Holding

The conviction under S.376 IPC is upheld; the victim's testimony, though uncorroborated, is sufficient for conviction, and the absence of penile injury does not invalidate the prosecution.

Summary

The State prosecuted Raghubir Singh, then aged about 16, for raping an 8‑year‑old girl. The victim, her father and sister testified, and a medical doctor confirmed injuries consistent with sexual intercourse. The trial court convicted the accused under S.376 IPC and sentenced him to five years' rigorous imprisonment. The Himachal Pradesh High Court acquitted him, holding that the victim's testimony was uncorroborated and that the absence of injury on the accused's penis was fatal to the prosecution. On appeal, the Supreme Court held that the victim's testimony was clear, credible and sufficiently corroborated by the father, sister and medical evidence; that lack of injury on the male organ does not defeat a rape case; and that the High Court erred by setting aside the conviction on conjectural grounds. The Court set aside the acquittal, affirmed the conviction and upheld the five‑year sentence, noting that no notice or petition was filed to enhance the sentence.

Issues considered

Whether a conviction for rape can be based solely on the testimony of a child victim without corroboration.
Whether the absence of injuries on the accused's male organ defeats the prosecution in a rape case.
Whether the High Court erred in acquitting the accused by relying on conjectural findings.
Whether the sentence can be enhanced without a show‑cause notice or a petition by the State.

Legislation cited

Indian Penal Code, 1860s. 376

Subjects

rapechild sexual assaultevidencecorroborationconvictionIndian Penal CodeSection 376appellate reviewsentencingmedical evidence

Judgment

STATE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH A
_, v.
RAGHUBIR SINGH

FEBRUARY 18, 1993

[DR. A.S. ANAND AND N.P. SINGH, JJ.] B
>--,
Indian Penal Code, 1860:

- S.376-Rape-'Accused--Conviction by trial coun-Acquittal by High
Court-Appeal by State to Supreme Court-Acquittal set aside-'Conviction
and sentence awarded by trial coun confirmed-Held, judgment of High
Court based on conjectural findings and not on proper appreciation of
c
evidence-'Coults must be slow to interfere with findings based on apprecia-
~ lion of evidence in case of child rape-'Conviction can be based on sole
testimony of prosecutru-Absence of injuries on male organ of accused not
always fatal to prosecution case-'Coun cannot enhance sentence without a D
show cause notice to acquitted accused.

The respondent-accused was prosecuted for committing rape on a
~ child of 8/9 years of age. The prosecution case was that: while the
presecutrix (P.W.4), her father (P.W.5) and elder sister (P.W.7) were in
E
their fields, it suddenly started raining and all the three ran towards their
~
house; P.W.4 got separated from the two kins and was folloiting them when
the accused, then aged about 16 years, took her under a mango tree and
committed rape on her; P.W.5, who in the meantime returned to the fields

- in search of P.W.4, saw the accused lying on her; he raised an alarm
whereupon P.W.7, msbed to the spot and the accused ran away leaving F
P.W.4 crying and bleeding per .-agina.
~

Tlte victim was got medically examined the same day and the doctor
(P.W.1), besides mentioning the injuries on the pri.-ate part of the
prosecutrix, reported that she bad been subjected to sexual intercourse.
G
At the trial, P.W.S, P.W.7 and the doctor (P.W.1) who bad medically
examined the prosecutrix, supported the prosecution case in its totality.
_.-<, Tbe trial court held that the accused bad committed an offence of rape_
under s.376, l.P.C. on the prosecutrix, and sentenced him to suffer R.I. for
a period of five years. H
17
18 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1993] 2 S.C.R.

A The accused filed an appeal before the High Court which acquitted
him. The State filed the appeal by special leave to this Court.

