BARKU BHAVRAO BHASKARversusSTATE OF MAHARASHTRA

                  [2013] 8 S.C.R. 449

             BARKU BHAVRAO BHASKAR·                 " .     A
                           v.
              STATE OF MAHARASHTRA
            (Criminal Appeal No.910 of 2010)
                   · JULY25, 2013
                                                            B
       [A.K. PATNAIK AND FAKKIR MOHAMED
              IBRAHIM KALIFULLA, JJ.)

     Penal Code, 1860 - ss.364, 302 and 201 - Prosecution
under - Conviction by courts below, holding that chain of C
circumstances against the accused were complete ~ Held:
Evidence of the doct6r who conducted post-mortem proved
that the death was homicidal - In view .of overwhelming
evidence which proved all the circumstances against the
accused, order of conviction is justified.                D

    The appellant-accused was prosecuted for the·
offences punishable ulss. 364, 302 and 201 IPC. Courts
below convicted him on the basis of the circumstances
namely the deceased was last seen with the deceased; E
extra-judicial confession of accused; recovery of blood-
stained shirt of the accused and tile dead body at the
instance of the accused and motive for murder.

    . In appeal to this Court the appellant-ac~used inter
alia contended that there were doubts as to whetherthe      F
death was homicidal.
          Dismissing the appeal, the Court .
   · HELD: 1. In view of the specific statement of PW-6
(the doctor, who had conducted the post-mortem) who · G
ruled out the possibility of the deceased having fallen
down, either on her own or by way of an accidental fall
by which she could have sustained· the injuries, the
conclusion that the death· of the deceased was a
                           449                          H
    450    SUPREME COURT REPORTS             [2013] 8 S.C.R.


A homicidal one, has become an irreversible one. [Para 11]
  [456-H; 457-A-B]
       2. The Courts below held that the last seen theory
  was fully established by the evidence of PWs 3 and 7.
  Apart from PWs 3 and 7, there was one other child
8
  witness aged about 6 years, who had informed PW-1
  about having seen the deceased in the company of the
  appellant on that very day. Though necessary steps
  were taken by the prosecution to examine the child, she
  did not open her mouth in the Court and the High Court
C has rightly noted that such a conduct displayed by the
  child cannot be found fault with, and the very factum of
  the attempt made to examine the child was held in favour
  of the prosecution by stating that the prosecution did not
  want to suppress any material in order to prove whatever
D evidence that was existing. [Paras 13 and 14] [458-C,
  E-G]
        3. As regards the circumstance, namely, the blood
  stains found on the clothes of the appellant the High
E Court considered the plea of the accused that blood·
  group of the accused was not tested so as to ascertain
  whether the blood stain on his shirt could be of his own
  blood. The High Collrt noted that when at the instance
  of the appellant, his shirt was recovered and when the
  appellant was physically examined, it was found that
F there were absolutely no injuries on the body of the
  appellant and, therefore, the question of the blood stains
  from the body of the appellant to get transmitted to his
  shirt was ruled out. It was, therefore, held that the blood
  stains found on the appellant's shirt, considered along
G with the factum of the appellant having led the
  prosecution to discover his blood stained clothes and the
  body of the deceased put together, the blood stains
  found in the shirt of the appellant, could have been only
  that of the deceased and none else. There was no other
H
      BARKU BHAVRAO BHASKAR v. STATE OF                451
                MAHARASHTRA

valid explanation offered on behalf of the appellant as to    A
how the blood stains came to be found on his shirt, which
was recovered at his instance, in the presence of the
panch witnesses. The said conclusion arrived at by the
High Court was fully justified. [Para 15) [458-H; 459-A-E]
      4. As regards the recovery of the body of the           8
deceased, the Courts below noted that such recovery
came to be made only at the instance of the appellant,
which was witnessed by PW-1, in whose presence at the
foot of the mountain, the dead body covered by large and
small stones, as well as 2-3 branches of baboo/ tree.         C
Therefore, there was no scope to doubt the finding that
the recovery of the body of the deceased was only at the
instance of the accused. [Para 16) [459-F-H]
     5. Motive for murder got proved against the appellant,   o
from the evidence of PWs-1, 4 and 5. All of them In unison
deposed that the appellant had an axe to grind against
PW-1 (father of the deceased child), since PW-1 had once
abused him at the village, as regards the issue relating
to the payment received by him, for which he did not          E
render any service. [Para 17) [460-A-B]

