Holding

The Supreme Court affirmed the High Court’s acquittals of all accused on both the murder and house‑breaking charges, finding the prosecution evidence insufficient and the FIR omission fatal.

Summary

The State of Maharashtra appealed against the High Court’s order acquitting Ahmed Shaikh Babajan and four co‑accused of murder (Sec. 302 r/w Sec. 34 IPC) and house‑breaking (Sec. 456 r/w Sec. 109 IPC). The facts involved a dispute over possession of a flat, the alleged assault and death of the tenant’s son, and claims that two female accused forcibly occupied the flat after the incident. The Supreme Court examined whether the prosecution’s evidence – chiefly the testimony of two relatives of the deceased and the lone independent witness – was sufficient to sustain convictions, and whether the omission of the forced occupation in the FIR undermined the case. It held that the independent witness did not corroborate the prosecution’s version, the FIR’s material omission was fatal, and the testimony of interested witnesses was not reliable enough to support a conviction. Consequently, the Court upheld the High Court’s acquittals and dismissed the State’s appeals.

Issues considered

The adequacy of evidence to convict the accused under Section 302 read with Section 34 of the IPC.
The adequacy of evidence to convict the accused under Section 456 read with Section 109 of the IPC.
The effect of material omissions in the First Information Report on the prosecution case.
The propriety of appellate interference with an acquittal under Article 136 of the Constitution.
The admissibility and sufficiency of testimony of interested witnesses without independent corroboration.

Legislation cited

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973s. 154
Indian Evidence Act, 1872s. 145, s. 157
Indian Penal Code, 1860s. 109, s. 302, s. 304(Part I), s. 34, s. 456, s. 460

Subjects

murdercommon intentionhouse breaking by nightFirst Information Report omissionevidentiary value of FIRinterested witnessappellate jurisdictionArticle 136acquittalcriminal procedure

Judgment

[2008] 14 S.C.R. 1184

A STATE OF MAHARASHTRA
v.
AHMED SHAIKH BABAJAN & ORS.
(Criminal Appeal Nos. 25-29 of 2002)
OCTOBER 24, 2008
B
[C.K. THAKKER AND D.K. JAIN, JJ.]

Penal Code, 1860; S. 302 rlw s. 34; S. 456 rlw s. 109 and
s. 460:
c House breaking by night - Murder of son of tenant a/leg-
edly by landlord and others - Trial Court acquitting accused
A1 to A3 of the offences uls.302 rlw s.34 /PC, convicted ac-
cused A4 and A5 for committing offence u/s.460 and A 1 to A3
for committing offences punishable u/s. 456 rlw s. 109 as well.
D Acquittal of all accused persons by High Court- Correctness
of - Held: Correct - Sole independent witness did not support
the prosecution version - His testimony casts serious doubt
on the presence of PW1 at the time and place of occurrence -
Hence, Courts below rightly acquitted accused persons of com-
mitting the offence punishable under Section 302 rlw s.34/PC
E
- PW1 failed to mention in FIR a very important fact regard-
ing occupation of the premises forcibly by accused persons -
In such circumstances, High Court rightly acquitted accused
A 1 to A3 of committing offence punishable uls. 456 rlw s. 109
/PC - Hence, impugned judgment does not suffer from any
F illegality warranting interference - Testimony of relative eye
witnesses - Reliance upon.
Constitution of India, 1950; Article 136 - Power under,
invoking of - Held: Could be invoked in very exceptional cir-
cumstances when approach of.lower Courts vitiated by some
G
manifest illegality.
'~
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973; s. 154:
FIR - Evidentiary value - Discussed.
1184
H
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA v. AHMED SHAIKH 1185
BABAJAN & ORS.

Accused A1, owner of a flat, inducted PW6 as a lie- A
ensee in terms of an- agreement of leave and license for a
period of nine months executed between them. PW6 re-
sided in the premises along with her husband PW4,
daughter PWS, her 3 sons including the deceased af'.ld
PW1. It is alleged that about two weeks prior to the date B
I

of the incident accused persons A1, A2 and A3 asked PW4
~ to deliver vacant possession of the flat. PW4 requested
for permission to stay for a few more days. However, A1
turned down the request and threatened him to take the
possession forcibly if he failed to deliver the possession
by certain due date. While the deceased was standing i'n
c
front of the shop of accused A-3 waiting for his mother
and sister who have been returning back from Hyderabad,
accused A-1 and accused A-3 came there and started
beating him. The incident was witnessed by PW-1, brother
of the deceased, who rushed to save his brother. PW-2, a D
"' police constable and a family friend of the victim, who wa~
present at the spot apprehend the two accused persons.
PW-1 and PW2 took the deceased to a hospital, where he
was declared brought dead. When PW-1 came back to
the flat, he found that the same had been occupied by E
two ladies, A-4 and A-5. He found his father in a garden
and informed him about the incident and then lodged an
FIR. When PW 5 and PWG returned from Hyderabad, they
also found accused A4 and AS in their flat and they alleg•
--1
edly threw their luggage outside the flat. Police took them F
to the Police Station and recorded their statement. After
completion of the investigation, Police submitted charge.
sheet against all the accused persons for committing the
offences punishable u/s.460 IPC. Additionally, accused,

