Supreme Court of India
BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS.versusSTATE OF KARNATAKA
- Citation
- 2009 INSC 434
- Decided
- 31 March 2009
- Disposal
- Appeal(s) allowed
- Bench
- ARIJIT PASAYAT
Holding
The High Court’s interference with the trial court’s acquittal was unwarranted; the order of acquittal stands.
Summary
The appellants, the husband and in‑laws of a married woman who committed suicide, were charged under Sections 306 and 498A IPC for alleged dowry harassment. The trial court acquitted them, holding that the complainant‑investigating officer’s involvement did not taint the prosecution and that the evidence was insufficient. The Karnataka High Court set aside the acquittal, convicting the accused. The Supreme Court held that the High Court erred by not analysing the trial court’s findings and by interfering without "substantial and compelling reasons". It reiterated that under Section 378 CrPC the appellate court may review the evidence but must respect the double presumption of innocence and only overturn an acquittal on very strong grounds. Consequently, the order of acquittal was restored and the appeal was allowed.
Issues considered
- The scope of appellate power under Section 378 of the CrPC in appeals against acquittal
- Whether the complainant acting as investigating officer vitiates the prosecution case
- Whether the evidence established the offences under Sections 306 and 498A IPC
- The applicability of the presumption of innocence and the standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt in an acquittal appeal
Legislation cited
- Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973s. 372, s. 373, s. 374, s. 375, s. 376, s. 377, s. 378, s. 379, s. 380, s. 423
- Indian Penal Code, 1860s. 304-B, s. 306, s. 34, s. 498A
Subjects
dowry harassmentsuicideSection 498A IPCSection 306 IPCappeal against acquittalpresumption of innocenceevidentiary standardCriminal Procedure Code Section 378appellate jurisdiction
Judgment
./
'·I
[2009] 5 S.C.R. 256
A BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS.
v.
STATE OF KARNATAKA
(Criminal Appeal No. 415 of 2002)
-
'»--
.,,
MARCH 31, 2009 ,..
B
[DR. ARIJIT PASAYAT AND ASOK KUMAR
GANGULY, JJ.]
Penal Code, 1860 - ss. 306 and 498A - Married woman
c committed suicide - Allegedly due to ill-treatment and
harassment for dowry by husband and in-laws - Case of
prosecution that accused persons coerced deceased to bring
more dowry and accordingly mother of deceased gave
cheque of Rs.10,0001- to husband of deceased, but
D harassment continued - Accused in defence pleaded that ~
husband of deceased was having a truck which met with
accident and mother of deceased gave the cheque for repairs
of said truck and not as dowry - Trial court acquitted the
accused-appellants - High Court set aside the order of
E acquittal - On facts, held: From the documentary evidence
on record, prima facie, the defence of accused persons
appears to be more probable - At least it creates doubt
regarding the case of prosecution - There was no analysis
of the conclusions of trial Court by the High Court - Hence,
interference by High Court with the order of acquittal was not r
F
correct.
Criminal Law - Investigation - Conducted by complainant
- Effect of- Held: Merely because the complainant conducted
the investigation, that would not be sufficient to cast doubt on
G the prosecution version - The matter has to be decided on
case to case basis without any universal generalization.
Appeal - Appeal against acquittal - Power of appellate ,,_
court - Ambit and scope - Case Law discussed - On facts,
H 256
__,
~ BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS. v. STATE OF 257
KARNATAKA
High Court set aside the order of acquittal passed by trial court A
without analyzing the conclusions arrived at by it, which was
not justified - Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 - s.378.
Appellant No.1 's wife committed suicide. According
to the prosecution, appellant no.1 and his family B
members· harassed and ill-treated the deceased and
coerced her to bring more dowry and accordingly PW2,
''t mother of the deceased, gave a cheque of Rs.10,0001- to
------ appellant no.1, but the harassment continued which
ultimately led to the incident. Appellants in their defence
pleaded that appellant no.1 was having a truck which
c
-=-<
met with accident and required heavy repairs and so PW2
gave the cheque for repairs of said truck and not as
dowry. Appellant nos. 2 and 3 are the parents-in-law,
appellant nos, 4 and 5 are the sisters-in-law and appellant
--(
no.6 is the brother-in-law of the deceased. D
The trial court held that the Investigating officer
should not have proceeded with the investigation as he
was the complainant and thus the prosecution version
was tainted and also that the evidence of the witnesses E
did not inspire confidence and consequently acquitted
the appellants. On appeal, the High Court convicted the
appellants under ss. 306 and 498A. Hence the present
appeal.
-( ,
F
Allowing the appeal, the Court
,• HELD:1. Merely because the complainant conducted
the investigation, that would not be sufficient to cast
doubt on the prosecution version to hold that the same
makes the prosecution version vulnerable. The matter G
has to be decided on case to case basis without any
universal generalization. [Para 5) [263-G-H; 264-A]
Bhagwan Singh v. The State of Rajasthan (1976) 1 ~CC
15 and Megha Singh v. State of Haryana (1996) 11 SCC 709, H
258 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 5 S.C.R.
A referred to.
2. As regards the powers of the appellate court in
dealing with appeals against acquittal, when su~h an
appeal is filed, the High Court has full power to re-
s appreciate, review and reconsider the evidence at large,
the material on which the order of acquittal is founded
and to reach its own conclusions on such evidence. Both
questions of fact and of law are open to determination by
the High Court in an appeal against an order of acquittal.
'However, in case of acquittal, there is a double
--
C presumption in favour of the accused. Firstly, the
presumption of innocence is available to him under the
fundamental principle of criminal jurisprudence that every
person should be presumed to be innocent unless he is
proved to be guilty by a competent court of law. Secondly,
D the accused having secured an acquittal, the
presumption of his innocence is certainly not weakened
but reinforced, reaffirmed and strengthened by the trial
court. [Paras 10 and 11) [266-A-D]
E Shea Swarup v. R. Emperor(1934) 61IA398; NurMohd.
v. Emperor AIR 1945 PC 151; Prandas v. State AIR 1954 SC
36; Surajpa/ Singh v. State (1952 SCR 193); Ajmer Singh v.
