Bombay High Court
MADHAVRAO VISHWANATH WAGALGAVE DIED THROUGH HIS LRS. SAMPAT MADHAVRAO WAGALGAVEversusTHE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA AND OTHERS
- Disposal
- DISMISSED
Holding
The revision application is dismissed, upholding the Sessions Court’s acquittal of the accused.
Summary
The informant’s son, Sampat Madhavrao Wagalgave, filed a criminal revision challenging the acquittal of accused Nos. 2 and 4 by the Sessions Court. The original trial court had convicted them under IPC sections 324 and 325 for assault with weapons during a land‑dispute‑related fight, based on the testimony of the informant, his son, and other witnesses. On appeal, the Sessions Court found the prosecution witnesses unreliable, discarded key medical and eyewitness evidence, and set aside the convictions. The revisionist argued that the Sessions Court erred in disregarding the trustworthy evidence and that the convictions should stand. The High Court examined the evidentiary record, noted that the Sessions Court correctly applied the principle that when two interpretations are possible the view favoring the accused must be adopted, and therefore dismissed the revision application, leaving the acquittals intact.
Issues considered
- When may a Sessions Court set aside a trial court’s conviction on the basis of witness reliability?
- Did the Sessions Court err in disregarding the medical officer’s testimony and other prosecution evidence?
- Is the standard of proof for assault under IPC sections 324 and 325 satisfied in the present case?
Legislation cited
- Indian Penal Code, 1860 — s. 143, 147, 148, 149, 323, 324, 325, 341, 504, 506
Subjects
- criminal revision
- acquittal
- witness reliability
- IPC section 324
- IPC section 325
- assault
- land dispute
- burden of proof
Judgment
2026:BHC-AUG:41241
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IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
BENCH AT AURANGABAD
919 CRIMINAL REVISION APPLICATION NO. 288 OF 2019
MADHAVRAO VISHWANATH WAGALGAVE DIED THROUGH HIS LRS.
SAMPAT MADHAVRAO WAGALGAVE
VERSUS
THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA AND OTHERS
Mr.A.V.Indrale Patil, Advocate for the Applicant.
Mr.M.A.Aher, APP for the Respondent/State.
Mr.S.P. Urgunde, Advocate for Respondent Nos. 2 and 3.
( CORAM : SUSHIL M. GHODESWAR, J. )
DATE : 1st SEPTEMBER, 2026
PER COURT :
1. Heard the learned Advocates for the respective parties and
the learned APP.
2. The Applicant is the son of informant, who is challenging
the impugned judgment and order dated 03.09.2019 passed by the
learned Sessions Judge, Latur in Criminal Appeal No.44/2015 wherein
the learned Sessions Judge, Latur was pleased to allow the appeal
preferred by accused Nos. 2 and 4 i.e. Respondent Nos. 2 and 3 herein.
The accused persons have been prosecuted for the offence punishable
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u/s 143, 147, 148, 341, 325, 324, 323, 504 and 506 r/w 149 of the
IPC. There were in all 10 accused persons initially and they came to be
prosecuted on the basis of report lodged by informant Madhavrao
Wagalgave stating therein that on 25.05.2012 all the accused persons
assaulted the said informant and his son Sampat in their field by using
the weapons like axe and stick. The said incident took place when the
informant and his son were working in the field. The quarrel said to
have taken place on the basis of land dispute and the accused persons
alleged to have inflicted the injuries on the informant and his son.
After registration of crime, the investigation came to be conducted and
charges came to be framed by the Trial Court against all the accused
persons.
3. The prosecution in order to prove it’s case, examined 6
witnesses. After considering the evidence on record and hearing the
arguments of both the parties, the learned Trial Court convicted
accused No.2 for the offence punishable u/s 324 of the IPC and accused
No.4 for the offence punishable u/s 325 of the IPC. The Trial Court,
vide it’s order dated 01.04.2015, had acquitted accused Nos. 1, 3, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9 and 10 from all the offences. Accused Nos. 2 and 4 challenged
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their conviction in Appeal No.44/2015, whereas the first informant
Madhav had also preferred Cri.Appeal No.43/2015 before the learned
Sessions Judge, challenging the acquittal of accused Nos.1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8,
9 and 10.