.,. 1
persons A1 to A3 were also charged u/s.302 r/w s.34 IPC G
for committing the murder of the deceased. Trial Court
acquitted accused A1 to A3 of the offences u/s.302 r/w
.,\...
\
s.34 IPC, however, relying on the testimony of PWS and
PW6, convicted accused A4 and AS for committing of-
fence u/s.456 IPC and accused A1 to A3 for committing H
1186 SUPREME COURT REPORT$ (2008] 14 S.C.R.

f
,_
A offences under s.456 r/ws.109 IPC and sentenced them
to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a term of 2 years.
On appeal, the High Court, while affirming the acquittal of
the accused, set aside the conviction of the ·accused per-
sons for committing the -offences punishable u/s.456 r/w
B s.109 IPC. Hence the present appeals.
Djsmissing the appeals, the Court
HELD: 1.1 It is the established practice of this Court
that power under Article 136 of the Constitution is invoked
in very exceptional circumstances, when the approach
c of the lower courts is vitiated by some manifest illegality
or the conclusion recorded is such which could not have
been possibly arrived at by any Court acting reasonably
and judiciously. Nevertheless, even within the restrictions
imposed, this Court has undoubted power to interfere
D even with findings of fact, making no distinction between
a judgment of acquittal and convic:tion, though in a case
of acquittal ordinarily the Court does not interfere with
the appreciation of evidence or of findings of fact, more
so because the presumption of innocence of the accused
E is further reinforced by his acquittal, unless the High Court
"acts perversely or otherwise improperly". (Para - 12}
(1197-8, C, D}
The State of Madras vs. A. Vaidyanatha Iyer (1979} 2
SCC 297; Himachal Pradesh Administration Vs. Shri Om
F Prakash (1972} 1 SCC 249 and Arunachalam vs. P. S. R. I"-
Sadhanantham & Anr. (1979) 2 SCC 297 - relied on.
1.2 In so far as the first part of the incident, viz., as-
sault on the deceased is concerned, the prosecution ex-
amined only PW-1 and PW-2, as eye witnesses to the in-
G cident. PW-2, the sole independent witness did n_ot sup-
port the prosecution version,· in as much as he dla not t- l-
, claim to have seen the occurrence in which the deceased
was assaulted. In fact, in his deposition he stated that he .
I

;•
came soon after the assault and PW-1 came even later.
H Thus, his testimony casts serious doubt on the presence
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA v. AHMED SHAIKH 1187
BABAJAN & ORS.

of PW-1 at the spot at the time of occurrence. The Trial A
Court as well as the High Court have noticed many in-
consistencies in the evidence of PW-1 and PW-2. It has
also been observed that no member of the crowd which
had gathered there, have been examined by the pros-
ecution. Having regard to the evidence on record, this
6
Court does not find any ground to interfere with the con-
). current findings recorded by both the Courts below in
reaching the conclusion that a case for conviction of the
respondents under Section 302/34 l.P.C. is not made out.
Also, in view of the evidence on record, it cannot be ac-
cepted that an offence under Section 304 Part-I l.P.C. is C
made out against accused A-1 to A-3. (Para - 15) (1199-C,
D, E, F)
Chandrappa & Ors. Vs. State of Kamataka (2007) 4 SCC
415 - relied on.
D
2.1 The first and the foremost circumstance, which
has weighed with the High Court for acquittal of all the
accused for offence under Section 456 l.P.C. is that al-
though the FIR was lodged by PW-1 more than three hours
after the occurrence and after due discussion with his E
father (PW-4), yet the factum of forcible occupation of the
flat by accused A-4 and A-5 did not find mention in the
FIR. The High Court has observed that having admittedly
met his mother (PW-6), father (PW-4) and brother in the
Hospital and lodged the FIR thereafter, it was difficult to
believe that if PW-1 had seen accused A-4 and A-5 occu- F
pying the flat possessed by his family, this fact would not
have been mentioned in the FIR. (Para - 17) (1200-8, C,
D)
2.2 Recording of a First Information Report is not a
condition precedent to the setting in motion of the crimi- G
nal investigation yet from the view point of the investigat-
ing authorities it conveys to them earliest information re-
garding the circumstances in which the crime was com-
mitted; the names of the culprits and the role played by
them as well as the names of the witnesses present at H
1188 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2008) 14 S.C.R.

'f
A the scene of occurrence, so vital for effective and mean-
ingful investigation. (Para - 18) (1200-F, G)
Sheikh Hasib alias Tabarak vs. The State of Bihar (1972)
4 sec 773 - relied on.