State of Punjab (1953) SCR 418; Atley v. State of U.P. AIR
(1955) SC 807; Aher Raja Khima v. State of Saurashtra
F (1955) 2 SCR 1285; Sanwat Singh v. State of Rajasthan
(1961) 3 SCR 120; M.G. Agarwal v. State of Maharashtra
(1963) 2 SCR 405; Shivaji Sahabrao Bobade v. State of
Maharashtra (1973 (2) SCC 793; K. Gopal Reddy v. State of
A.P (1979) 1 SCC 355; Ramesh Babula/ Doshi v. State of
G Gujarat (1996) 9 SCC 225; Allarakha K. Mansuri v. State of
Gujarat (2002) 3 SCC 57;Bhagwan Singh v. State of M.P.
(2002) 4 SCC 85; Harijana Thirupa/a v. Public Prosecutor,
High Court of A.P. (2002) 6 SCC 470; Ramanand Yadav v.
Prabhu Nath Jha (2003) 12 SCC 606; Ka/Ju v. State of M.P.
H (2006) 10 SCC 313 and Chandrappa and Ors. v. State of
•
BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS. v. STATE OF 259
1
KARNATAKA
. Kamataka (2007) 4 SCC 415, referred to . A
3. A person has, no doubt, a profound right not to be
convicted of an offence which is not established by the
.,,
evidential standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt•
Though this standard is a higher standard, there is, B
however, no absolute standard. What degree of
probability amounts to "proof' is an exercise particular
to each case. The concepts of probability, and the
degrees of it, cannot be expressed in terms of units to
be mathematically enumerated as to how many of such
units constitute proof beyond reasonable doubt. There c'
is an unmistakable subjective element,Jn tb.e evaluation
of the degrees of probability and the quant~~ 'ofproof.
Forensic probability must, in the last analysis; rest on a
--.,· robust common sense and, ultimately, on the trained
intuitions of the Judge. While the protection given by the D
criminal process to the accused persons is not to be
eroded, at the same time, uninformed legitimization of
trivialities would make a mockery of administration of
criminal justice. [Paras 37 and 39] [281-G-H; 282-G-H; 283-
B] E
State of U.P. v. Krishna Gopal (1988) 4 SCC 302;
Krishnan and Anr. v. State represented by Inspector of Police
(2003) 7 SCC 56 and Va/son and Anr. v. State of Kera/a
'( (Criminal Appeal No.572 of 2001 disposed of on August F
1, 2008), referred to.
"The Mathematics of Proof //": Glanville Williams,
Criminal Law Review, 1979, by Sweet and Maxwell, p.340
(342), referred to.
G
4. In the instant case, from the documentary evidence
on record, prima facie it is clear that appellant no.1
{accused no.1) was having a truck which met with
accident and defence of the accused persons appears to
be more probable. At least it creates doubt regarding the H
•
260 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 5 S.C.R.
A case of prosecution that the cheque for Rs.10 000/- was
given towards the demand of dowry. PW-1's evidence is
also significant. He stated his daughter and appellant
no.1 came to his house and his daughter told that there
is no ill-treatment by her husband but stated that there
B is ill-treatment by appellant nos.4 to 6 and so, she does
not want to go back and stayed there. From this evidence
of PW- 1, it is clear that there was no ill-treatment by
appellant Nos.1 to 3 to the deceased and ill-treatment if
any, was only by appellant nos. 4 to 6. In spite of the same,
c PW-1 stated that on the next day, his daughter and
appellant no.1 went to their house. Another version given
by this witness is that appellant No.4 had no issues and
she was insisting the deceased to give her son in
adoption to her, to which she refused and so appellant
no.4 started ill-treating her. This version is unbelievable, ~
D
simply because, appellant No.4 has no issues, it does not
mean that she same will insist her brother or her brother's
wife to give their only son in adoption to her. Even
assuming that she has demanded so, it does not mean
that is demand of dowry so as to attract the provisions
E of Section 498A IPC. PWs 1, 2 and 5 i.e. father, mother and
brother of the deceased did not speak of any dowry
demand. The High Court's reasoning that there was
nothing to show that appellant no.1 owned a truck is
contrary to the evidence on record. PW-1 has accepted ..,.
F the position as noticed by the trial Court. There is no
analysis of the conclusions of the trial Court by the High
Court. Hence, the interference by the High Court with the
order of acquittal is not correct. [Paras 42, 43, 44 and 45]
[284-C-E, G-H; 285-A-F]
G
Case Law Reference:
(1976) 1 sec 15 referred to Para 5
(1996) 11 sec 109 referred to Para 5
H
BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS. v. STATE OF 261
• KARNATAKA
(1934) 61 IA 398 referred to Para 13 A
AIR 1945 PC 151 referred to Para 17
AIR 1954 SC 36 referred to Para 18
(1952 SCR 193) referred to Para 20
,. B
(1953) SCR 418 referred to Para 21
AIR (1955) SC 807 referred to Para 23
(1955) 2 SCR 1285 referred to Para 24
c
(1961) 3 SCR 120 referred to Para 25
(1963) 2 SCR 405 referred to Para 26
(1973 (2) sec 793 referred to Para 27
(1979) 1 sec 355 referred to Para 29 D
-</
(1996) 9 sec 225 referred to Para 30
(2002) 3 sec 57 referred to Para 31
(2002) 4 sec 85 ·referred to Para 32 E
(2002) 6 sec 470 referred to Para 33
(2003) 12 sec 606 referred to Para 34
(2006) 10 sec 313 referred to Para 35
-
' -. c2001) 4 sec 415
(1988) 4 sec 302
referred to
referred to
Para 36
Para 39
F
(2003) i sec 56 referred to Para 40
G
CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Criminal Appeal
No. 415 of 2002.
~
From the Judgment and Order dated 29.10.2001 of the
High Court ofKarnataka at Bangalore in Criminal Appeal No.
H
262 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 5 S.C.R. •
A 830 of 1996.
S.B. Sanyal, Shantha Kr. Mahale, Rajesh Mahale and
Harish for the Appellant.
Sanjay R. Hegde, A. Rohen Singh, Vikrant Yadav and
B Nishant Mishra1or,the Respondents.
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
DR. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J. 1. Challenge in this appeal is
to the judgment of a Division Bench of the Karnataka High
c Court allowing the appeal filed by the respondent-State of
Karnataka. Said Criminal appeal was filed under Section
378(1) and (3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (in
short the 'Code'). The learned 3rd Additional Sessions Judge,
Dharwad, directed acquittal of the present appellants who
D faced trial for alleged commission of offences punishable under
T
Sections 304-B, 306, 498-A read with Section 34 of the Indian
Penal Code, 1860 (in short the 'IPC').
