HIGH COURT OF ORISSA,
CUTTACK
JAIL CRIMINAL APPEAL NO.142 OF 1999
From the judgment dated 15.04.1999 passed by Shri A.K.Parichha,
Sessions Judge, Ganjam-Gajapati at Berhampur, in S.C. No. 188 of 1998.
Biswanath Sabar .......... Appellant
Versus
State of Orissa ........... Respondent
For Appellant - Mr. G.S.Pani.
For Respondent - Mr. J.P. Pattnaik,
Additional Govt. Advocate.
PRESENT
THE HON'BLE SHRI JUSTICE PRADIP MOHANTY
AND
THE HON'BLE SHRI JUSTICE B.P.RAY
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Date of hearing & judgment : 27.01.2010
PRADIP MOHANTY, J. The appellant has assailed the judgment and order dated
15.04.1999 passed by the learned Sessions Judge, Ganjam-Gajapati, Berhampur
in S.C. No. 188 of 1998 convicting him under Section 302, IPC and sentencing him
to undergo imprisonment for life.
2. Case of the prosecution is that on 31.01.1998 the goats of
appellant’s family had damaged the ‘mung’ crop of the deceased. In the evening,
the deceased and Sankar Sabar, brother of the appellant, were quarreling with
each other near a tamarind tree situated adjacent to the house of the appellant
over that issue. At that time, the appellant was carrying utensils for a fest to be
given by one kailash Sahoo. Seeing the two (deceased and Sankar) quarrelling,
he entered inside his house, brought out an axe, challenged the deceased and
dealt a blow with that axe on his left shoulder. When appellant dealt the second
blow with the axe he held, the deceased raised his left hand to ward off and in the
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process received injury on his left hand. Thereafter, deceased started running
towards his house to save his life, but appellant chased him and dealt a third blow
with the said axe on the back of the deceased. The deceased somehow went up to
his house and collapsed there. When the family members of the deceased and
some villagers were carrying him to the hospital, he died on the way. P.W.8
Ganesh Sabar lodged F.I.R. on receipt of which police registered the case, took up
investigation and after its closure filed charge sheet against the appellant under
section 302, IPC.
3. The plea of the accused is one of complete denial. His specific
plea is that due to previous enmity, he has been falsely implicated in the case.
4. In order to prove its case, prosecution examined as many as
eleven witnesses including the doctor and the I.Os. and exhibited thirteen
documents. Defence examined none.
5. The learned Sessions Judge after conclusion of the trial
convicted the appellant under section 302, IPC and sentenced him to undergo
imprisonment for life with the finding that the very fact that the appellant dealt two
blows and when the deceased was running away he chased and dealt the third
blow indicates that his intention was to cause death of the deceased and thus the
offence committed by the accused squarely comes under section 302, IPC.
6. Mr. Pani, learned counsel for the appellant assails the
judgment of conviction on the following grounds:
(i) Most of the witnesses on whose evidence reliance has been
placed for recording conviction are related to the deceased
and as such are interested witness.
(ii) The prosecution witnesses are inconsistent in the description
of the place of occurrence and, therefore, their statements are
unreliable.
(iii) The shifting of place of occurrence shows that the prosecution
has suppressed the true story of the case.
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7. Mr. Pattnaik, learned Additional Government Advocate
vehemently contends that there is no discrepancy in the evidence of the eye
witnesses. The evidence of P.W.8 is very clear and cogent and is supported by the
evidence of P.W.2, a co-villager and an independent witness. The medical
evidence also corroborates the ocular testimony. He further submits that in the axe
(M.O.I), which was seized from the possession of the appellant, blood-stain was
found and no explanation was given by the appellant. Therefore, there is no
infirmity or illegality committed by the trial court in convicting the appellant.
