{"id":255532,"date":"2008-10-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-10-14T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/mukul-mahto-ors-vs-state-of-jharkhand-anr-on-15-october-2008"},"modified":"2016-11-03T20:53:22","modified_gmt":"2016-11-03T15:23:22","slug":"mukul-mahto-ors-vs-state-of-jharkhand-anr-on-15-october-2008","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/mukul-mahto-ors-vs-state-of-jharkhand-anr-on-15-october-2008","title":{"rendered":"Mukul Mahto & Ors vs State Of Jharkhand & Anr on 15 October, 2008"},"content":{"rendered":"
Supreme Court of India<\/div>\n
Mukul Mahto & Ors vs State Of Jharkhand & Anr on 15 October, 2008<\/div>\n
Author: . A Pasayat<\/div>\n
Bench: Arijit Pasayat, Mukundakam Sharma<\/div>\n
                                                                        REPORTABLE\n\n\n                  IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA\n\n                CRIMINAL APPELALTE JURISDICTION\n\n              CRIMINAL APPEAL NOS. 862-863 OF 2001\n\n\nMukul Mahto and Ors.                               ....Appellants\n\n                                   Versus\n\nState of Jharkhand and Anr.                        ....Respondents\n\n\n\n                              JUDGMENT\n<\/pre>\n
Dr. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.\n<\/p>\n
\n
1.    Challenge in these appeals is to the judgment of a Division Bench of<\/p>\n
the Jharkhand High Court, allowing the appeal filed by the State and<\/p>\n
thereby setting aside the acquittal of accused-respondents before it. All the<\/p>\n
five accused persons were convicted for offences punishable under Section<\/p>\n
326 read with Section 34<\/a> of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (in short the `IPC<\/a>‘)<\/p>\n
and were sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for four years.<\/p>\n
Accused Durga was convicted for offence punishable under Section 324<\/a>
\nIPC and sentenced to undergo imprisonment for one year. The revision<\/p>\n
petition filed   by the informant was also disposed of.          The learned<\/p>\n
Additional Sessions Judge, Dhanbad, had directed acquittal of the accused<\/p>\n
persons who are appellant Nos. 1 to 5 in the present appeal.<\/p>\n
2.    Background facts in a nutshell are as follows:\n<\/p>\n
\n
      On 12.8.1984 at about 7.30 p.m. while the informant was sleeping in<\/p>\n
his house, his brother Bistu Mahto (hereinafter referred to as the `deceased’)<\/p>\n
visited his house to borrow his bullock. As soon as the deceased came out of<\/p>\n
the house, after talk with the informant, all the five accused way laid him<\/p>\n
and started to abuse him. The deceased retorted and exchanged abuses with<\/p>\n
them, whereafter, the accused persons assaulted and wounded the deceased<\/p>\n
with lathi and axe. On hearing his cry, the informant and others i.e. Golak<\/p>\n
Mahto (PW-3), Kirtan Mahto, Laxman Mahto (PW-8) and Jitu Mahto (PW-<\/p>\n
7) rushed from their house to save the deceased. But the accused persons<\/p>\n
variously assaulted them as well as the informant with lathi and axe.<\/p>\n
Jaleshwar Mahto, Asu Mahto, Suphan Modi (not examined) and some other<\/p>\n
villagers had also witnessed the occurrence.\n<\/p>\n
\n
                                                                          2<\/span>
\n      The further prosecution case is that deceased who had sustained<\/p>\n
bleeding head injury and the other injured namely PWs 3, 7, 8 and Kirtan<\/p>\n
Mahto were carried with the help of the villagers and admitted to the State<\/p>\n
Dispensary, Baliapur for treatment wherefrom the deceased and PW-3<\/p>\n
whose condition was serious were shifted to Sindri F.C.I. Hospital and after<\/p>\n
two days the deceased succumbed to the wounds in the hospital, while<\/p>\n
undergoing treatment.\n<\/p>\n
\n
      On the basis of the information lodged, investigation was undertaken.<\/p>\n
After the death of the deceased on 15.8.1984 charge under Section 302<\/a> read<\/p>\n
with Section 34<\/a> IPC was added in addition to the registration of the case<\/p>\n
under Sections 341<\/a>, 323<\/a> and 506<\/a> read with Section 34<\/a> IPC. Accused<\/p>\n
persons pleaded innocence. It was stated that accused Durga had instituted a<\/p>\n
case against 11 persons including the informant, the deceased, Golak Mahto<\/p>\n
(PW-3), Kirtan Mahto, Laxman Mahto (PW-8) and one Nitu Mahto. The<\/p>\n
trial Court came to hold that accusations were not established. The main<\/p>\n
reason given for the acquittal of accused persons was that PWs 1 and 2 were<\/p>\n
hearsay witnesses and PWs 4 and 6 are related to the deceased. They<\/p>\n
claimed to be the eye witnesses to the occurrence and were not cited in the<\/p>\n
first information report. PW-8 was an injured witness who had stated that<\/p>\n
                                                                        3<\/span>
\nwhen he reached the place of occurrence, none was present except the<\/p>\n
accused persons and the prosecution party and this falsified the claim of<\/p>\n
PWs 4 and 6 that they had witnessed the actual assault. One of the injured<\/p>\n
Kiran Mahto was not examined and no explanation was given for his non<\/p>\n
examination. The evidence of PWs 3, 7, 8 and 10 was held to be not<\/p>\n
sufficient though they claimed to have sustained injuries. Another factor<\/p>\n
which weighed with the trial Court was that the witnesses were close<\/p>\n
relatives of the deceased.\n<\/p>\n