2. The prosecution version i~ a nutshell is as follows:
E
The accused No.1 is the husband of Ratnawa (hereinafter
referred to as the 'deceased') who was given in marriage to
the accused No.1 about 1% years prior to her death and during
their marriage, the accused No.1 was given 11 tolas of gold
and a cash of Rs.10,000/- alongwith other utensils. In spite of
F all this, the accused were ill-treating and harassing the
deceased Ratnawa coercing her to bring more dowry and
accordingly a cheque of Rs.10,000/- was given to the accused
No.1 by the mother of the deceased. But in spite of that the
accused did not stop the ill-treatment, and harassment to the
G deceased Ratnawa. On account of constant harassment and
ill treatment to the deceased, they made the life of the
deceased a miserable one which abetted the deceased to
commit suicide. The accused No.1 is the husband of the ~
deceased, the accused Nos.2 and 3 are the parents in law, the
H
....,,, BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS. v. STATE OF 263
KARNATAKA [DR. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.]
accused Nos.4 and 5 are the sisters in law and the accused A
- No.6 is the brother in law of the deceased.
On the basis of information lodged, investigation was
undertaken and on completion thereof chargesheet was filed.
As accused persons pleaded innocence, trial was held.
8
In order to substantiate its case, the prosecution has
examined at the trial PWs.1 to 18 and got marked in evidence
Ex.P1 to P15 and Mos.1to12. Investigation was undertaken.
The trial Court held that the Investigating Officer should not c
have proceeded with the investigation as he was the
complainant and on that ground held the prosecution version
to be tainted. It also found that the evidence of the witnesses
did not inspire confidence.
" D
., Acquittal was challenged before the High Court, which on
the other hand held that the conclusions of the trial Court are
erroneous.
3. Learned counsel for the appellants submitted that the
High Court nowhere recorded a finding that the conclusions of E
the trial Court were either perverse or not supported by reasons.
- /' 4. Learned counsel for the respondent-State on the other
hand supported the judgment of the High Court.
5. So far as the desirability of the complainant undertaking F
-~
investigation is concerned there is no legal bar. The decisions
of this Court in Bhagwan Singh v. The State of Rajasthan
(1976 (1) SCC 15 at para 18) and Megha Singh v. State of
Haryana (1996 (11) SCC 709 at para 4) have to be confined
to the facts of the said cases. Merely because the complainant G
conducted the investigation, that would. not be sufficient to cast
.. doubt on the prosecution version to hold that the same makes
the prosecution version vulnerable. The matter has to be
decided on case to case basis without any universal
H
264 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009) 5 S.C.R.
•
A generalization.
6. On the facts of the present case A-1 went to lodge the
report. The S.I. (PW-17) registered the case and on completion
-
of investigation charge sheet was filed by D.S.P.
B 7. So far as appeals against acquittals are concerned,
Chapter XXIX (Sections 372-394) of the Code deals with
appeals. Section 372 expressly declares that no appeal shall
lie from any judgment or order of a criminal court except as
provided by the Code or by any other law for the time being in
c force. Section 373 provides for filing of appeals in certain
cases. Section 374 allows appeals from convictions. Section
375 bars appeals in cases where the accused pleads guilty.
Likewise, no appeal is maintainable in petty cases (Section
376). Section 377 permits appeals by the State for ...
D enhancement of sentence. Section 378 confers power on the
State to present an appeal to the High Court from an order of .,_
acquittal. The said section is material and may be quoted in
extenso:
"378. Appeal in case of acquittal.-(1) Save as otherwise
E provided in sub-section (2) and subject to the provisions
of sub-sections (3) and (5), the State Government may, in
any case, direct the Public Prosecutor to present an
appeal to the High Court from an original or appellate order
of acquittal passed by any court other than a High Court,
F or an order of acquittal passed by the Court of Session in
revision. >
(2) If such an order of acquittal is passed in any case in
which the offence has been investigated by the Delhi
G Special Police Establishment constituted under the Delhi
Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 (25 of 1946), or
by any other agency empowered to make investigation
into an offence under any Central Act other than this Code,
the Central Government may also direct the Public .....
H Prosecutor to present an appeal, subject to the provisions
BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS. v. STATE OF 265
KARNATAKA [DR. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.]
of sub-section (3), to the High Court from the order of A
acquittal.
(3) No appeal under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) shall
be entertained except with the leave of the High Court.
(4) If such an order of acquittal is passed in any case B
instituted upon complaint and the High Court, on an
application made to it by the complainant in this behalf,
grants special leave to appeal from the order of acquittal,
the complainant may present such an appeal to the High
Court. c
(5) No application under sub-section (4) for the grant of
special leave to appeal from an order of acquittal shall be
entertained by the High Court after the expiry of six months,
where the complainant is a public servant, and sixty days D
-f
in every other case, computed from the date of that order
of acquittal.
(6) If, in any case, the application under sub-section (4) for
the grant of special leave to app~al from an order of
acquittal Is refused, no appeal from that order of acquittal E
shall lie under sub-section (1) or under sub-section (2).
8. Whereas Sections 379-380 cover special cases of
appeals, other sections lay down procedure to be followed by
appellate courts. F
9. It may be stated that more or less similar provisions
were found in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898
(hereinafter referred to as "the old Code") which came up for
consideration before various High Courts, Judici~I Committee G
of the Privy Council as also before this Court. Since in the
present appeal, we have been called upon to decide the ambit
and scope of the power of an appellate court in an ;appeal
', against an order of acquittal, we have confined ourselves to one
aspect only i.e. an appeal against an order of acquittal.
H
266 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009) 5 S.C.R.
A 10. Bare reading of Section 378 of the present Code
(appeal in case of acquittal) quoted above, makes it clear that
no restrictions have been imposed by the legislature on the
powers of the appellate court in dealing with appeals against
acquittal. When such an appeal is filed, the High Court has full
B power to re-appreciate, review and reconsider the evidence at
large, the material on which the order of acquittal is founded
and to reach its own conclusions on such evidence. Both
questions of fact and of law are open to determination by the
High Court in an appeal against an order of acquittal.
c 11. It cannot, however, be forgotten that in case of acquittal,
there is a double presumption in favour of the accused. Firstly,
the presumption of innocence is available to him under the
fundamental principle of criminal jurisprudence that every
person should be presumed to be innocent unless he is proved
D to be guilty by a competent court of law. Secondly, the accused
having secured an acquittal, the presumption of his innocence
is certainly not weakened but reinforced, reaffirmed and
strengthened by the trial court.
E 12. Though the above principles are well established, a
differe11t note was struck in several decisions by various High
Courts and even by this Court. It is, therefore, appropriate if we
consider some of the leading decisions on the point.