8 Emperor vs. Khwaja Nazir Ahmad A.l.R. (32) 1945 Privy
Council 18 - referred to.
2.3 Though, it is not the requirement of law that ev-
ery minute detail of the occurrence needs to be recorded
in the First Information Report. Nevertheless, having re-
c gard to the fact that 'it is one of the modes by which a
person aggrieved sets the criminal law in motion, it must
disclose the commission of an offence. Though it is trite
that the First Information Report does not constitute sub-
stantive evidence and can, strictly speaking, be only used
as a previous statement for the purpose of either corrobo-
D rating or contradicting its maker, yet omission of mate-
rial facts pertaining to the crime is undoubtedly relevant
in judging the veracity of prosecution case. (Para - 19)
(1201-E to H)
E State of A.P. Vs. Golconda Linga Swamy & Anr. (2004) 6
sec 522 - relied on.
2.4 In the present case, admittedly in the First Infor-
mation Report lodged by PW-1, a law student, more than
three hours after the alleged occurrence, there was no
F complaint of house breaking and occupation of the flat ~
by accused A-4 and A-5 when he claims to have met them
at the flat and had an altercation. In his cross-examina-
tion also, he stated that when statement of his father was
recorded two days after the occurrence, even then he did
not disclose the fact that accused A-4 and A-5 had bro-
G ken open their flat and had occupied it with a kid. It is,
thus, manifest that the informant (PW-1) was not able to r
give any reasonable explanation for the significant omis-
sion on his part. Hence, the evidence of PW-1 is tainted
with certain embellishments. (Paras - 20 & 21) (1202-A,
H B; E, G)
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA v. AHMED SHAIKH 1189
BABAJAN & ORS.

2.5 Even in the evidence of PW-4, the father of the A
deceased and PW-1, there is not even a whisper about
the forcible occupation of their flat by accused A-4 and A-
5 although admittedly even before lodging the FIR, PW-1,
his father and his mother (PW-6) had already met. It is dif-
ficult to believe that their flat having been allegedly bro- B
ken open and occupied by accused A-4 and A-5, it was
an insignificant fact worthy of discussion amongst the
family members. (Para - 22) (1202-H; 1203-A, B)
2.6 PW-3, a neighbour, who was examined by the
prosecution to prove that the accused had borrowed a C
hammer and screw-driver used by them for breaking open
the latch of the flat, but it did not support the prosecution
version. Besides, as also noted by the High Court that
although as per the prosecution version accused A-4 and
A-5, on the asking of the police constable, who had vis- D
ited the flat, had accompanied him to the police station,
this fact was not proved by examining the constable con-
. cerned. All these circumstances, in the judgment, not
only take the bottom off the prosecution story, they are
sufficient to throw considerable doubt on its truthfulness E
and the veracity of evidence of PW-1-an eye witness
complainant and knowing accused A-4 and A-5, render-
ing it unsafe to base the conviction of the accused upon
it. (Para - 22) (1203-B, C, D)
2.7 Under these circumstances, the High Court was F
fully justified in holding that the omission to mention the
fact regarding the occupation of flat by accused A-4 and
A-5 in the First Information Report, was a very important
circumstance, fatal to the case of the prosecution. (Para
- 23) (1203-E) G
3.1 Having considered the evidence of PW-5 and PW-
6 in the light of the legal position enunciated by this Court
in the under-mentioned decisions and bearing in mind
the fact that PW-3, who was examined by the prosecu-
H
1190 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2008] 14 S.C.R.

A tion to prove the vital fact that accused A-4 and A-5 had +
borrowed the hammer and screw driver from her, being a
neighbour of the complainant has not supported the ver-
sion of the prosecution, the testimony of the said two wit-
nesses cannot be said to be intrinsically credible. More-
s over, having regard to the fact that neither in the FIR nor
in the statement of PW-1, recorded two days after the oc-
currence, he had stated the fact of house breaking, it will
be hazardous to rely solely on the uncorroborated evi-
dence of PW-5 and PW-6 to convict the accused under
C Section 456 l.P.C. Evidently, having lost their son/brother,
allegedly on account of beating by accused A-1 to A-3,
there was every reason for them to be inimical to the ac-
cused. They were keen to see that all of them were con-
victed. (Para - 28) (1206-B to E)
D Hari Obula Reddy & Ors. vs. The State of Andhra
Pradesh (1981) 3 SCC 675; Ashok Kumar Chaudhary & Ors. ,,,
vs: State of Bihar (AIR (2008) SC 2436; Oalip Singh vs. State
of Punjab (1954) 1 SCR 145; Masalti vs. State of UP (1964)
8 SCR 133; Rizan & Ani. vs. State of Chhattisgarh through
E The Chief Secretary, Govt. of Chhattisgarh, Raipur,
.•- Chhattisgarh (2003) 2 SCC 661 and Namdeo vs. State of
Maharashtra (2007) AIR SCW 1835 - referred to.
3.2 The view of the High Court in discarding the evi-
dence of PW-5 and PW-6, does not suffer from any infir-
F mity. In that view of the matter and in the absence of any
other evidence on the issue, the order of the High Court
acquitting all the accused of the offence under Section
456 l.P.C. does not suffer from any illegality warranting
interference. (Para"- 29) (1206-F)
G
CASE LAW REFERENCE
t-
(1979) 2 SCC 297 Relied on Para - 12
(1972) 1 SCC 249 Relied on Para - 12
(1979) 2 sec 297 Relied on Para - 13
H
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA v. AHMED SHAIKH 1191
BABAJAN & ORS.
1
(2007) 4 sec 415 Relied on Para-14 A
A.l.R. (32) 1945 Privy Council 18 Referred to Para -18
(1972) 4 sec 773 Relied on Para-18
(2004) s sec 522 Relied on Para-19
(1981) 3 sec 675 Referred to Para - 25 B