\n
3.    The High Court as noted above, reversed the conclusions and directed<\/p>\n
conviction.\n<\/p>\n
\n
4.    In support of the appeals, learned counsel for the appellants submitted<\/p>\n
that the parameters of an appeal against acquittal have not been kept in view<\/p>\n
by the High Court. The trial Court had doubted the credibility of the so<\/p>\n
called eye witnesses PWs 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 10 who were relatives of the<\/p>\n
deceased. The High Court found that the evidence of PWs 3, 7, 8 alongwith<\/p>\n
PW-10 as well as the evidence of PWs 4 and 6 inspire confidence. The<\/p>\n
High Court found that the acquittal as directed was improper.           It is<\/p>\n
                                                                         4<\/span>
\nsubmitted that the view of the trial Court was a possible view and, therefore,<\/p>\n
the High Court should not have interfered.\n<\/p>\n
\n
5.    Learned counsel for the State has pointed out that the view of the trial<\/p>\n
Court is unsustainable. Even after applying the yardsticks highlighted by<\/p>\n
this Court the judgment of the High Court does not suffer from any<\/p>\n
infirmity.\n<\/p>\n
\n
6.    The High Court has referred to the evidence of PWs 3, 7 and 8. It has<\/p>\n
been indicated that the doctor who examined these witnesses and the<\/p>\n
deceased initially, has not been examined during trial. Since the homicidal<\/p>\n
death has not been disputed, the non-examination of the doctor is not fatal.<\/p>\n
Another plea which found acceptance by trial Court was the absence of<\/p>\n
incised wound when weapon of assault was axe. The witnesses had also<\/p>\n
stated about use of lathi. It is also to be noted that, as done by the High<\/p>\n
Court that axes which are generally used in villages for cutting trees and<\/p>\n
branches are not so sharp like sword or knife and when used on the head,<\/p>\n
can also cause lacerated injuries. (See Ch. Madhusudhana Reddy v. State of<\/p>\n
A.P<\/a>. 1994 SCC (Crl.) 275)<\/p>\n
                                                                          5<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
7.    The matter can be looked from another angle. Even if they had not<\/p>\n
suffered any injuries yet their version as eye witnesses if credible and<\/p>\n
cogent can be accepted and acted upon and there is no reason to discard<\/p>\n
their evidence on the ground that a doctor who examined their injuries was<\/p>\n
not examined. The High Court has concluded that the evidence of PWs<\/p>\n
regarding the presence and participation of the accused in the occurrence is<\/p>\n
reliable and truthful. The victims of assault would not normally spare the<\/p>\n
real culprits and falsely implicate innocent accused persons. Their evidence<\/p>\n
clearly shows that the deceased was lying injured at the spot where the<\/p>\n
accused persons were present and they assaulted PWs 3, 7 and 8 when they<\/p>\n
went to rescue him. With reference to the evidence it has been noticed by<\/p>\n
the High Court that the common house of the deceased and PWs 3, 7 and 8,<\/p>\n
the eye witnesses is at a very short distance and it is quite natural that on<\/p>\n
hearing alarm they had rushed to the place of occurrence.<\/p>\n
8.    Apart from that the evidence of PW-10 the informant is of<\/p>\n
considerable significance. The High Court has noted that there were some<\/p>\n
exaggeration in his statement though reading the same carefully alongwith<\/p>\n
the evidence of PWs 3, 7 and 8 lends support to the prosecution case.<\/p>\n
                                                                         6<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
9.    The High Court found the present appellants guilty. But considering<\/p>\n
the manner of assault and the surrounding factors convicted them for<\/p>\n
offence punishable under Section 326<\/a> read with Section 34<\/a> IPC.               The<\/p>\n
judgment of the High Court does not suffer from any infirmity to warrant<\/p>\n
interference.\n<\/p>\n
\n
10.   The appeals are dismissed.\n<\/p>\n
\n
                                    ………………………………….J.\n<\/p>\n
                                    (Dr. ARIJIT PASAYAT)<\/p>\n
                                    ………………………………….J.\n<\/p>\n
                                    (Dr. MUKUNDAKAM SHARMA)<\/p>\n
New Delhi,
\nOctober 15, 2008<\/p>\n
                                                                             7<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Supreme Court of India Mukul Mahto & Ors vs State Of Jharkhand & Anr on 15 October, 2008 Author: . A Pasayat Bench: Arijit Pasayat, Mukundakam Sharma REPORTABLE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CRIMINAL APPELALTE JURISDICTION CRIMINAL APPEAL NOS. 862-863 OF 2001 Mukul Mahto and Ors. ….Appellants Versus State of Jharkhand and Anr. ….Respondents […]<\/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-255532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-supreme-court-of-india"],"yoast_head":"\nMukul Mahto & Ors vs State Of Jharkhand & Anr on 15 October, 2008 - Free Judgements of Supreme Court & 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\/mukul-mahto-ors-vs-state-of-jharkhand-anr-on-15-october-2008\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mukul Mahto & Ors vs State Of Jharkhand & Anr on 15 October, 2008 - 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