     6. Therefore, in view of the overwhelming evidence
available on record, which proved every one of the
circumstances put against the appellant and which has
been examined in detail by the trial Court as well as by      F
the High Court, there is no merit in the appeal. [Para 18]
[460-D]
    CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Criminal Appeal
No. 910 of 2010.                                              G

    From the Judgment and Order dated 10.02.2006 of the
High Court of Judicature at Bombay in Criminal Appeal No.
1024 of 2001.
    P.C. Aggarwala, Revathy Raghavan for the Appellant.       H
    452      SUPREME COURT REPORTS               [2013] 8 S.C.R.


A        Sachin J. Patil, Sanjay V. Kharde, Asha Gopalan Nair, for
    the Respondent.

          The Judgment of the Court was delivered by

        FAKKIR MOHAMED IBRAHIM KALIFULLA, J. 1. This
B appeal is directed against the judgment of the High Court of
  Bombay dated 10.02.2006, in Criminal Appeal No.1024 of
  2001. The sole accused is the appellant before us. He was
  convicted by the trial Court in Sessions Case No.49 of 2001,
  for the offences punishable under Sections 364, 302 and 201
c of IPC. He was imposed with sentence of life for the offence
  proved under Section 302 IPC and five years' rigorous
  imprisonment for the offence under Section 354 IPC apart from
  three years rigorous imprisonment for the offence under Section
  201 IPC. The trial Court also imposed fine with a default
D sentence. On appeal, the High Court having confirmed the
  conviction and sentence imposed, the appellant has come
  before us by filing this appeal.

       2. The case of the prosecution as projected before the trial
  Court, to be stated in a nutshell was that the deceased was a
E female child aged about 6 years and was the daughter of the
  complainant PW-1. The accused was also related to the family
  of PW-1. PW-1 used to undertake masonry work. The appellant
  also worked under PW-1 on certain occasions and according
  to PW-1, as supported by the version of his brother PW-5, there
F was some dispute relating to payment received by the appellant,
  by way of wages and for which no services were rendered by
  him. It is the case of the prosecution that the appellant was
  responsible for the killing of the deceased Rakhi, daughter of
  PW-1 and the motive attributed for such killing was the wage
G dispute that was pending between the appellant and PW-1. The
  occurrence took place on 03.12.2000.

       3. According to the prosecution, the mother of the
  deceased, PW-3, had seen the deceased in the company of
H the appellant at around 10.30 am at her residence when the
 BARKU BHAVRAO BHASKAR v. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA               453
      [FAKKIR MOHAMED IBRAHIM KALIFULLA, J.]

appellant said to have fed sugarcane to the child Rakhi. PW-3       A
at that time was stated to be washing the clothes and after
completing her domestic work, she noticed that both of them
were not present in the house. At around 1.15 pm, according
to PW-7, a sweet vendor in that area had an occasion to see
the appellant and the deceased, since the appellant bought          B
some sweets in his shop for the deceased. Thereafter, in the
evening, after PW-1 returned back from his work, he found that
the deceased Rakhi was not at home. He then along with his
brother PW-5 and one Salvant PW-4, went to the house of
appellant but they could not find the child over there. PW-3        c
informed that she saw the child in the company of the appellant
and that since the appellant was nowhere to be found she felt
that the accused might have taken the deceased Rakhi to the
village Kakane, as he was earlier stating that he wish to take
the child to· the village to see his mother who happened to be
                                                                    0
the grand-mother of the child. The complainant PW-1 along with
PW-4, stated to have gone to the village Kakane and made
enquiries about the missing child Rakhi but neither the accused
nor the deceased were found there. Thereafter, in the evening,
PW-1 came to know that appellant was seen taking the child
along with him by one Mohna, another child of the same age
                                                                    E
group as the deceased. PW-1 once again went back to the
village and brought the appellant to his house and on his way
back, the appellant appeared to have made an extra-judicial
confession by stating that if he was not beaten, he would tell
the truth and so saying revealed that he had killed the child on    F
account of the wage dispute as between him and PW-1. The
appellant then stated to have informed that he took the
deceased Rakhi to Patvihir Shivar area, near the mountain and
killed her there where he stated to have hidden the dead body
under the stones.                                                   G