(AIR (2008) SC 2436 Referred to Para - 26
(1954) 1 SCR 145 Referred to Para - 26
(1964) 8 SCR 133 Referred to Para - 26
(2003) 2 sec 661 Referred to Para - 26
c
(2001) AIR sew 1835 Referred to Para - 27
CRIMINALAPPELLATE JURISDICTION: Criminal Appeal
Nos. 25-29 of 2002
•
D
From the final Judgment and Order dated 9.4.2001 of the
High Court of Judicature at Bombay in Ciminal Appeal No. 381
of 1995, Criminal Revision Application No. 156 of 1995, Crl.
Appeal Nos. 240, 241 & 273 of 1995
Ravindra Keshavrao Adsure for the Appellant. E

Shakil Ahmad Syed, Syed Ahmed Saud, Faizy Ahmad
Syed and Mohd. Yasir Abbasi for the Respondents and Harjeet
Kaur - Respondent No. 7-in person.

1 The Judgment of the Court was delivered by F
D.K. JAIN, J.: 1. The State of Maharashtra has preferred
these five appeals, by special leave, against the common judg-
ment and order of the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, in
Criminal Appeals No.240, 241, 273, 381 of 1995 and Criminal
Revision No.156 of 1995. By the impugned order the High Court, G
~ while allowing all the criminal appeals preferred by the convicts
and dismissing the criminal appeal and criminal revision pre-
ferred by the State, has affirmed the order passed by the Addi-
tional Sessions Judge dated 25 1h April, 1995, acquitting respon-
H
1192 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2008] 14 S.C.R.

A dents No.1 to 3 herein, of the charge under Section 302 read t
with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (for short 'the
l.P.C.') and has set aside the order of the Trial Court convicting
the said respondents for offence under Section 456 read with
Section 109 l.P.C. Conviction of respondents No.4 and 5 for
B the offence under Section 456 l.P.C. has also been set aside
by the High Court.
2. The backdrop under which the alleged occurrence took ~

place on 27th April, 1989, in brief, is as follows:

c By an agreement of leave and licence dated 28th July,
1988, Ahmed Shaikh, (accused A-1), the owner of Flat No.H-
14, 3rd Floor, ZohraAgadi, Vari Road, Versova,Andheri, inducted
Smt. Rani Bhagwant Singh (PW-6), as a licensee of the said
premises. The agreement was for a period of 9 months and
was to expire on 27th April, 1989. The flat was occupied by PW-
D
6 along with her husband Bhagwant Singh (PW-4), her daugh-
ter, Harjeet Kaur (PW-5), her son lndrajeet Singh (deceased)
and two other sons, Arvinder Singh (PW-1) and Harvinder Singh
(not examined). Though the agreement was initially for a period
of 9 months commencing from 28th July, 1989, it was subject to
E Jurther extension and renewal. Advance rent for 9 months was
paid to accused A-1 with one month's rent as security deposit.
3. The said agreement was finalised through an Estate
Agent- Moinuddin Khan (accused A-3), a resident of the same
F society. About two weeks prior to the date of incident, accused ~·
A-1, his estate agent (accused A-3) and one Usmangani Shaikh
(accused A-2), approached Bhagwant Singh Anand (PW-4)
asking him to deliver vacant possession of the flat on the expiry
of the said leave and licence agreement. Thereafter on 24th,
25th and 26th April, 1989, they again met Bhagwant Singh Anand
G
and insisted on the delivery of vacant possession of the flat by
2Th April, 1989. It will be of some relevance to note that r-
Usmangani Shaikh (accused A-2) is the brother of Asmabi (ac-
cused A-4), wife of accused A-1 and Rahimabi, (accused A-5)
is the sister of accused A-1. PW-4 requested for permission to
H
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA v. AHMED SHAIKH 1193
BABAJAN & ORS. [D.K. JAIN, J]

