{"id":231106,"date":"1994-04-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"1994-04-04T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/s-n-thapa-vs-state-of-maharashtra-on-5-april-1994"},"modified":"2015-05-19T07:16:21","modified_gmt":"2015-05-19T01:46:21","slug":"s-n-thapa-vs-state-of-maharashtra-on-5-april-1994","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/s-n-thapa-vs-state-of-maharashtra-on-5-april-1994","title":{"rendered":"S.N.Thapa vs State Of Maharashtra on 5 April, 1994"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"docsource_main\">Supreme Court of India<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_title\">S.N.Thapa vs State Of Maharashtra on 5 April, 1994<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_citations\">Equivalent citations: 1994 SCC  (4)\t38, \t  JT 1994 (3)\t191<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_author\">Author: R Sahai<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_bench\">Bench: Sahai, R.M. (J)<\/div>\n<pre>           PETITIONER:\nS.N.THAPA\n\n\tVs.\n\nRESPONDENT:\nSTATE OF MAHARASHTRA\n\nDATE OF JUDGMENT05\/04\/1994\n\nBENCH:\nSAHAI, R.M. (J)\nBENCH:\nSAHAI, R.M. (J)\nAHMADI, A.M. (J)\n\nCITATION:\n 1994 SCC  (4)\t38\t  JT 1994 (3)\t191\n 1994 SCALE  (2)473\n\n\nACT:\n\n\n\nHEADNOTE:\n\n\n\nJUDGMENT:\n<\/pre>\n<p>The Judgment of the Court was delivered by<br \/>\nR.M.  SAHAI, J.- This appeal is directed against  the  order<br \/>\ndated  18-9-1993  passed  by  the  Designated  Court,\tPune<br \/>\ndismissing the bail application filed by the appellant under<br \/>\nSection\t 20(8)\tof the Terrorist and  Disruptive  Activities<br \/>\n(Prevention) Act, 1987 (hereinafter referred to as &#8216;TADA&#8217;).\n<\/p>\n<p>2.   The  appellant is an Additional Collector\tof  Customs.<br \/>\nHe  is an accused against whom a case was  registered  under<br \/>\nvarious sections of Indian Penal Code including Sections  3,<br \/>\n4  and 5 of TADA.  The case relates to what has come  to  be<br \/>\nknown  as  Bombay Bomb Blast case.  It\tis  undisputed\tthat<br \/>\nbetween\t the  last week of January and\tfirst  fortnight  of<br \/>\nFebruary   1993\t huge  quantity\t of  arms,  ammunition\t and<br \/>\nexplosives  were  smuggled  in the  country.   According  to<br \/>\nprosecution    the   large-scale   smuggling\tof    highly<br \/>\nsophisticated  and  lethal  weapons  would  not\t have\tbeen<br \/>\npossible  but  for the connivance of the  officials  of\t the<br \/>\nCustoms Department.  The Designated Court after\t considering<br \/>\nthe  material  on  record and after  a\tdetailed  discussion<br \/>\nrecorded  a  finding that there was no\tdirect\tevidence  to<br \/>\nimplicate the appellant in the conspiracy.  Yet it  rejected<br \/>\nthe  bail application as according to it there was  material<br \/>\nto draw an inference that the appellant rendered  assistance<br \/>\nto   the  smugglers  in\t importing  the\t huge  quantity\t  of<br \/>\nexplosives,  arms and ammunition and in transporting  it  to<br \/>\nBombay\twhere the bomb explosions took place causing  deaths<br \/>\nof hundreds of persons and struck terror in the people.\n<\/p>\n<p>3.   The learned counsel for appellant assailed the  finding<br \/>\nrecorded  by  the Designated Court and\tplaced\treliance  on<br \/>\nvarious material to demonstrate that no offence under any of<br \/>\nthe sections of the TADA was made out against the appellant.<br \/>\nThe  learned  counsel urged that the  various  circumstances<br \/>\nwhich  have been relied by the Designated Court were  either<br \/>\nirrelevant or were of no consequence and they, taken  either<br \/>\nindividually or collectively, could not establish any of the<br \/>\noffences  under\t Sections 3, 4 and 5.  The  learned  counsel<br \/>\nurged that the inference drawn by the Designated Court\tthat<br \/>\nthe  appellant\trendered  assistance  to  the  smugglers  in<br \/>\nlanding huge quantity of explosives was based on no material<br \/>\non  record.  The appeal was opposed by the State and it\t was<br \/>\nurged that the charge-sheet has been submitted and the trial<br \/>\nwas  going to commence in April 1994.  