Allowing the appeal, this Court,

HELD: 1.1. Courts must be wary, circumspect and slow to interfere
B with reasonable and proper findings based on appreciation of evidence as
recorded by the lower courts, before upsetting the same and acquitting an
accused involved in the commission of heinous offence of rape of hapless
girl child. [p.24B·CJ

C 1.2. The High Court without appreciating or properly discussing the
evidence committed an error in setting aside the findings n.-corded by the
-
trial court which were based on proper appreciation of evidence and were
not unreasonable much less perverse. The judgment of the High Court is
based on conjectural findings and cannot be sustained.[pp.228-C; 2SA]

D 3. The statement of prosecutrix (PW4) is clear, cogent and specific.
The Sessions Judge recorded her statement on being satisfi"d that she was
capable of giving evidence. She narrated the occurrence in a simple and
straight forward manner. The prosecution case was fully supported by her
during her statement and nothing has been brought out in the cross-ex·
f
E amination from which any doubt could be caused about her veracity. Her
statement receives ample corroboration from the testimony of her father y
(PWS) who is found to be a truthful and reliable witness. The medical
evidence of PWl has supported the prosecutrix in all material particulars.

F
The evidence of PW7 who had also seen the accused running away from
the scene of crime further lands credence to the prosecution version.
[pp.21E-H; 22A]
-r
2.1. There is no legal compulsion to look for corroboration of the
evidence of the prosecutrix before recording an order of conviction.Evidence --
has to be weighed and not counted. Conviction can be recorded on the sole
G testimony of the prosecutrix, if her evidence inspires confidence and there is
absence of circumstances which militate against her veracity. [p.220)

2.2. In the instant case the evidence of the prosecntrix is found to be
l]!tiable and trustworthy. No corroboration was required to be looked for,
though enough was available on the record. The medical evidence provided
H sufficient corroboration. [p.22E]
STATE OF H.P. v. RAGHUBIR SINGH 19

'-,I 3.1. There is no inflexible axiom of law which lays down that the A
absence of injuries on the male organ of the accused would always be fatal
to the prosecution case and would discredit the evidence of the prosecutrix,
otherwise found to be reliable. Every case has to be approached with
realistic diversity based on peculiar facts and circumstances of that case
and inferences have to be drawn from the given set of facts and circumstan·
ces. [p.24D-F]
B

Rahim Beg & Anr. v. State of U.P., (1972] 3 SCC 759, distinguished.

-- 3.2. The doctor (PW3), who had examined the respondent, found him
to be capable of sexual intercourse and according to him the absence of
injury on the male organ of the accused was not suggestive of the fact that
C

he had not indulged in sexual intercourse with the prosecutrix, then of
tender years of age. His evidence was not at all challenged on this aspect
by the defence. [p.24F -G]

4.1. The judgment of the High Court acquitting the accused is set D
aside. The accused is convicted under S.376 IPC for having committed rape
on the prosecntrix and sentenced to suffer regorous imprisonment for a
period of five years. [pp. 25H; 26A]

4.2. Though for such an offence a more severe sentence would have E
been desirable but neither the State sought enhancement of the sentence
by filing an appropriate petition nor any notice in tbis regard had been
issued to the accused, and without putting him on such a notice, the Court

- cannot enhance the sentence. The provision prescribing more stringent
minimum sentence under·Section 376 was also incorporated in the Code
by an amendment only with effect from December, 1982, after the offence F
in the instant case bad been committed. [p.250-G]

CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Criminal Appeal No.
398 of 1984.

From the Judgment and Order dated 16.11.83 of the Himachal G
Pradesh High Court in Crl. A. No. 32 of 1983.
~·

Ms. Kusum Choudhury and Ms. Bina Gupta for the Appellant.

Dr. N.M. Ghatate and S.V. Deshpande for the Respondent. H
20 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1993] 2 S.C.R.

A The following Order of the Coun was delivered:

On special leave being granted, the State of Himachal Pradesh has
preferred this appeal against the judgment and order dated 16.11.1983,
acquitting the respondent of an offence under Section 376, IPC earlier
recorded by the .learned Sessions Judge.
B _,i_

Briefly stated the prosecution case is that on 2.8.1982, the prosecutrix, .
Raksha Devi PW4 alongwith her father Nikkoo Ram PW5 and an elder sister

c
by name Samti were in their fields. It started to rain all of a sudden and the
prosecutrix, her father and her sister, ran towards their house. The
prosecutrix got separated from her father and elder sister and was following
-
them when the respondent Raghubir Singh, then aged about 16 years, came to
her and caught hold of her hand and took her under a mango tree. The .-<,
prosecutrix, who was 7/8 years old at that time was wearing a frock and having
a shawl with her. The respondent spread the shawl on the ground and making
D the prosecutrix lie on that shawl committed rape on her. Since, the prosecutrix
had not reached her home, Nikkoo Ram her father after waiting for about half
an hour returned towards the field and saw the respondent lying on top of the
prosecutrix, Raksha Devi, under the mango tree. He raised alarm and the
respondent ran away carrying with him his underwear. The prosecutrix was
crying and was bleeding per vagina. The occurrence took place at about 2.30
E p.m. and the First Information Report Ex. PE was lodged at the Police Station :.-·
at 5.50 p.m. The prosecutrix was got examined by the doctor, who found her
hymen ruptured and slight bleeding coming out of the vaginal edges. Blood