"'/· stay in the flat for a few more days as his children, including the A
·,
complainant (PW-1 ), were busy in their annual examination; his
wife, Rani Anand (PW-6) and daughter Harjeet Kaur (PW-5)
were also away to Hyderabad since the latter was appearing
for her final B.A. examination in Osmania University and they
were expected to return back to Bombay on 271h April, 1989. B
The request was turned down by accused A-1, who insisted
that the possession of the flat must be delivered by 27th April,
~ 1989, failing which possession would be taken by force.
4. In this background, very shortly put, the prosecution ver-
sion was that apprehending that the possession of the flat may C .
not be delivered on the expiry of the licence agreement, ac-
cused A-1 decided to take the possession forcibly with the help
of his wife (accused A-4), her brother (accused A-2), his sister
(accused A-5) and the Estate Agent, (accused A-3). On 27th
April, 1989 at about 7.30 p.m., the deceased was standing in D
front of the shop of accused A-3 on the ground floor in the same
society, three buildings away from the building in which the de-
ceased resided, waiting for his mother and sister, who were
scheduled to return from Hyderabad in the evening. He had the
keys of the flat with him. His father (PW-4), who was in the flat till E
evening later. left the house for bringing food for the family, in-
structing the deceased to wait on the road. Arvinder Singh (PW-
1) also left the house at about 7.00 p.m. for paying obeisance
at the Gurudwara. While the deceased lnderjeet Singh was
standing in front of the shop of accused A-3, accused A-1 and F
t accused A-3 came near him and started beating, him. The beat~
ing was witnessed by PW-1 who was returning from the
Gurudwara. He rushed to save his brother, who, by that time
had fallen down on the ground and was stifling.
·5. The incident drew attention of the public and the two G
accused were apprehended. One, Sunil Salvi (PW-2), a police
i constable (off duty) and a family friend of the Anands, also hap- ·
pened to be at the spot and he too accosted the two accused.
He along with PW-1 took the victim to the clinic of one Dr. Asif
Ali (PW-8) situated on the ground floor of the same building in H .
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA v. AHMED SHAIKH 1195
BABAJAN & ORS. [D.K. JAIN, J]

stated to be the eye-witnesses. No evidence was produced in A
defence. The learned Additional Sessions Judge, on appre-
ciation of evidence, acquitted accused A-1 to A-3 of the offence
under Section 302 read with Section 34 1.P.C. However, relying
on the testimony of PW-5 and PW-6, the Trial Court convicted
' accused A-4 and A-5 for offence under Section 456 l.P.C. for B
house breaking by night and accused A 1 to A-3 for offences
under Section 456 read with Section 109 l.P.C. and sentenced
• each of them to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a term of
two years and pay fine of Rs.5000/- each with default stipula-
tion. c
9. The High Court, as noticed hereinabove, while affirm-
ing the acquittal of A-1 toA-3, has disagreed with the Trial Court
and has set aside the conviction of the respondents for offences
under Section 456 read with Section 109 l.P.C as well. In re-
versing the judgment, the High Court has relied on the following D
..:
circumstances - (i) though the FIR was lodged by PW-1, three
hours after the occurrence and that too after consulting his fa-
ther (PW-4) there is not a word in the FIR about the forcible
occupation of the flat in question by accused A-4 and A-5; (ii)
· since accused A-1 and A-2 were admittedly apprehended by E
the mob soon after the incident in which lndrajeet was assaulted
and they remained in police custody thereafter, there was no
possibility of their abetting the commission of offence by ac-
cused A-4 and A-5; (iii) after the male members of the family
had been apprehended and had been taken into custody by F
~
the police, the two female members of the family would not dare
to forcibly occupy the flat; (iv) if the version of PW-5 is to be
believed, accused A-4 and A-5 were detained by the police
constable, who had taken them to the hospital with PW-6, the
concerned constable was not examined to prove this fact. Hence
G
the present appeals.
~ 10. Mr. Adsure, learned counsel appearing forthe State
submitted that the High Court committed serious error in pass-
ing impugned judgment without taking into consideration the
fact that a day prior to the date of occurrence, accused A-1 to H
~
1196 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2008] 14 S.C.R.

A A-3 had threatened PW-4 (father of the deceased) of forcible
eviction from the flat and assault on the deceased was in fur-
.
- thera~nce thereof. Learned counsel asserted that insofar as ac-
cused A-1 to A-3 are concerned, in addition to commission of
offence under Section 456 read with Section 109 l.P.C., a clear t
T
B case for their conviction for offence under Section 304 Part-I,
.1.P.C. is made out. It was argued that the testimony of PW-5
and PW-6, coupled with the fact that there was no cross exami-
nation of the said witriesses in regard to the presence of ac- ••
cused A-4 and A-5 in the flat, was sufficient to establish the
case against the accused. It was also contended that accused
c A-4 and A-5 committed the offence in furtherance of instigation
by the male members of the family, namely, accused A-1 to A-3
and, therefore, all of them were rightly convicted for offences
punishable under Section 456 read with Section 109 l.P.C.

D 11. Learned counsel appearing on behalf of respondents
No.1, 2, 4 and 5, on the pther hand, submitted that PW-2_having .,,
been declared hostile and presence of PW-1 at the time and
place of occurrence having been doubted by both the courts ·
below and in the absence of any other public witness, particu-
E larly when accused A-1 and A-2 are alleged to have been ap-
prehended by the mob, the prosecution has failed to prove the
(
involvement of accused A-1 to A-3 in the incident of assault on
the deceased. It was also urged that there is no evidence on
record to prove that any of the accused had forcibly enter:ed in
F the flat, belonging to accused A-1 and thereby committed house
breaking by night so as to attract Section 456 l.P.C. It was also t
argued that failure to mention anything about forcible occupa-
tion of the flat in the FIR by PW-1, who claims to have met ac- f
cused A-4 and A-5, by itself, is fatal to the prosecution case
against all the accused. Lastly, it was pleaded that accused A-
G
4 ahd A-? being ladies and the incident having taken place as
-far back as in the year 1989, a lenient view may be taken against ~ \
them.
12. Before examining the rival stands with reference to
H the evidence adduced by the prosecution, the scope of our ju-
ST.L\TE OF MAHARASHTRA v. AHMED SHAIKH 1197
BABAJAN & ORS. [D.K. JAIN, J]

