now turned out in the evidence of Umraodas, P.W. 1 that the deceased and Hatesingh had cordial relations with each other. In these circumstances, sufficient corroboration would be required for acting on the dying declaration. Apparently, the High Court thought that corroboration was necessary and this it sought in the recovery of the blood stained shirt and bushshirt from the room of the appellants which the learned Sessions Judge had specifically discarded. We think that the learned Sessions Judge had given very satisfactory reasons for discarding this evidence and, in our opinion, the High Court was in error in taking a different view, especially, when the High Court had realised that there was something fishy in the manner in which a blood stained shirt was recovered from Hatesingh who had been acquitted. Hatesingh, like the appellants, had been arrested on the 10th. His shirt which he was wearing at the time was not seized. But next day his shirt was seized because some blood spots were noticed. It is rather extraordinary that the police should not see blood stains on the shirt when he was arrested but should notice them on the next day. The High Court, therefore, was right in discarding that evidence because it is plain enough that at the time of the arrest there must not have been really any blood stains on the shirt of Hatesingh. Similar considerations should have weighted with the court with regard to the alleged recovery of the shirt and the bushshirt from the room of the appellants. The appellants were living in a room close to the Police Station. They were arrested on the afternoon of 10th. One should have expected the Police to search the room immediately but it does not appear from the record that a search was made at the time. On arrest, the person of Gopalsingh was searched and an iron key with an iron ring attached to it was found on this person. See Ext. P. 6. The same, however, does not appear to have been sealed and it is obvious that the police had the key. Though the Police and the Pancha Madan Lal, P.W. 9 claim that the appellant Gopal Singh produced the key with which the door of the room is opened next day at 2.00 p.m. we feel no doubt at all that the key must have been in the possession of the police till that time. In these circumstances the learned Sessions Judge was quite right in suspecting the recovery of the blood stained shirt and bushshirt from the room. If Hatesinghs shirt could show blood stains on the 11th there was no difficulty in the shirt and the bushshirt recovered from the room of the appellants showing similar blood stains. There was no reason whatsoever why the room of the appellants was not immediately searched for finding blood stained clothes. The memos containing the disclosure statements are worthless and the High Court has rightly not relied upon those statements. In our opinion, therefore, there was no good reason for the High Court to discard the conclusion of the learned Sessions Judge that the recovery of the shirt and the bushshirt cannot be regarded as above board.