13. The first important decision was rendered by the
F Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in Sheo Swarup v. R.
Emperor(1934) 61 IA 398). In Sheo Swarup the accused were
acquitted by the trial court and the local Government directed
the Public Prosecutor to present an appeal to the High Court
from an order of acquittal under Section 417 of the old Code
G (similar to Section 378 of the present Code). At the time of
hearing of appeal before the High Court, it was contended on
behalf of the accused that in an appeal from an order of
acquittal, it was not open to the appellate court to interfere with
the findings of fact recorded by the trial Judge unless such
H
BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS. v. STATE OF 267
.l KARNATAKA [DR ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.]
findings could not have been reached by him had there not been A
some perversity or incompetence on his part. The High Court,
however, declined to accept the said view. It held that no
condition was imposed on the High Court in such appeal. It
accordingly reviewed all the evidence in the case and having
formed an opinion of its weight and reliability different from that B
of the trial Judge, recorded an order of conviction. A petition
was presented to His Majesty in Council for leave to appeal
on the ground that conflicting views had been expressed by the
High Courts in different parts of India upon the question whether
in an appeal from an order of acquittal, an appellate court had
the power to interfere with the findings of fact recorded by the
c
trial Judge. Their Lordships thought it fit to clarify the legal
position and accordingly upon the "humble advice of their
Lordships", leave was granted by His Majesty. The case was,
thereafter, argued. The Committee considered the scheme and
interpreting Section 417 of the Code (old Code) observed that D
"
there was no indication in the Code of any limitation or
restriction on t.he High Court in exercise of powers as an
Appellate Tribunal. The Code also made no distinction as
regards powers of the High Court in dealing with an appeal
against acquittal and an appeal against conviction. Though E
several authorities were cited revealing different views by the
High Courts dealing with an appeal from an order of acquittal,
the Committee did not think it proper to discuss all the cases.
14. Lord Russel summed up the legal position thus: F
...
"There is, in their opinion, no foundation for the view,
apparently supported by the judgments of some courts in
India, that the High Court has no power or jurisdiction to
reverse an order of acquittal on a matter of fact, except in
cases in which the lower court has 'obstinately blundered', G
or has 'through incompetence, stupidity or perversity'
reached such 'distorted conclusions as to produce a
positive miscarriage of justice', or has in some other way
so conducted or misconducted itself as to produce a
H
-
268 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (2009] 5 S.C.R.
A glaring miscarriage of justice, or has been tricked by the
defence so as to produce a similar result."
15. His Lordship, then proceeded to observe: (IA p.404)
"Sections 417, 418 and 423 of the Code give to the High
B . Court full power to review at large the evidence upon which
the order of acquittal was founded, and to reach the
conclusion that upon that evidence the order of acquittal
should be reversed. No limitation should be placed upon
that power, unless it be found expressly stated in the
c Code."
16. The Committee, however, cautioned appellate courts
and stated: (IA p.404)
"But in exercising the power conferred by the Code and
D before reaching its conclusions upon fact, the High Court
should and will always give proper weight and
consideration to such matters as (1) the views of the trial
Judge as to the credibility of the witnesses; (2) the
presumption of innocence in favour of the accused, a
E presumption certainly not weakened by the fact that he has
been acquitted at his trial; (3) the right of the accused to
the benefit of any doubt; and (4) the slowness of an
appellate court in disturbing a finding of fact arrived at by
a judge who had the advantage of seeing the witnesses.
F To state this, however, is only to say that the High Court
in its conduct of the appeal should and will act in
accordance with rules and principles well known and
recognised in the administration of justice."
(emphasis supplied)
G
17. In Nur Mohd. v. Emperor (AIR 1945 PC 151), the
Committee reiterated the above view in Sheo Swarup (Supra)
and held that in an appeal against acquittal, the High Court has
full powers to review and to reverse acquittal.
H
BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS. v. STATE OF 269
KARNATAKA [DR. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.]
18. So far as this Court is concerned, probably the first A
decision on the point was Prandas v. State (AIR 1954 SC 36)
(though the case was decided on 14·3-1950, it was reported
only in 1954). In that case, the accused was acquitted by the
trial court. The Provincial Government preferred an appeal
which was allowed and the accused was convicted for offences B
punishable under Sections 302 and 323 IPC. The High Court,
for convicting the accused, placed reliance on certain
eyewitnesses.
19. Upholding the decision of the High Court and following
the proposition of law in Sheo Swarup -(supra), a six-Judge
c
Bench held as follows:
"6. It must be observed at the very outset that we cannot
-< support the view which has been expressed in several
cases that the High Court has no power under Section D
417, Criminal Procedure Code, to reverse a judgment of
acquittal, unless the judgment is perverse or the
subordinate court has in some way or other misdirected
itself so as to produce a miscarriage of justice. n
E
(emphasis supplied)
20. In Sur,ajpal Singh v. State (1952 SCR 193), a two-
Judge Bench ol;>served that it was well established that in an
t appeal under Section 417 of the (old) Code, the High Court
had full power to review the evidence upon which the order of F
acquittal was founded. But it was equally well settled that the
presumption of innocence of the accused was further reinforced
by his acquittal by the trial court, and the findings of the trial court
which had the advantage of seeing the witnesses and hearing
their evidence could be reversed only for very substantial and G
compelling reasons.
21. In Ajmer Singh v. State of Punjab (1953 SCR 418)
the accused was acquitted by the trial court but was convicted
by the High Court in an appeal against acquittal filed by the H
270 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 5 S.C.R.
A State. The aggrieved accused approached this Court. It was
contended by him that there were "no compelling reasons" for
setting aside the order of acquittal and due and proper weight
had not been given by the High Court to the opinion of the trial
court as regards the credibility of witnesses seen and
B examined. It was also commented that the High Court
committed an error of law in observing that "when a strong
'prima facie' case is made out against an accused person it
is his duty to explain the circumstances appearing in evidence
against him and he cannot take shelter behind the presumption
c of innocence and cannot state that the law entitles him to keep
his lips sealed".
22. Upholding the contention, this Court said:
"We think this criticism is well founded. After an order of
D acquittal has been made the presumption of innocence is
further reinforced by that order, and that being so, the trial
court's decision can be reversed not on the ground that
the accused had failed to explain the circumstances
appearing against him but only for very substantial and
E compelling reasons. n
(emphasis supplied)
23. In At/ey v. State of U.P. (AIR 1955 SC 807) this Court
said:
F
"In our opinion, it is not correct to say that unless the
appellate court in an appeal under Section 417, Criminal
Procedure Code came to the conclusion that the judgment
of acquittal under appeal was perverse it could not set
G aside that order.