risdiction to deal with appeals by special leave against a judg- A
ment of acquittal by the High Court needs being noticed. T~ue it
is that Article 136 of the Constitution invests this Court with a
plentitude of plenary appellate power over all courts and tribu-
nals in India but a conspectus of a series of decisions shows
that this Court has set for itself certain limits. within which the B
power under the said Article is to be exercised. It is the estab-
lished p~actice of this Court that power under Article 136 is in-
voked in very exceptional circumstances, when the approach
of the lower courts is vitiated by some manifest illegality or the
conclusion recorded is such which could not have been possi- C
bly arrived at by any court acting reasonably and judiciously..
Nevertheless, even within the restrictions imposed, this Court
has undoubted power to interfere even with findings of fact,
making no distinction between a judgment of acquittal and con-
viction, though in a case of acquittal ordinarily the Court does
not interfere with the appreciation of evidence or of findings of D
fact, more so because the presumption of innocence of the ac-
cused is further reinforced by his acquittal, unless the High Court
"acts perversely or otherwise improperly". (See: The State of
Madras Vs. A. Vaidyanatha lyer1; Himachal Pradesh Admin-
istration Vs. Shri Om Prakash 2 ). E
13. In so far as the jurisdiction of the appellate court in
dealing with an appeal against an order of acquittal is con-
cerned, referring to the aforenoted decisions in Arunachalam
Vs. PS.R. Sadhanantham & Anr 3 , 0. Chinnappa Reddy, J. F
went on to observe as follows:
"In dealing with an appeal against acquittal, the·Court will,
, I

naturally, keep in mind the presumption of innocence in
favour of the accused, reinforced, as may be, by the
judgment of acquittal. But, also, the Court will not abjure its G
duty to prevent violent miscarriage of justice by hesitating
to interfere where interference is imperative: Where the
acquittal is bas~d on irrelevant ground, or where the High
Court allows itself to be deflected by red herrings drawn
across the track, or where the evidence accepted by the H
1198 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2008] 14 S.C.R.

A trial Court is rejected by the High Court after a perfunctory ~
consideration, or where the baneful approach of the High
Court has resulted in vital and crucial evidence being
ignored, or for any such adequate reason, this Court may
feel obliged to step in to secure the interests of justice, to
B appease the judicial conscience, as it were."
14. Recently, in Chandrappa & Ors. Vs. State of
Karnataka 4 referring to almost the entire law on the point, one
of us (C.K. Thakker, J.) has culled out the following general prin-
ciples regarding powers of the appellate court while dealing
c with an appeal against an order of acquittal:-
''(1) An appellate court has full power to review,
reappreciate and reconsider the evidence upon
which the order of acquittal is founded.
D (2) The Code of Criminal Procedure, 'i 97j puts" no
limitation, restriction or condition on exercise of such ~

power and an appellate court on the evidence before
it may reach its own conclusion, both on questions of
fact and of layv.
E (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
F against acquittal. Such phraseologies are more in
the nature of "flourishes of language" to emphasise
the reluctance bf 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 conclusion. · l
G
(4) An appellate court, however, must bear in mind that
in case of ~quittal, there is 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
H •.
'·.
,.
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA v. AHMED SHAIKH 1199
BABAJAN & ORS. [D.K. JAIN, J]

shall be presumed to be innocent unless he is proved A
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.
(5) If two reasona.ble views are possible on the basis of B
evidence on record and one favourable to the
accused has been taken by the trial court, it oughlt
not to be disturbed by the appellate court."

15. Bearing the afore-noted. principles in mind, we shal1I C
now examine whether the present case calls for interference.
We may note at the outset that in so far as the first part of the
incident, viz., assault on the deceased is concerned, the pros+
ecution examined only PW-1 and PW-2, as eye witnesses to
the incident. PW-2 (Su nil Salvi), the sole independent witness
0
did not support the prosecution version, in as much as he did
.not claim to have seen the occurrence in which the deceased
was assaulted. In fact, in his deposition he stated that he came
soon after the assault and PW-1 came even later. Thus, his tes-
timony casts serious doubt on the presence of PW-1 at the spot
at the time of occurrence. The Trial Court as well as the High E
Court have noticed many inconsistencies in the evidence of PW-
1 and PW-2. It has also been observed that no member of the
crowd which had gathered there, have been examined by the,
prosecution. Having regard to the evidence on record, we do
not find any ground to interfere with the concurrent findings re- F
corded by both the Courts below in reaching the conclusion that
a case for conviction of the respondents under Section 302/34
l.P.C. is not made out. In view of the evidence on record, we find
it difficult to accept the alternative contention of learneQ coun-
sel for the State that an offence under Section 304 Part-I l.P.C. G
is made out against accused A-1 to A-3. Accordingly, we affirm
the decision of the Courts below on the point.