8. Perused the LCR. P.W.8 is the informant and brother of the
deceased. He is an ocular witness. He specifically stated in his evidence that the
appellant was there at the marriage ceremony of Kailash’s son. He rushed from
that place to the place where Shankar and deceased were quarreling. He
challenged the deceased and then entered into the house of Shankar, brought out
an axe (tangia) and dealt a blow on the left shoulder of the deceased. When the
deceased stepped back after that blow, the appellant dealt the second blow with
the said axe and it caused injury on the left forearm of the deceased. The
deceased started running towards his house to save his life, but the appellant
chased him and dealt the third blow on the back of the deceased. The deceased
somehow managed to reach his house and collapsed. All the brothers of the
deceased and the co-villagers carried him on a cot to the hospital but on the way
he died. On the next date, he lodged FIR before Nuagaon Police Station. He
proved the FIR as Ext.8 and his signature thereon as Ext.8/1. He is also a witness
to the seizure of M.O.I. (axe). Nothing has been elicited through cross-
examination to discard his evidence. His evidence has been substantially
corroborated by P.Ws.1, 2, 6, 7 and 9. The FIR also corroborates the evidence of
P.W.8. P.W.1 is the brother of the deceased. He specifically stated that while he
was in the house of one Kailash, where the marriage ceremony was going on,
hearing hullah he came to the spot and found the appellant dealing three axe
blows on the deceased. The appellant dealt the first axe blow on the left shoulder,
the second blow on the left hand and the third blow on the back of the deceased
when the deceased was running away for his life. In cross-examination P.W.1 has
affirmed that he saw the accused dealing tangia blows on the shoulder and left
hand of the deceased. P.W.2 is a co-villager who saw a part of the occurrence. He
stated in his evidence that while he was going to attend the marriage ceremony of
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one Bhalu, he heard hullah from the side of the tamarind tree, rushed to the spot
and found the appellant dealing an axe blow on the back of the deceased while he
was running away towards his house. Thereafter, they shifted the deceased to the
hospital but on the way he succumbed to the injuries. Nothing has been elicited
through cross-examination to disbelieve his evidence. P.W.4 is a witness to the
seizure of blood stained earth, sample earth and blood stained cloth of the
deceased. P.W.5 is the constable and a witness to the inquest. P.W.6 is the father
of the deceased. He stated in his evidence that after his return at 6.00 PM he
found that the deceased was lying on the front verendah of his house with cut
injuries. P.W.7 is the Grama Rakhi. He specifically stated that the father and the
brother of the deceased informed him that the appellant had attacked the
deceased with an axe and fled away. Thereafter, he came to the village and found
the dead body of the deceased. He guarded the dead body till arrival of the police.
P.W.9 is the uncle of the deceased, who specifically stated that he saw the
accused dealing axe blow on the back of the deceased, when the deceased was
running away towards his house. After dealing the axe blow, the accused ran back
into his house with the axe. Nothing has been elicited through cross-examination
to disbelieve his evidence. P.W.10, who turned hostile, has admitted in cross-
examination that when the deceased ran up to his house with bleeding condition,
dusk had fallen and there was semi-darkness. P.W.11 is the I.O. who registered
the case, investigated into the matter and seized the axe (M.O.I), blood stained
earth, and sample earth. In cross-examination, he admits that there was enmity
between the appellant and the deceased. P.W.1 did not state before him that he
saw the appellant dealing Tangia blows on the shoulder and left hand of the
deceased. On scrutiny of the above evidence, it is crystal clear that P.W.1 had
seen the last part of the occurrence only, that is to say the third blow dealt by the
appellant to the deceased when he was running towards his house. But he
developed the story with regard to first assault in court. Therefore, his evidence
cannot be relied upon as a whole. He, however, corroborates the evidence of
P.W.9 with regard to assault to the back of the deceased. The evidence of P.W.8
is substantially corroborated by P.Ws.1, 2, 6, 7 and 9. In the axe (M.O.I), which
was seized from the possession of the appellant, blood-stain was found and no
explanation was given by the appellant. It is true that P.Ws.6, 8 and 9 are the
relations of the deceased. But, P.Ws.2 and 7 are not related to the deceased.
There is no reason as to why they would falsely implicate the appellant.
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P.W.3, the doctor, who conducted autopsy over the dead
body of the deceased found the following external injuries:
(1) Incised chopped wound 7cm x 2.5 cm x bone deep present
longitudinally over left shoulder. The lateral end of clavicle was
cut.
(2) Incised wound 3.5 cm x 1 cm x muscle deep present 13 cm
below the left elbow over the dorsal aspect of left forearm.
(3) Chopped wound 7 cm x 2.5 cm x chest cavity deep present
obliquely from mid line to left side of back 8 cm below the
spine of 7th cervical vertebra.
He opined that the cause of death was due to shock and haemorrhage as a result
of injury to vital organs like lungs and that the injuries found on the deceased are
possible by M.O.I.
The evidence of P.Ws.2, 7 and 8 coupled with the medical
evidence and the blood stain found in the axe leaves no room for doubt that the
present appellant is the assailant of the deceased. Therefore, the trial court has
rightly found him guilty under section 302, IPC and the impugned judgment of
conviction and sentence needs no interference.
9. The Jail Criminal Appeal is dismissed.
…………………………..
Pradip Mohanty,J.
B.P.RAY, J. I agree.
.............................
B.P. RAY, J.
Orissa High Court, Cuttack
Dated 27th Jan.,2010/Routray