It has been laid down by this Court that it is open to the
High Court on an appeal against an order of acquittal to
review the entire evidence and to come to its own
conclusion, of course, keeping in view the well-established
H
.t
BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS. v. STATE OF 271
KARNATAKA [bR. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.]
-i
rule that the presumption of innocence of the accused is A
not weakened but strengthened by the judgment of
acquittal passed by the trial court which had the advantage
-.. of observing the demeanour of witnesses whose evidence
have been recorded in its presence.
B
It is also well settled that the court of appeal has as wide
powers of appreciation of evidence in an appeal against
an order of acquittal as in the case of an appeal against
an order of conviction, subject to the riders that the
presumption of innocence with which the accused person
starts in the trial court continues even up to the appellate
c
I stage and that the appellate court should attach due weight
.-j to the opinion of the trial court which recorded the order
:")
of acquittal.
... If the appellate court reviews the evidence, keeping those D
principles in mind, and comes to a contrary conclusion, the
judgment cannot be said to have been vitiated."~
'I (emphasis supplied)
24. In Aher Raja Khima v. State of Saurashtra (1955) 2 E
SCR 1285) the accused was prosecuted under Sections 302
and 447 IPC. He was acquitted by the trial court but convicted
by the High Court. Dealing with the power of the High Court
against an order of acquittal, Bose, J. speaking for the majority
1 (2:1) stated: (AIR p. 220, para 1) "It is, in our opinion, well settled F
that it is not enough for the High Court to take a different view
of the evidence; there must also be substantial and
compelling reasons for holding that the trial court was wrong."
(emphasis supplied) G
25. In Sanwat Singh v. State of Rajasthan (1961) 3 SCR
120, a three-Judge Bench considered almost all leading
decisions on the point and observed that there was no difficulty
in applying the principles laid down by the Privy Council and
H
272 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009) 5 S.C.R.
A accepted by the Supreme Court. The Court, however, noted that
appellate courts found considerable difficulty in understanding
the scope of the words "substantial and compelling reasons"
used in certain decisions. It was observed inter-alia as follows:
"This Court obviously did not and could not add a condition
B
to Section 417 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The
words were intended to convey the idea that an appellate
court not only shall bear in mind the principles laid down
by the Privy Council but also must give its clear reasons
for coming to the conclusion that the order of acquittal was
c wrong."
The Court concluded as follows:
"9. The foregoing discussion yields the following results:
(1) an appellate court has full power to review the evidence
D
upon which the order of acquittal is founded; (2) the
principles laid down in Sheo Swarup case afford a correct
guide for the appellate court's approach to a case in•
disposing of such an appeal; and (3) the different
phraseology used in the judgments of this Court, such as,
E (i) 'substantial and compelling reasons', (ii) 'good and
sufficiently cogent reasons', and (iii) 'strong reasons' are
not intended to curtail the undoubted power of an appellate
court in an appeal against acquittal to review the entire
evidence and to come to its own conclusion; but in doing
'F so it should not only consider every matter on record having
a bearing on the questions of fact and the reasons given
by the court below in support of its order of acquittal in its
arriving at a conclusion on those facts, but should also
express those reasons in its judgment, which lead it to hold
G that the acquittal was not justified."
26. Again, in M. G. Agarwal v. State of Maharashtra (1963)
2 SCR 405, the point was raised before a Constitution Bench
of this Court. Taking note of earlier decisions, it was observed
H as follows:
BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS. v. STATE OF 273
KARNATAKA [DR. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.]
' u17. In some of the earlier decisions of this Court, however, A
in emphasising the importance of adopting a cautious
approach in dealing with appeals against acquittals, it was
observed that the presumption of innocence is reinforced
by the order of acquittal and so, 'the findings of the trial
court which had the advantage of seeing the witnesses and B
1
hearing their evidence can be reversed only for very
substantial and compelling reasons': vide Surajpa/ Singh
v. State (1952 SCR 193). Similarly in Ajmer Singh v. State
of Punjab (1953 SCR 418), it was observed that the
interference of the High Court in an appeal against the c
order of acquittal would be justified only if there are 'very
substantial and compelling reasons to do so'. In some
other decisions, it has been stated that an order of acquittal
can be reversed only for 'good and sufficiently cogent
I
' reasons' or for 'strong reasons'. In appreciating the effect D
_) of these observations, it must be remembered that these
observations were not intended to lay down a rigid or
inflexible rule which should govern the decision of the High
Court in appeals against acquittals. They were not
intended, and should not be read to have intended to
E
introduce an additional condition in clause (a) of Section
423(1) of the Code. All that the said observations are
intended to emphasize is that the approach of the High
Court in dealing with an appeal against acquittal ought to
be cautious because as Lord Russell observed in Sheo
Swarup the presumption of innocence in favour of the F
accused 'is not certainly weakened by the fact that he has
been acquitted at his trial'. Therefore, the test suggested
by the expression 'substantial and compelling reasons'
should not be construed as a formula which has to be
rigidly applied in every case. That is the effect of the recent G
decisions of this Court, for instance, in Sanwat Singh v.
State of Rajasthan and Harbans Singh v. State of Punjab
(1962 Supp 1 SCR 104) and so, it is not necessary that
before reversing a judgment of acquittal, the High Court
HI
274 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 5 S.C.R.
A must necessarily characterise the findings recorded
therein as perverse."
(emphasis supplied)
27. Yet in another leading decision in Shivaji Sahabrao
B Bobade v. State of Maharashtra (1973 (2) SCC 793) this Court
held that in India, there is no jurisdictional limitation on the
powers of appellate court. "In law there are no fetters on the
plenary power of the appellate court to review the whole
evidence on which the order of acquittal is founded and, indeed,
C it has a duty to scrutinise the probative material de novo,
informed, however, by the weighty thought that the rebuttable
innocence attributed to the accused having been converted into
an acquittal the homage our jurisprudence owes to individual
liberty constrains the higher court not to upset the holding
D without very convincing reasons and comprehensive
consideration."