16. However, as regards the offence under Section 456
l.P.C., since the Trial Court, on consideration of evidence be-'
H
1200 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2008] 14 S.C.R.

A fore it, had convicted all the accused for the said offence and
the High Court has reversed the order of conviction, we pro-
pose to delve on this aspect of the matter in a little greater de-
tail.
. 17. As· noted above, the first and the foremost circum-
B stance, which has weighed with the High Court for acquittal of
all the accused for offence under Section 456 l.P.C. is that al-
though the FIR was lodged by PW-1 more than three hours af-
ter the occurrence and after due discussion with his father (PW-
4), yet the factum of forcible occupation of the flat by accused
C · A-4 and A-5 did not find mention in the FIR. The High Court has
observed that having admittedly met his mother (PW-6), father
(PW-4) and brother Harvinder Singh in the Cooper Hospital and
lodged the FIR thereafter, it was difficult to believe that if PW-1
had seen accused A-4 and A-5 occupying the flat possessed
D by his family, this fact would not have been mentioned in the
FIR.According to the High Court, it was not a case of mere
omission, but a case where the very fact constituting the of-
fence was absent from the FIR, the earliest version of the oc-
currence.
E 18. The First Information Report is a report relating to the
commission of an offence, given to the police and recorded by
it under Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
(for short the "Cr.PC"). Though, as observed by the Privy Coun-
cil in Emperor Vs. Khwaja Nazir Ahmad5 , recording' of a First
F Information Report is not a condition precedent to the setting in
motion of the criminal investigation yet from the view point of
-tQ.e investigating authorities it conveys to them earliest informa-
tion regarding the circumstances in which the crime was com-
mitted; the names of the culprits and the role played by them as
G well as th~ narpes of the witnesses present at the scene of oc-
currence, so vital for effective and meaningful inve§.tigation. The
information about an occurrence can be given by any person
knowing about the commission of such an offence and not nec-
essarily by an eye witness. Commem.i.Qg on the object, value
. H and use of first Information Report, in Sheikh Hasib alias

·-~
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA v. AHMED SHAIKH 1201
BABAJAN & ORS. [D.K. JAIN, J]

Tabarak Vs. The State of Bihar6, a three-Judge Bench of this A
Court had observed as under:-
"The principal object of the first information report from the
point of view of the informant is to set the criminal law in
motion and from the point of view of the investigating
authorities is to obtain information about the alleged criminal 8
activity so as to be able to take suitable steps for tracing
and bringing to book the guilty party. The first information
report, we may point out, does not constitute substantive
evidence though its importance as conveying the earliest
information regarding the occurrence cannot be doubted. It C
can, however, only be used as a previous statement for the
purpose of either corroborating its maker under Section
157 of the Indian Evidence Act or for contradicting him·
under Section 145 of that Act. It cannot be used for the
purpose of corroborating or contradicting other witnesses." D
19. Apart from the fact that lodging"of information under
Section 154 Cr.PC keeps the District Magistrate and the Su-
perintendent of Police informed of the occurrence and when
recorded, is the basis of the case set up by the.informant and
provides material to the police to commence investigation, its E
fundamental object is that it acts as a safeguard against em-
bellishment, exaggeration and forgetfulness. True, that it is not
the requirement of law that every minute detail of the occurrence
needs to be recorded in the First Information Report and as
observed by this Court in State of A.P Vs. G.olconda Linge F
Swamy & Anr 7 that the FIR is not intended to be an encyclope-
dia of the background scenario. Nevertheless, having regard
to the fact that it is one of the modes by which a person ag-
grieved sets the criminal law in motion, it must disclose the com-
mission of an offence. Though it is trite that the First Information G
Report does not constitute substantive evidence and can, strictly
speaking, be only used as a previous statement for the pur-
pose of either corroborating or contradicting its maker, yet omis-
sion of material facts pertaining to the crime is undoubtedly rel-
evant in judging the veracity of prosecution case. ·· H
1202 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2008] 14 S.C.R.