The  learned  counsel<br \/>\nsubmitted that in case such accused were released on bail it<br \/>\nwould create a very demoralising<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">40<\/span><br \/>\neffect\ton the prosecution and shake the social\t confidence.<br \/>\nOn  merits  the learned counsel argued that  the  Designated<br \/>\nCourt\tdid   not  commit  any\terror  in   dismissing\t the<br \/>\napplication.\n<\/p>\n<p>4.   The  tragedy that took place in March 1993 was  one  of<br \/>\nthe  ghastliest in the history of this country.\t  Further  a<br \/>\ncrime  of  such\t magnitude  was\t possible  due\tto   illegal<br \/>\nsmuggling  of  huge quantity of arms and  explosives.\tThat<br \/>\nsuch  smuggling\t was  possible\tdue  to\t connivance  of\t the<br \/>\nofficers   of\tthe  Customs  Department  is   prima   facie<br \/>\nestablished.  Yet it cannot be the sole ground to keep every<br \/>\nofficer\t of  the Customs Department behind the\tbars  unless<br \/>\nthere\twas   some  material  to  justify  it.\t  From\t the<br \/>\nconfessional   statements   of\tthe  officers\tof   Customs<br \/>\nDepartment  it appears that for these  smuggling  activities<br \/>\nhuge  amount  of  money was paid which\tused  to  be  shared<br \/>\nproportionately by the officers in the department.  Yet\t the<br \/>\nquestion  is  if there is any evidence or  any\tmaterial  on<br \/>\nrecord to establish that the appellant was associated or was<br \/>\nresponsible  for  smuggling of the arms.  The  case  of\t the<br \/>\nprosecution  was that the appellant helped the smugglers  in<br \/>\nlanding\t of the arms, ammunition and explosives on  the\t sea<br \/>\ncoast  and in transporting the same to Bombay where later  a<br \/>\nseries of bomb blasts took place.  Even in the\tcharge-sheet<br \/>\nwhich  has now been submitted and a copy of which  has\tbeen<br \/>\nfiled it is stated that the investigation disclosed that the<br \/>\nappellant colluded with other conspirators in illegal act of<br \/>\nintentionally facilitating the landing and transportation of<br \/>\nthe  contrabands comprising AK-56 rifles, ammunition,  9  mm<br \/>\npistol and detonators hand grenades, explosives etc.  It  is<br \/>\nalso alleged that the appellant despite information from his<br \/>\nsuperior  officers  did\t not maintain  a  strict  vigil\t and<br \/>\nknowingly and intentionally misdirected customs surveillance<br \/>\nstaff  in different directions with a view  to\tfacilitating<br \/>\nsafe   landing\tof  the\t contraband.   In  this\t manner\t  by<br \/>\ndefaulting  in\tthe normal performance of his duties  it  is<br \/>\nalleged\t that  he knowingly  and  intentionally\t facilitated<br \/>\nothers in achieving the objective of criminal conspiracy.\n<\/p>\n<p>5.   No material could be pointed out by the learned counsel<br \/>\nfor  the State which could establish that the appellant\t was<br \/>\nresponsible  in\t the importation and transportation  of\t the<br \/>\ncontraband  to\tBombay.\t The basic  allegation\tagainst\t the<br \/>\nappellant  is  that he by colluding  with  the\tconspirators<br \/>\npermitted  the\tarms and explosives to be  smuggled  in\t the<br \/>\ncountry.  That the goods were smuggled in large scale cannot<br \/>\nbe  disputed.\tBut  the question is whether  there  is\t any<br \/>\nmaterial which could establish even strong suspicion against<br \/>\nthe appellant that he was aware of the nature of conspiracy.\n<\/p>\n<p>6.   The  first\t circumstance relied on\t by  the  Designated<br \/>\nCourt  to  draw the inference against the  appellant  was  a<br \/>\nconfessional statement made by an Inspector of Customs\tShri<br \/>\nP. Natarajan that he had learnt that the appellant was aware<br \/>\nof  every  landing  and that at every time  of\tlanding\t the<br \/>\nappellant used to get substantial amount.  He further stated<br \/>\nthat  he learnt that a meeting had taken place\tbetween\t the<br \/>\nsmugglers   and\t the  appellant\t in  a\thotel.\t The   other<br \/>\ncircumstance  relied  was the statement made by one  of\t the<br \/>\nAssistant Collectors of Customs that in the month of January<br \/>\nthe appellant had<br \/>\n<span class=\"hidden_text\">41<\/span><br \/>\ncirculated  an order to the effect that unless and until  an<br \/>\nalert  was sounded patrolling and checking of  the  vehicles<br \/>\nshould\tnot be undertaken.  