    4. Thereafter, the appellant was taken to the police station,
where a complaint Ext.1 was lodged wherefrom, the appellant
took the policeman along with PW-1 and 7-8 others to Patvihir
Shivar area in the Jeep, where the appellant identified the spot    H
    454     SUPREME COURT REPORTS                [2013] 8 S.C.R.


A of the incident. At the instance of the appellant, the dead body
  of the deceased Rakhi was recovered by removing the stones
  and it was found that the deceased had sustained bleeding
  injuries on her head and ear and that at that point of time she
  was wearing her school uniform. Further, at the instance of the
B appellant, in the presence of PW-2, a panch witness, the blood
  stained shirt of the accused was also recovered under Exts.16
  and 17. The said shirt was recovered at a location on
  Khedgaon road, about two furlongs away from the village
  Nakode and it was found hidden under a stone. In support of
c the prosecution, as many as nine witnesses were examined
  and several exhibits were marked.

       5. While PW-1 is the complainant, PW-2 is panch witness
  for recovery of the blood stained shirt of the appellant, PW-3
  and PW-7 were examined for the last seen theory of the
D appellant, along with the deceased. PW-5, the brother of PW-
  1, deposed about the earlier dispute between the appellant and
  PW-1. PW-6 is Dr. Priyanka Asher who conducted the
  postmortem and issued Ext.21 report. The chemical analysis
  reports relating to the clothes of the deceased, as well as that
E of the appellant were marked as Ext.4. Based on the evidence
  recorded, when the incriminatory circumstances were put
  against the appellant under Section 313, the appellant made
  a simple denial of those circumstances and did not come
  forward with any explanation. No defence witness was
F examined on the side of the appellant. It is based on the above
  evidence, that the trial Court found the appellant guilty of the
  offences falling under Sections 364, 302 and 201 IPC, for which
  the sentence came to be imposed, which was ultimately
  confirmed by the High Court.
G
       6. The case on hand was based on the circumstantial
  evidence, which were placed before the trial Court and based
  on the appreciation of the said evidence, the conviction came
  to be imposed. The trial Court after analyising the medical
H evidence as demonstrated by PW-6, the doctor, who conducted
  BARKU BHAVRAO BHASKAR v. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA               455
       [FAKKIR MOHAMED IBRAHIM KALIFULLA, J.)

the postmortem, as well as the certificate issued by her,            A
reached a conclusion that the death of the deceased was a
homicidal one. Based on the other evidence the trial Court also
reached a conclusion that there were clinching circumstances
against the appellant and that there was no missing link in the
chain of circumstances demonstrated before it.                       B

      7. The circumstances which were examined by the trial
Court were formulated and noted by the High Court, which were
five in number. The circumstances were:

      "(i)    Rakhi being last seen in the company of the            C
              accused.

      (ii)    Extra-judicial confession of the accused.

      (iii)   Discovery of the blood stained shirt at the instance
                                                                     0
              of the accused which bears
              blood stains of the same group as that of the
              deceased.

      (iv)    Discovery of the dead body at the instance of the
              accused.                                               E

      (v)     Motive."

      8. Both the Courts have discussed each one of the
 circumstances in depth. The ultimate conclusion was that the
 circumstances were incapable of being explained on any other        F
·reasonable hypothesis, except that the guilt of the appellant,
 were totally inconsistent to draw an inference of innocence of
 the appellant.

    9. When we examine the circumstances dealt with by the           G
Courts below in the foremost, it will be worthwhile to refer to
the injuries sustained by the deceased, as there was an
argument raised on behalf of the appellant that there were grave
doubts as to whether the death itself was the homicidal one.
The injuries as found in the postmortem report were as under:        H
    456         SUPREME COURT REPORTS               [2013] 8 S.C.R.