F
clott was also present and the external genitals of the prosecutrix were found
to be tender and red. The vagina admitted one finger with difficulty, which got
smeared with blood. The doctor who had examined the prosecutrix, namely,
---
Dr. Urmil Gupta, Medical Officer, Rural Hospital, Nalagarh at about 7 p.m.
,,......
on the same day, appearing as PWl at the trial had also testified that when the
prosecutrix was brought to her by her father, he had also brought with him a
shawl, which was found to be having some mud and bloodstains. According to
the opinion of Dr. Urmil Gupta PW!, the prosecutrix had been subjected to
G sexual intercourse and the probable duration of the injuries on her private
parts, including the vagina, was about 6 to 12 hours. During the cross-ex-
amination, a suggestion was put to the doctor that the injuries found on the ,\..__
prosecutrix could have been caused by a fall on some bushes or on the stem of
a 'beree' tree but the doctor had categorically denied the suggestion. It was
H also suggested to her that the venginal injury could also be caused by inserting
STATE OF H.P. v. RAGHUBIR SINGH 21

-~ a finger in the vagina. The X-Ray, the skiagrams and the examination of her A
teeth by Dr. Subhash Chandra Aggarwal PW2 established the age of the
prosecutrix to be between 6 to 8 years. The respondent was also examined by
doctor C.L. Sharma PW3, medical officer at the Rural Hospital, Nalagarh. He
had found the respondent to be potent and capable of sexual intercourse. He
denied the suggestion that injuries would necessarily be caused to the penis in
.)... case of sexual intercoures by a grown up male with a virgin when during the act
B
'
her hymen gets torn.

- The father of the prosecutrix Nikkoo Ram PW5, the prosecutrix
Raksha Devi PW4 and Taru PW7, who had rushed to the scene of occur-
rence on hearing the alarm and had also seen the respondent running away
therefrom carrying with him his underwear supported the prosecution case
c
in its totality.

The learned Sessions Judge after a careful appraisal of the evidence
on record found that the respondent had committed the offence of rape
D
and sentenced him to suffer R.I. for a period of five years for the offence
under Section 376 IPC. While awarding the sentence, the learned Sessions
Judge took into account the age of the proseeutrix, the age of the accused
and the other attending circumstar:ces and directerl that it would be
appropriate if the accused was kept in the open air jail in Bilasput during
the term of five years R.I. The respondent appealed to the High Court of E
Himachal Pradesh and on 16.11.1983. The High Court acquitted him.

- We have heard learned counsel for the parties at length and have
gone through the evidence on the record. The statement of the prosecutrix,
Raksha Devi PW4 is clear, cogent and specific. The learned Sessions Judge F
before recording her statement was conscious of her age and had, there-
fore, taken all the precautions required by law to ascertain whether she
was capable of giving evidence or not and on being satisfied that she was
so capable, recorded her statement. She narrated the occurrence in a
simple and straight forward manner. The prosecution case as noticed in
the earlier part of the judgment was fully supported by her during her G
statement and nothing has been brought out in the cross-examination from
_..<. which any doubt could be caused about her veracity. Her statement
' receives ample corroboration from the testimony of Nikkoo Ram PW5, her
father who even otherwise would be the last person to come forward with
a false accusation of the type of rape on his young unmarried daughter. H
22 SUPREME COURT REPORTS {1993) 2 S.C.R.