28. Putting emp~asis on balance between importance of
individual liberty and evil of acquitting guilty persons, this Court
E observed as follows:
"6. Even at this stage we may remind ourselves of a
necessary social perspective in criminal cases which
suffers from insufficient forensic appreciation. The dangers
of exaggerated devotion to the rule of benefit of doubt at
F the expense of social defence and to the soothing
sentiment that all acquittals are always good regardless
of justice to the victim and the community, demand
especial emphasis in the contemporary context of
escalating crime and escape. The judicial instrumen! has
G a public accountability. The cherished principles or golden
thread of proof beyond reasonable doubt which runs thro'
the web of our law should not be stretched morbidly to
embrace every hunch, hesitancy and degree of doubt. The
. excessive solicitude reflected in the attitude that a thousand
H guilty men may go but one innocent martyr shall not suffer
,,
--'
BHASKA~ RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS. v. STATE OF 275
KARNATAKA [DR. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.]
' is a false dilemma. Only reasonable doubts belong to the A
accused. 'Jtherwise any practical system of justice will then
breakdown and lose credibility with the community. The evil
of acquitting a guilty person light-heartedly, as a learned
author (Glanville Williams in Proof of Guilt) has saliently
observed, goes much beyond the simple fact that just one B
guilty person has gone unpunished. If unmerited acquittals
become general, they tend to lead to a cynical disregard
of the law, and this in turn leads to a public demand for
harsher legal presumptions against indicted 'persons' and
more severe punishment of those who are found guilty.
Thus, too frequent acquittals of the guilty may lead to a
c
ferocious penal law, eventually eroding the judicial
protection of the guiltless. For all these reasons it is true
to say, with Viscount Simon, that 'a miscarriage of justice
may arise from the acquittal of the guilty no less than from
.J. the conviction of the innocent. .. .' In short, our D
jurisprudential enthusiasm for presumed innocence must
be moderated by the pragmatic need to make criminal
justice potent and realistic. A balance has to be struck
between chasing chance possibilities as good enough to
set the delinquent free and chopping the logic of E
preponderant probab'ility to punish marginal innocents."
(emphasis supplied)
29. In K. Gopal Reddy v. State of A.P (1979) 1 SCC 355,
1 F
the Court was considering the power of the High Court against
an order of acquittal under Section 378 of the present Code.
After considering the relevant decisions on the point it was
stated as follows:
"9. The principles are now well settled. At one time it was G
thought that an order of acquittal could be set aside for
~ 'substantial and compelling reasons' only and courts used
to launch on a search to discover those 'substantial and
compelling reasons'. However, the 'formulae' of
H
276 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 5 S.C.R.
A 'substantial and compelling reasons', 'good and
sufficiently cogent reasons' and 'strong reasons' and the
search for them were abandoned as a result of the
pronouncement of this Court in Sanwat Singh v. State of
Rajasthan (1961) 3 SCR 120. In Sanwat Singh case this
B
Court harked back to the principles enunciated by the Privy
Council in Sheo Swarup v. R. Emperor and reaffirmed
those principles. After Sanwat Singh v. State of Rajasthan
this Court has consistently recognised the right of the
appellate court to review the entire evidence and to come
to its own conclusion bearing in mind the considerations
c mentioned by the Privy Council in Sheo Swarup case.
Occasionally phrases like 'manifestly illegal', 'grossly
unjust', have been used to describe the orders of acquittal
which warrant interference. But, such expressions have
been used more as flourishes of language, to emphasise
D the reluctance of the appellate court to interfere with an
order of acquittal than to curtail the power of the appellate
court to review the entire evidence and to come to its own
conclusion. In some cases (Ramaphupala Reddy v. State
of A.P., (AIR 1971 SC 460) Bhim Singh Rup Singh v.
E State of Maharashtra (AIR 1974 SC 286), it has been said
that to the principles laid down in Sanwat Singh case may
be added the further principle that 'if two reasonable
conclusions can be reached on the basis of the evidence
on record, the appellate court should not disturb the finding
F of the trial court'. This, of course, is not a new principle. It
stems out of the fundamental principle of our criminal
jurisprudence that the accused is entitled to the benefit of
any reasonable doubt. If two reasonably probable and
evenly balanced views of the evidence are possible, one
G must necessarily concede the existence of a reasonable
doubt. But, fanciful and remote possibilities must be left
out of account. To entitle an accused person to the benefit
of a doubt arising from the possibility of a duality of views,
the possible view in favour of the accused must be as
H
BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS. v. STATE OF 277
KARNATAKA [DR. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.]
nearly reasonably probable as that against him. If the A
preponderance of probability is all one way, a bare
possibility of another view will not entitle the accused to
claim the benefit of any doubt. It is, therefore, essential
that any view of the evidence in favour of the accused
must be reasonable even as any doubt, the benefit of B
which an accused person may claim, must be
reasonable."
(emphasis supplied)
30. In Ramesh Babula/ Doshi v. State of Gujarat (1996) C
9 SCC 225, this Court said:
"While sitting in judgment over an acquittal the appellate
court is first required to seek an answer to the question
whether the findings of the trial court are palpably wrong, o
manifestly erroneous or demonstrably unsustainable. If the
appellate court answers the above question in the negative
the order of acquittal is not to be disturbed. Conversely, if
the appell"ate court holds, for reasons to be recorded, that
the order of acquittal cannot at all be sustained in view of E
any of the above infirmities it can then-and then only-
reappraise the evidence to arrive at its own conclusions."
31. In Al/arakha K. Mansuri v. State of Gujarat (2002) 3
SCC 57, referring to earlier decisions, the Court stated:
... F
"7. The paramount consideration of the court should be to
avoid miscarriage of justice. A miscarriage of justice which
may arise from the acquittal of guilty is no less than from
the conviction of an innocent. In a case where the trial court
has taken a view based upon conjectures and hypothesis G
and not on the legal evidence, a duty is cast upon the High
Court to reappreciate the evidence in acquittal appeal for
the purposes of ascertaining as to whether the accused
has committed any offence or not. Probable view taken by
the trial court which may not be disturbed in the appeal is H
278 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 5 S.C.R.
A such a view which is based upon legal and admissible
evidence. Only because the accused has been acquitted
by the trial court, cannot be made a basis to urge that the
High Court under all circumstances should not disturb such
a finding."