Another circumstance  relied  on<br \/>\nagainst\t the appellant was that when on one occasion he\t was<br \/>\ninformed  that\tsmuggled  goods may land  he  stationed\t the<br \/>\nchecking  party\t in  such a manner that he  kept  one  route<br \/>\ndeliberately open for the smugglers to escape.\tEach of\t the<br \/>\ncircumstances,\taccording to learned counsel for  appellant,<br \/>\nwas  irrelevant\t and  in  any case  did\t not  establish\t any<br \/>\nconnection between the appellant and the crime in  question.<br \/>\nThe learned counsel urged that the confessional statement of<br \/>\nthe  Customs Inspector could not be read in evidence  as  it<br \/>\nwas only based on hearsay.  Besides he was a person  against<br \/>\nwhom the appellant had taken steps and got him suspended and<br \/>\ntransferred.   The  learned counsel submitted  that  if\t the<br \/>\nconfessional   statement   is\tignored\t  then\t the   other<br \/>\ncircumstances  which  have been relied on are not  only\t too<br \/>\nremote\tto  create  any suspicion, what\t to  say  of  strong<br \/>\nsuspicion, but were irrelevant and liable to be ignored.  We<br \/>\ndo not propose to make any comment on the evidence on  which<br \/>\nreliance  has been placed by the Designated Court.   But  in<br \/>\nthe facts and circumstances of the case and on the material,<br \/>\nas  at\tpresent, it appears there was no legal\tevidence  to<br \/>\nprima facie establish that the appellant had assisted either<br \/>\nin  the smuggling of the goods or of its  transportation  to<br \/>\nBombay.\n<\/p>\n<p>7.   However, since the charge-sheet has been submitted,  we<br \/>\nwould  like  the Designated Court to reconsider\t the  matter<br \/>\nwith  a\t view  to  finding out\tif  there  is  any  evidence<br \/>\ncollected  in the course of investigation which\t would\tshow<br \/>\nthe involvement of the appellant with the crime in question.\n<\/p>\n<p>8.   In the result, this appeal is allowed, the order of the<br \/>\nDesignated Court is set aside and the appellant is  directed<br \/>\nto  be released on interim bail, subject to furnishing of  a<br \/>\npersonal bond of Rs 1,00,000 before the Designated Court and<br \/>\ntwo  sureties of Rs 50,000 each to the satisfaction  of\t the<br \/>\nDesignated Court.  The matter is remitted to the  Designated<br \/>\nCourt  for  reconsideration of the bail application  in\t the<br \/>\nlight  of  fresh  material that might  have  been  collected<br \/>\nagainst the appellant during investigation.\n<\/p>\n<p>9.   Till  the grant of final bail the appellant  shall\t not<br \/>\nleave  Bombay.\t The  passport etc.,  if  any,\tshall  stand<br \/>\nimpounded and the appellant shall not be permitted to  leave<br \/>\nthe country.  It shall be open to the Designated Court if it<br \/>\ncomes  to  conclusion that the appellant is entitled  to  be<br \/>\nreleased  on bail to impose such conditions as it  considers<br \/>\nnecessary.  If the Designated Court refuses bail and rejects<br \/>\nthe application the appellant will surrender to his bail.\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hidden_text\">44<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Supreme Court of India S.N.Thapa vs State Of Maharashtra on 5 April, 1994 Equivalent citations: 1994 SCC (4) 38, JT 1994 (3) 191 Author: R Sahai Bench: Sahai, R.M. (J) PETITIONER: S.N.THAPA Vs. RESPONDENT: STATE OF MAHARASHTRA DATE OF JUDGMENT05\/04\/1994 BENCH: SAHAI, R.M. (J) BENCH: SAHAI, R.M. (J) AHMADI, A.M. (J) CITATION: 1994 SCC (4) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-231106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-supreme-court-of-india"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>S.N.Thapa vs State Of Maharashtra on 5 April, 1994 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; High Court | Legal India<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/s-n-thapa-vs-state-of-maharashtra-on-5-april-1994\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"S.N.Thapa vs State Of Maharashtra on 5 April, 1994 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court &amp; 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