A         "1)     Abrasion of about 0.5 cm x 0.5 cm on inner part of
                  upper lip swelling.

          2)      Abrasion of about 2 x 2 cm on left frontal area.

          3)      Abrasion of about 0.1 cm x 0.1 cm behind left ear
B                 lobula.

          4)      Swelling of left side of face.

          5)      Left black eye.
c         10. On the internal examination, she found following
    injuries.

           1)     Haematoma on the left side under the scalp.

          2)      Fracture of coronal sutured line extending towards
D
                  temporal and parietal parts on both the sides.

           3)     Brain tissue congested.

           Meningeal tear on temporal region right side, and on
E         parietal region left side (about 2 x 2 cm each side)"

        11. With that, when we consider the opinion of the
  postmortem doctor PW-6, according to her those injuries were
  antemortem in nature and the internal injuries were
  corresponding to the external injuries. The cause of death was
F shock due to cardio-respiratory arrest on account of the head
  injuries. The postmortem report was Ext.22. When we examine
  the evidence of PW-6, there was a clear suggestion put to her
  to the effect that these injuries could have been sustained by a
  fall or by an accident. It was suggested that if a person falls from
G a mountain or a considerable height, the very same injuries
  could have been sustained. While answering the said
  suggestion in affirmative, PW-6, however, qualified her
  statement by stating that the injuries sustained by fall will not
  be as extensive as it was in the case of the deceased. The said
H specific statement of PW-6, therefore, ruled out the possibility
 BARKU BHAVRAO BHASKAR v. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA               457
      [FAKKIR MOHAMED IBRAHIM KALIFULLA, J.]

of the deceased having fallen down, either on her own or by         A
way of an accidental fall by which she could have sustained the
injuries, which were noted in the postmortem report Ext.22.
Further the trial Court has also stated that on behalf of the
accused, the homicidal cause of death was not seriously
disputed. In such circumstances the conclusion that the death       B
of the deceased was a homicidal one, has become an
irreversible one and proceeding on the above basis, the only
other factor left to be examined was as to who was responsible
for causing the said homicidal death of the deceased. When
we examine the said question, the circumstances narrated by         c
the Courts below require to be considered. All that we can
examine in this appeal is as to whether there were any serious
flaws in the judgment of the Courts below, while holding that the
circumstances found proved against the appellant were all
clinching and that there were no missing link in those              0
circumstances, in order to hold that the appellant was not guilty
of the charges found proved against him.

       12. When we examine first of the circumstances, namely,
the last seen theory put against the appellant, we find that the
evidence of PW-3 and PW-7, were relied upon to support the          E
said circumstance. PW-3 is none other than the mother of the
deceased. The Court has found that the appellant being a
relative, his presence at 10.30 am on the date of the occurrence
in the house with the deceased sitting on his lap, was noted
by PW-3, when she was washing the clothes and attending to          F
the other domestic chores. The Courts have found that there
was no reason for PW-3 to utter any falsehood on this aspect
and that she had seen the deceased and the appellant together
till about 11 am, in the morning and thereafter, she was under
the impression that the appellant, as was suggested earlier,        G
would have taken the girl to his mother's place in the village,
who also happened to be the grand-mother of the child. Such
an impression gained by PW-3, could not have been ruled out.
However, when the child was not traced till the evening, it was
quite natural that PW-1, the father of the deceased, was duly       H
    458     SUPREME COURT REPORTS                  [2013] 8 8.C.R.


A informed, who along with PW-5, his brother, stated to have
  made an intensive search and in that process, they came
  across the version of PW-7, a petty shop owner, in whose shop
  the appellant and the deceased were found at around 1.15 pm,
  when the appellant procured some sweets valued at Rs.1 for
B the deceased child.