A His testimony bas impressed us and we find him to be a truthful and
reliable witness. The medical evidence of Dr. Urmil Gupta has supported
the prosecutrix in all material particulars. She has also testified to the
presence of mud and blood-stains on the shawl. The evidence of Taru PW?
who had also seen the accused running away from the scene of crime
carrying his underwear further lends credence to the prosecution version.
B The learned Sessions Judge, in our opinion, was therefore justified in
relying upon the prosecution evidence and recording an order of conviction
against the respondent for an offence under Section 376 !PC. His findings

c
were based on proper appreciation of evidence and were not unreasonable
much less perverse. The learned single Judge of the High Court in our
opinion, without appreciating or properly discussing the evidence set aside
the findings recorded by the Sessions Judge. The High Court appears to
-
have· embarked upon a course to find some minor contradictions in the oral
evidence with a view to disbelieve the prosecution version. In the opinion
of the High Court, conviction OI! the basis of uncorroborated testimony of
D the prosecutrix was not safe. We cannot agree. There is no legal compul-
sion to look for corroboration of the evidence of the prosecutrix before
recording an order of conviction. Evidence has to be weighed and not
counted. conviction can be recorded on the sole testimony of the
prosecutrix, if her evidence inspires confidence and there is absence of

-
circumstances which militate against her veracity. In the present case the
E evidence of the prosecutrix is found to be reliable and trustworthy. No
corroboration was required to be looked for, though enough was available
on the record. The medical evidence provided sufficient corroboration.
The High Court, however, while dealing with the medical evidence ob-

F
served as follows:
-
'Lady doctor Urmil Gupta PWl, who had examined the
prosecutrix, had admitted in so many words towards the . ,...... ..
end of her cross examination that the injury found on the
private part of the prosecutrix and which is the only injury
found in the instant case, could be caused by insertion of
G a finger by a grown up person like the parents of the
prosecutrix. It is true that normally no parents would not
do so but in the peclj]iar circumstances of this case, this
possibility may not be ruled out altogether. In any case
the mere fact that the hymen of the prosecutrix had been
H found ruptured, would not prove the prosecution version
STATE OF H.P. v. RAGHUBIR SINGH 23

and connect the appellant with the offence charged A
against him. 1
'

The above approach to say the least was hii;h!y improper. What were
the 'peculiar circumstances' of the case from which the learned single
Judge of the High Court thought that the possibility could not be ruled out
that the parents of the prosecutrix would have themselves caused injury to B
the prosecutrix by inserting finger in her vagina rupturing her hymen is not

- at all understandable. There is no suggestion that on account of any enmity,
· the parents of the girl would go to that length to falsely implicate the
respondent. Dr. Ghatate, the learned senior counsel was also unable to
point out any such 'circumstances' from the record which could show that c
there was any possibility of the hymen of the prosecutrix having been
ruptured in the manner suggeste4 by the High Court or any reason to
falsely implicate the respondent. In fairness to Dr. Ghatate it must be
recorded that he did not support the observations of the High Court
noticed above.
D
The learned single Judge of the High Court also drew an inference
against the prosecution from the fact that only two blood-stains had been
found on the shawl by the Chemical Examiner and doubted the prosecution
version on that account. According to the learned single Judge:

"In natural course if this shawl had been used under the
E
prosecutrix at the time of the alleged offence, the same

- should have been drenched with blood in the meddle.
Moreover, this shawl should have been full of mud as it
remained lying on the ground under the prosecutrix for
such a long time and when it had rained throughout." F
In making the above observations, obviously the High Court ignored
the testimony of Doctor Urmil Gupta who had found the presence of
blood-stains and the mud on the shawl and who had opined that the
bleeding from the edges of the vagina was slight and that some amount of G
clotted blood was also present. The prosecutrix was a girl of tender age
and on account of the rape committed on her, there was bleeding from her
vagina but to expect that the shawl should have got "drenched with blood"
as if the large blood arteries had been cut, is letting the imagination run
wild and ignoring the circumstances of the case. The absence of sper-
matoza on the vaginal slide, which was also pressed into aid by the High H
24 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1993] 2 S.C.R.

A Court to acquit the respondent, was not based on proper scrutiny of the
evidence. The prosecution case itself was that on being surprised while the
respondent was in the act of committing sexual intercourse on the
prosecutrix, he ran away carrying his underwear. The absence of sper-
matoza under the circumstances could not be said to be a circumstance in
favour of the respondent at all. The judgment of the High Court, in our
B
opinion, is based more on surmises and conjectures than on proper ap-
preciation of evidence. It exposes the insensitivity of the learned Judge to
the serious crime committed against human dignity. We are not impressed

c
by the manner in which the High Court dealt with the case. Courts must
be wary, circumspect and slow to interfere with reasonable and proper
findings based on appreciation of evidence as recorded by the lower courts,
-
before upsetting the same and acquitting an accused involved in the
commission of heinous offence of rape of hapless girl child..