4. The learned Sessions Judge in Criminal Appeal
No.44/2015, pertaining to respondent Nos. 2 and 3, allowed the appeal
thereby setting aside their conviction order whereas vide order dated
03.09.2019, in Criminal Appeal No.43/2015, the appeal preferred by
the first informant, came to be dismissed. The informant died during
the pendency of the appeal, and the instant criminal revision
application is filed challenging the acquittal of respondent Nos. 2 and 3
through Sampat Nagalgave who is victim and son of informant.
5. The learned Advocate for the Applicant submits that the
learned Sessions Court ought not to have interfered with the order
passed by the learned J.M.F.C., which is a well reasoned order and it
was passed after considering the evidence adduced by the prosecution
in proper perspective. He further submits that the prosecution has duly
established before the Trial Court that the evidence of the informant
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and his son is trustworthy and therefore the prosecution has proved the
guilt of accused No.2 for the offence punishable u/s 324 of the IPC and
also the guilt of accused No.4 for the offence punishable u/s 325 of the
IPC. He further submits that the learned Sessions Court, while passing
the impugned order, did not consider the evidence of PW.No.4 the
Medical Officer, which is itself sufficient to support the case of the
prosecution. He, thus, submits that the learned Sessions Court having
reversed the findings of the learned J.M.F.C. has committed grave
illegality and as such the impugned order passed by the learned
Sessions Court deserves to be quashed and set aside. He, therefore,
prays for allowing the instant criminal revision application.
6. The learned APP has supported the informant and re-
iterated the same submissions. Heard the learned Advocate for
Respondent Nos. 2 and 3.
7. After going through the judgments passed by the learned
Trial Court as well as the Appellate Court, it is clear that the learned
Trial Court convicted Accused Nos. 2 and 4 for the offence punishable
under Sections 324 and 325 respectively. On the basis of same
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evidence, other accused persons, who are 8 in number, came to be
acquitted by the Trial Court. The learned Trial Court has recorded the
findings that the evidence brought before the Court is not sufficient to
hold that the accused persons formed an unlawful assembly with deadly
weapons and committed riot with common object. The learned Trial
Court on the basis of said evidence was pleased to consider that the
prosecution has proved the guilt of accused No.2 for the offence
punishable u/s 324 of the IPC and also proved the guilt of accused No.4
for the offence punishable u/s 325 of the IPC.
8. The learned Sessions Court, however, while considering the
appeal of respondent Nos. 2 and 4, considered that the evidence of
P.W.Nos. 1 and 2 is not sufficient to prove offence against the accused
persons. The learned Sessions Court arrived at a conclusion that the
prosecution witness Nos. 1 and 2 are not reliable witnesses. The
prosecution witnesses gave their supplementary statement, which goes
to show that the accused persons have been falsely implicated in the
crime. On the basis of overall consideration, the learned Sessions
Court proceeded further to acquit Respondent Nos. 2 and 4. After
perusing the order passed by the learned Sessions Court, it is clear that
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the quarrel between the parties occurred on account of land dispute,
which is going on since last 30 years. In pursuance to the said dispute,
the quarrel has taken place and in the said fight, accused Nos. 2 and 4
alleged to have assaulted the victims by using weapons like axe and
stick. P.W.No.3 has stated that the informant is his cousin and he is
acquainted with accused Nos. 1 to 10. At that time, he was in his field
and heard noise and went there. According to him, all the accused
persons were present and there was assault. However, according to
him, his statement was not recorded as per his say and therefore the
evidence of this witness was held to be not truthful by the Sessions
Court. In the same manner, the evidence of P.W.No.5 also came to be
discarded by the learned Sessions Court.
9. It is found that on the basis of same evidence, acquittal of
the other accused persons came to be maintained by the learned
Sessions Court in Cri.Appeal No.43/2015. It is further submitted that
the learned Sessions Court found the testimony of the injured witnesses
not trustworthy and therefore the learned Sessions Court proceeded to
acquit accused Nos. 2 and 4. Criminal Appeal No.43/2015, which was
filed by the informant against acquittal of accused Nos.1,3,5,6,7,8,9
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and 10 was not challenged by the informant, but only acquittal of
accused Nos. 2 and 4 in Criminal Appeal No.44/2015 is challenged by
the present informant. It is well settled that when two views are
possible, the view favouring the accused is required to be accepted.
After perusing the judgment of the learned Sessions Court, I found no
ground to entertain this Revision Application and accordingly I proceed
to pass the following order :-
Criminal Revision Application is dismissed.
( SUSHIL M. GHODESWAR, J.)
khs/Sept.2026/288
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