B
32. In Bhagwan Singh v. State of M.P. (2002) 4 SCC 85,
the trial court acquitted the accused but the High Court
convicted them. Negativing the contention of the appellants that
the High Court could not have disturbed the findings of fact of
C the trial court even if that view was not correct, this Court
observed:
"7. We do not agree with the submissions of the learned
counsel for the appellants that under Section 378 of the
Code of Criminal Procedure the High Court could not
D disturb the finding of facts of the trial court even if it found
that the view taken by the trial court was not proper. On
the basis of the pronouncements of this Court, the settled
position of law regarding the powers of the High Court in
an appeal against an order of acquittal is that the Court
E has full powers to review the evidence upon which an order
of acquittal is based and generally it will not interfere with
the order of acquittal because by passing an order of
acquittal the presumption of innocence in favour of the
accused is reinforced. The golden thread which runs
F through the web of administration of justice in criminal case
is that if two views are possible on the evidence adduced
in the case, one pointing to the guilt of the accused and
the other to his innocence, the view which is favourable to
the accused should be adopted. Such is not a jurisdiction
limitation on the appellate court but judge-made guidelines
G
for circumspection. The paramount consideration of the
court is to ensure that miscarriage of justice is avoided. A
miscarriage of justice which may arise from the acquittal
of the guilty is no less than from the conviction of an
innocent. In a case where the trial court has taken a view
H
BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS. v. STATE OF 279
\ KARNATAKA [DR. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.]
ignoring the admissible evidence, a duty is cast upon the A
High Court to reappreciate the evidence in acquittal
appeal for the purposes of ascertaining as to whether all
or any of the accused has committed any offence or not".
33. In Harijana Thirupala v. Public Prosecutor, High Cowt
B
of A.P. (2002) 6 SCC 470, this Court said:
"12. Doubtless the High Court in appeal either against an
order of acquittal or conviction as a court of first appeal
has full power to review the evidence to reach its own
. independent conclusion. However, it will not interfere with c
an order of acquittal lightly or merely because one other
view is possible, because with the passing of an order of
acquittal presumption of innocence in favour of the
accused gets reinforced and strengthened. The High Court
j would not be justified to interfere with order of acquittal D
merely because it feels that sitting as a trial court it would
have proceeded to record a conviction; a duty is cast on
the High Court while reversing an order of acquittal to
examine and discuss the reasons given by the trial court
to acquit the accused and then to dispel those reasons. If E
the High Court fails to make such an exercise the judgment
will suffer from serious infirmity."
34. In Ramanand Yadav v. Prabhu Nath Jha (2003) 12
SCC 606, this Court observed:
F
" "21. There is no embargo on the appellate court reviewing
the evidence upon which an order of acquittal is based.
Generally, the order of acquittal shall not be interfered with
because the presumption of innocence of the accused is
further strengthened by acquittal. The golden thread which G
runs through the web of administration of justice in criminal
_. cases is that if two views are possible on the evidence
adduced in the case, one pointing to the guilt of the
accused and the other to his innocence, the view which is
favourable to the accused should be adopted. The H
280 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 5 S.C.R.
A paramount consideration of the court is to ensure that
miscarriage of justice is prevented. A miscarriage of
justice which may arise from acquittal of the guilty is no less
than from the conviction of an innocent. In a case where
admissible evidence is ignored, a duty is cast upon the
B appellate court to reappreciate the evidence in a case
where the accused has been acquitted, for the purpose of
ascertaining as to whether any of the accused committed
any offence or not".
35. Again in Kallu v. State of M.P. (2006) 10 SCC 313,
C this Court stated:
"8. While deciding an appeal against acquittal, the power
of the appellate court is no less than the power exercised
while hearing appeals against conviction. In both types of
D appeals, the power exists to review the entire evidence.
However, one significant difference is that an order of
acquittal will not be interfered with, by an appellate court,
where the judgment of the trial court is based on evidence
and the view taken is reasonable and plausible. It will not
E reverse the decision of the trial court merely because a
different view is possible. The appellate court will also
bear in mind that there is a presumption of innocence in
favour of the accused and the accused is entitled to get
the benefit of any doubt. Further if it decides to interfere,
F it should assign reasons for differing with the decision of
the trial court."
(emphasis supplied)
36. From the above decisions, in Chandrappa and Ors.
G v. State of Kamataka (2007 (4) SCC 415), the following general
principles regarding powers of the appellate court while dealing
with an appeal against an order of acquittal were culled out: ~
(1) An appellate court has full power to review, reappreciate
and reconsider the evidence upon which the order of
H
BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS. v. STATE OF 281
KARNATAKA [DR. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.]
acquittal is founded. A
(2) The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 puts no
limitation, restriction or condition on exercise of such power
and an appellate court on the evidence before it may reach
j
its own conclusion, both on questions of fact and of law. B
(3) Various expressions, such as, "substantial and
compelling reasons", "good and sufficient grounds", "very
strong circumstances", "distorted conclusions", "glaring
mistakes", etc. are not intended to curtail extensive powers
of an appellate court in an appeal against acquittal. Such c
J phraseologies are more in the nature of "flourishes of
language" to emphasise the reluctance of an appellate
court to interfere with acquittal than to curtail the power of
the court to review the evidence and to come to its own
J conclusion. D
(4) An appellate court, however, must bear in mind that in
case of acquittal, there is double presumption in favour of
the accused. Firstly, the presumption of innocence is
available to him under the fundamental principle of criminal E
- jurisprudence that every person sh!!lll be presumed to be
innocent unless he is proved guilty by a competent court
of law. Secondly, the accused having secured his
acquittal, the presumption of his Innocence is further
reinforced, reaffirmed and strengthened_ by the trial court.
F
(5) If two reasonable conclusions are possible on the basis
of the evidence on record, the appellate court should not
disturb the finding of acquittal recorded by the trial court.
37.A person has, no doubt, a profound right not to be G
convicted of an offence which is not established by the
_, evide.ntial standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt. Though
this standard is a higher standard, there is, however, no
absolute standard. What degree of probability amounts to
"proor is an exercise particular to each case. Referring to the
• 'f!
H
'.~:
282 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2009] 5 S.C.R.
A interdependence of evidence and the confirmation of one piece
of evidence by another, a learned author says [see "The
Mathematics of Proof II": Glanville Williams, Criminal Law
Review, 1979, by Sweet and Maxwell, p.340 (342)]:
"The simple multiplication rule does not apply if the
B
separate pieces of evidence are dependent. Two events
are dependent when they tend to occur together, and the
evidence of such events may also be said to be
dependent. In a criminal case, different pieces of evidence
directed to establishing that the defendant did the
c prohibited act with the specified state of mind are generally
~
dependent. A junior may feel doubt whether to credit an
alleged confession, and doubt whether to infer guilt from
the fact that the defendant fled from justice. But since it is
generally guilty rather than innocent people who make
D confessions, and guilty rather than innocent people who run \..
away, the tv.to doubts are not to be multiplied together. The
one piece of evidence may confirm the other."