Dr. Ghatate, learned senior counsel for the respondent submitted, by
D reference to Rahim Beg & Anr. v. State of U.P., [1972] 3 SCC 759, that the
absence of injuries on the penis of the respondent sliould be treated as
sufficient to the negative prosecution case. We are afraid we cannot agree.
Inferences have to be drawn in every case from the given set of facts and
circumstances. There is no inflexible axiom of law which lays down that the
absence of injuries on the male organ of the accused would always be fatal
E to the prosecution case and would discredit the evidence of the prosecutrix,
otherwise found to be reliable. The presence of injuries on the male organ
may lend support to the prosecution case, but their absence is not always

F
fatal. Rahim Beg's case (supra) was based on its peculiar facts and ·the
observations made therein were in a totally different context and cannot
advance the case of the respondent. The observations in Rahim Beg's case
-
(supra) cannot be mechanically pressed into aid in every case regardless
of the specific circumstances of the crime and absence of the fact situation
as existing in that case. Every case has to be approached with realistic
diversity based on peculiar facts and circumstances of that case. Doctor
Sharma who bad examined the respondent had found him to be capable
G of sexual intercourse and according to his opinion the absence of injury on
his male organ was not suggestive of the fact that he had not indulged in
sexual intercourse with the prosecutrix, then of tender years of age. His
evidence was not at all challenged on this aspect by the defence,

H Thus, considered on the whole. we are -0f the opinion that the
STATE OF H.P. v. RAGHUBIR SINGH 25
.._,, judgment of the High Court is based on conjectural• findings and cannot A
be sustained .. The same deserves to be set aside and is hereby set aside.
The reasoning given by the learned Se.ssions Judge and the findings
recorded by him on appreciation of evidence liave appealed to us and we
find no reason to take a view different than the one taken by the learned
Sessions Judge.
>-~
B
We, accordingly, set aside the acquittal of the respondent and hold
him guilty of the offence under Section 376 !PC for having committed rape

- on the prosecutrix, Raksha Devi, on the date and in the manner alleged by
the prosecution.
c
Having recorded the conviction of the respondent for the offence
under Section 376 !PC, the next question is about the awarding of proper
>-- sentence. The occurrence took place on 2.8.1982, more than a decade ago.
The learned Sessions Judge after recording the conviction under Section
376 !PC had sentenced the respondent to suffer RI for five years. The State
D
did not move the High Court for any enhancement of the sentence. We,
therefore, feel that the ends of justice would be met if the sentence to be
imposed on the resgondent is confined to five years RI as was awarded by
the learned Sessions Judge for cogent reasons recorded by him. We may
emphasise that though for such an offence a more severe sentence would
·--.., have been desirable but we. have restricted ourselves to the maintenance E
of the sentence as imposed by the learned Sessions Judge for the reason
that the State did not seek any enhancement of the sentence by filing an

- appropriate petition in the High Court or in this Court and for over a
period of seven years, while the case has remained pending here, no notice
had been issued to the acquitted respondent to show cause as to why in F
the event of his acquittal being set aside, a more deterrent sentence, than
.-"-._
the one imposed by the Sessions Judge, be not imposed upon him and
without putting him on such a notice, the Court cannot enhance the
sentence. If the notice were to issue now, it would further delay the disposal
of the case and we do not consider that to be a proper course to be
adopted. The more stringent minimum sentence prescribed for an offence G
under Section 376 !PC was also incorporated in the Code by an amend-
_....
ment ouly with effect from December, 1982, after the offence in the present
case had been committed.

The appeal is consequently allowed and the judgment of the High H
26 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1993) 2 S.C.R.

A Court is set aside. The ;espondent is held guilty of an offence under Section ',.--·
376 !PC and sentenced to suffer rigorous imprisonment for a period of five
years. The respondent shall be taken into custody to suffer the term of
imprisonment.

R.P. Appeal allowed. -

·-

•