       13. Therefore, t he Courts below have held that the last
  seen theory was thus fully established. An attempt was then
  made to find fault with the said evidence by contending that the
  role of PW-7 came to light only through one Mr. Ashok, who
C was not examined. The said contention was rejected by stating
  that on behalf of the appellant, a requisition was initially made
  to examine the said Ashok and for the reason best known to
  him, it was subsequently withdrawn. By referring to the said
  conduct displayed on behalf of the appellant, it was held that
D the evidence of PW-3 and PW-7, sufficiently establish the
  circumstance, namely, that the deceased was in the custody
  of the appellant before she ultimately met with her unfortunate
  death.

E      14. In fact, there was one other child witness by name
  Mohna, who appeared to have informed PW-1 about having
  seen the deceased in the company of the appellant on that very
  day. Though necessary steps were taken by the prosecution
  to examine the said child, it is found that the child witness who
F was about 6 years old, did not open her mouth in the Court and
  the High Court has noted that such a conduct displayed by the
  said child cannot be found fault with and the very factum of the
  attempt made to examine the child was held in favour of the
  prosecution by stating that the prosecution did not want to
G suppress any material in order to prove whatever evidence that
  was existing. We also fully concur with the said conclusion of
  the High Court, in so far as the said part of the prosecution case
  as displayed before the trial Court.

      15. The other circumstance, namely, about the blood stains
H found on the clothes of the appellant was concerned, it was
  BARKU BHAVRAO BHASKAR v. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA                459
       [FAKKIR MOHAMED IBRAHIM KALIFULLA, J.)

 contended that though the blood group found on the clothes of         A
 the appellant was 'A' and that the blood group of the deceased
was also 'A', it was submitted on behalf of the appellant that
 the blood group of the appellant was not tested. While
examining the said contention, the High Court has taken pains
to note that when at the instance of the appellant, his shirt was      B
 recovered under Exts.16 and 17 and when the appellant was
 physically examined, it was found that there were absolutely no
 injuries on the body of the appellant and, therefore, the question
of the blood stains from the body of the appellant to get
transmitted to his shirt was ruled out. It was, therefore, held that   c
the blood stains found on the appellant's shirt, considered along
with the factum of the appellant having led the prosecution to
discover his blood stained clothes and the body of the
deceased put together, the blood stains found in the shirt of the
appellan,t, could have been only that of the deceased and none
                                                                       0
else. The said conclusion arrived at by the High Court was fully
justified and no fault can be found with the said conclusion. As
regards the blood stains found on the shirt of the appellant,
except the ipsi dixit submission made on this aspect, no other
submission was made and there was no valid explanation
offered on behalf of the appellant as to how the blood stains          E
came to be found on his shirt, which was recovered at his
instance, in the presence of the panch witnesses.

      16. As far as the recovery of the body of the deceased was
concerned, the Courts below have noted that such recovery              F
came to be made only at the instance of the appellant, which
was witnessed by PW-1, the father, in whose presence at the
foot of the mountain called "Munja Dongar", in the precincts of
village Patvihir, the dead body covered by large and small
stones, as well as 2-3 branches of babool tree. The High Court         G
has discussed the said evidence in minute details to hold that
the recovery of the body of the deceased was only at the
instance of the accused and, therefore, there was no scope to
doubt the same.
                                                                       H
    460     SUPREME COURT REPORTS                   [2013) 8 S.C.R.


A      17. With that when we come to motive aspect, which was
  one other circumstance found proved against the appellant, we
  find from the evidence of PWs-1, 4 and 5 that all of them in
  unison deposed that the appellant had an axe to grind against
  PW-1, since PW-1 tiad once abused him at the village, as
B regards the issue relating to the payment received by him, for
  which he did not render any service. Though a feeble attempt
  was made on behalf of the appellant to state that there was
  some variation in the version of the witnesses, the High Court
  considered the said submission in detail and has found that they
c were all trivial and that there was absolutely nothing to contradict
  the allegation of motive, as against the appellant, vis-a-vis PW-
  1, the complainant.

       18. Having regard to such overwhelming evidence
  available on record, which proved every one of the
D circumstances put against the appellant and which has been
  examined in detail by the trial Court as well as by the High Court,
  we do not find any merit in this appeal. The appeal fails, the
  same is dismissed.

E K.K.T.                                         Appeal dismissed.