38. Doubts would be called reasonable if they are free from
E a zest for abstract speculation. Law cannot afford any favourite
other than truth. To constitute reasonable doubt, it must be free
from an overemotional response. Doubts must be actual and
substantial doubts as to the guilt of the accused persons arising
from the evidence, or from the lack of it, as opposed to mere
F vague apprehensions. A reasonable doubt is not an imaginary,
trivial or a merely possible doubt, but a fair doubt based upon
reason and common sense. It must grow out of the evidence
in the case.
39. The concepts of probability, and the degrees of it,
G cannot obviously be expressed in terms of units to be
mathematically enumerated as to how many of such units
constitute proof beyond reasonable doubt. There is an '
unmistakable subjective element in the evaluation of the .
degrees of probability and the quantum of proof. Forensic
H
BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS. v. STATE OF 283
KARNATAKA [DR. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.]
probability must, in the last analysis, rest on a robust common A
sense and, ultimately, on the trained intuitions of the Judge.
While the protection given by the criminal process to the
accused persons is not to be eroded, at the same time,
uninformed legitimization of trivialities would make a mockery
, of administration of criminal justice. This position was B
illuminatingly stated by Venkatachaliah, J. (as His Lordship then
was) in State of U.P. v. Krishna Gopal (1988 (4) SCC 302).
40. The above position was highlighted in Krishnan and
Anr. v. State represented by Inspector of Police (2003 (7) SCC
56) and Va/son and Anr. V. State of Kera/a (Criminal Appeal
c
No.572 of 2001 disposed of on August 1, 2008)
41. In the instant case the trial Court categoric::illy found
that the so called ill treatment was for not bringing money and
_.) also for not willing to part with her child in favour of accused D
No.4. The High Court in the impugned judgment held that the
appellants were guilty of offence punishable under Sections 306
and 498-A IPC.
42. The evidence of PW-2, the wife of PW-1 and the E
mother of the deceased is of great significance. She stated that
---4
,. accused persons were abusing, beating her daughter and
pulling her hairs and they were not giving proper food to her.
She advi,sed her daughter to adjust as this witness has got five
more daughters. She further stated that they had given
~ F
'
Rs.10,000/- in cash out of the income of rent received by her
and she gave it to accused No.I through cheque and still
accused persons did not stop ill-treatment and again
demanded money. They demanded Rs.15,000/- and this
witness was unable to pay the same. So far the cheque is
concerned, the cheque is marked at Ex. P-4, which is a Xerox G
copy and the Manager of the Bank is examined in support of
~
the case as PW-12. The witness PW-12 deposed that the
cheque has been encashed on 24.4.1989 at Syndicate Bank,
Mundgor. The accused persons also admitted of having taken
H
284 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (2009] 5 S.C.R.
A the cheque for Rs.10,000/- but their defence is that accused
No.1 was plying a truck and the truck met with accident which
required heavy repairs and so PW-2 has given a cheque for
repairs of said truck and not as dowry. To show that A-1 was
owning a truck for which he has produced the Xerox of R.C.
B Book which shows the name of A-1 as per the owner of the
truck bearing No.MYE 5577. To show that the said truck met
with an accident accused produced the copy of extract of
Register No.Ill Criminal from the Court of J.M.F.C. Khanapur
which shows that the truck met with accident on 26.12.1988 and
c as per the date of registration and F. I. R. and Register, the case
was registered under Sections 279, 337 and 338 IPC, on the
basis of which, the accused pleaded guilty for the said offences
and the accused was convicted and sentenced to pay a fine
of Rs.500/- and Rs.800/- respectively. From the above said
document prima facie it is clear that A-1 was having the truck
0
bearing No.MYE 5577 which met with an accident on
26.12.1988 within the jurisdiction of Khanapur Court and
defence of the accused persons appears to be more probable.
At least it creates doubt regarding the case of prosecution that
the cheque for Rs.10 0001- - was given towards the demand
E of dowry. PW-1 admitted in the cross-examination that accused
No.2 is the native of Goshanatti in Khanapur Tai, and he has
not got house and land at Goshanatti. But she denied that \"
accused no.2 is cultivating lands personally. But she admitted
that she does not know who is cultivating the land of accused
F No 1. She also denied that accused Nos.3 to 6 were residing ~
at Goshanatti. She had admitted that accused No.I was running
the truck. She admitted that her daughter had come for delivery
to her house and she stayed for seven months with them and
after delivery after about three months, she went to her
G husband's house. She denied that they had paid the cheque
for repairs of the said truck which met with an accident.
43. PW-1's evidence is also significant. He stated his
daughter and son-in-law-accused No. I came to his house and
H
BHASKAR RAMAPPA MADAR AND ORS. v. STATE OF 285
KARNATAKA [DR. ARIJIT PASAYAT, J.)
' his daughter told that there is no ill-treatment by her husband A
-., but stated that there is ill-treatment by accused Nos. 4 to 6 and
so, she does not want to go back and stayed there. From this
evidence of PW- 1, it is clear that there was no ill-treatment by
accused Nos. 1 to 3 to the deceased Ratnawa and ill-treatment
, if any, was only by accused Nos. 4 to 6. In spite of the same, B
PW-1 stated that on the next day, his daughter and accused No.
I went to their house. Another version given by this witness is
that accused No.4-Geeta had no issues and she was insisting
the deceased Ratnavva to give her son in adoption to her, to
which she refused and so accused No.4 started ill-treating her. c
This version is unbelievable, simply because, accused No.4 has
no issues, it does not mean that she same will insist her brother
or her brother's wife to give their only son in adoption to her.
Even assuming that she has demanded so, it does not mean
that is demand of dowry so as to attract the provisions of
D
· Section 498(A) IPC.
44. PWs 1, 2 and 5 i.e. father, mother and brother of the
deceased do not speak of any dowry demand. The High Court's
reasoning that there was nothing to show that A-1 owned a truck
is contrary to the evidence on record. PW-1 has accepted the E
position as noticed by the trial Court. There is no analysis of
-.';.-,
the conclusions of the trial Court by the High Court.
45. Above being the position, the interference by the High
Court with the order of acquittal is not correct. The impugned F
1 order of the High Court is set aside. The bail bonds executed
pursuant to this Court's Court dated 22.3.2002 shall stand
discharged. The appeal is allowed.
B.B.B. Appeal allowed.
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