A 20. In the present case, admittedly in the First Information
Report lodged by PW-1, a law student, more than three hours
after the alleged occurrence, therewas no complaint of house
breaking and occupation of the flat by accused A-4 and A-5
when he claims to have met them at the flat and had an alterca-
B tion. In his cross-examination, when questioned on the omis-
sion to mention the fact of forcible occupation of the flat by ac-
cused A-4 and A-5, he stated as under:
"At the time of recording of my complaint I was giving true
and detailed account of all incidences regarding the visit
· C of 24.4.89, 25.4.89, 26.4.89 and threats of dispossession
and in the last of my complaint I deposed about the incident
of assault in which lnderjeet Singh died. Therefore my
F.l.R. is in detail on that behalf. ·However, name of two
ladies accused nos.4 and 5 was not given out in my
D complaint against them for having trespassed in the flat
immediately after the incident when I had gone to see my
father. I cannot assign reason for such omission."
21. It is also pertinent to note that in his cross-examina-
tion, he also stated that when his further statement was recorded
E on 29 1h April, 1989, i.e. two days after the occurrence, even then
he did not disclose the fact that accused A-4 and A-5, viz.,
Asmabi and Rahimabi, had broken open their flat and had oc-
eupied it with a kid. He simply stated that "I cannot assign any
reas'i9JJ to omit their names as persons taking unlawful occupa-
F. tion in the 1ouse immediately after the occurrence. This might
be due to sr101Sk and tragedy we had faced on that date, which
continues today. ts~Je I met my father, I did not make report of
the occurrence to the police, although police and police offic-
ers were present in the Cooper b.to~pital". It is, thus, manifest
G that the informant (PW-1) was not ableio gi\le any reasonable
explanation for the significant omission on his part. We feel that
the evidence of PW-1 is tainted with certain embellishments.
22. Furthermore, even in the evidence of Bhagwant Singh,
PW-4, the father of the deceased and PW-1, there is not even
H·
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA v. AHMED SHAIKH 1203
BABAJAN & ORS. [D.K. JAIN, J]
.. a whisper about the forcible occupation of their flat by accused A
A-4 and A-5 although admittedly even before lodging the FIR,
PW-1, his father and his mother (PW-6) had already met. We
find it difficult to believe that their flat having been allegedly bro-
ken open and occupied by accused A-4 and A-5, it was an in-
significant fact worthy of discussion amongst the family mem- B
bers. It is also pertinent to note that PW-3, (Smt. Najma) a
..;
neighbour of Anands, who was examined by the prosecution to
prove that the accused had borrowed a hammer and screw-
driver used by them for breaking open the latch of the flat, did
not support the prosecution version. Besides, as also noted by
the High Court that although as per the prosecution version ac-
c
cused A-4 and A-5, on the asking of the police constable, who
had visited the flat, had accompanied him to the police station,
this fact was not proved by examining the constable concerned.
All these circumstances, in our judgment, not only take the bot-
D
to.m off the prosecution story, they are sufficient to throw con-
siderable doubt on its truthfulness and the veracity of evidence
of PW-1-an eye witness complainant and knowing accused
A-4 and A-5, rendering it unsafe to base the conviction of the
accused upon it.
E
23. Under these circumstances, in our opinion, the High
Court was fully justified in holding that the omission to mention
the fact regarding the occupation of flat by accused A-4 and A-
5 in the First Information Report, was a very important circum-
stance, fatal to the case of the prosecution.
">; F
24. Now, what remains to be considered is whether con-
viction of the respondents for offence under Section 456 l.P.C.
can be recorded on the basis of the evidence of two closely
related witnesses viz. PW-5 and PW-6, sister and mother re-
spectively of the deceased. In their testimony, which is on simi- G
lar lines, they have stated that when they returned to their flat in
~
the night of 27'h April, 1989, they found the door of the flat open
and accused A-4 and A-5 present there along with a kid and
when they entered the flat, their luggage was thrown out by the
said accused. They have also stated that when a constable came H
1204 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2008] 14 S.C.R.

A to the flat and enquired about the mother of the deceased, they ~
had shown to him the damaged latch and bolt at the entrance.
The constable asked both the accused and PW-6 to follow him
and all of them went to the police station.
25. In Hari Obula Reddy & Ors. Vs. The State of Andhra
B Pradesh 8 while dealing with the question whether the evidence
of an interested witness can form the basis for conviction even
without corroboration by an independent evidence, a three- 'r
judge Bench of this Court, speaking through R.S. Sarkaria, J.
had laid down that:
c "Interested evidence is not necessarily unreliable evidence.
Even partisanship by it?elf is not a valid ground for
discrediting or rejecting· sworn testimony. Nor can it be
laid down as an: invariable rule that interested evidence
can never form the basis of conviction unless corroborated
D
to a material extent in material particulars by independent
evidence. All that is n,ecessary is that the evidence of 1 ,.,.
interested witnesses should be subjected to careful scrutiny
and accepted with caution. If on such scrutiny, the
interested testimony is found to be intrinsically reliable or
E inherently probable, it may, by itself, be sufficient, in the
circumstances of the particular case, to base a conviction
thereon. Although in the matter of appreciation of evidence,
no hard and fast rule can be laid down, yet, in most cases,
in evaluating the evidence of an interested or even a
F partisan witness, it is useful as a first step to focus attention ;--
on the question, whether the presence of the witness at
the scene of the crime at the material time was probable.
If so, whether the substratum of the story narrated by the
witness, being consistent with the other evidence on
G record, the natural course of human events, the surrounding
circumstances and inherent probabilities of the case, is
such which will carry conviction with a prudent person. If ~
the answer to these questions be in the affirmative, and
the evidence of the witness appears to. the court to be
H almost flawless, and free from suspicion, it may accept it,
STATE OF MAHARASHTRA v. AHMED SHAIKH 1205
BABAJAN & ORS. [D.K. JAIN, J]

without seeking corroboration from any other source. Since A
perfection is seldom to be found, and the evidence of a
witness, more so of an interested witness, is generally
fringed with embellishment and exaggerations, however
true in the main, the court may look for some assurance,
the nature and extent of which will vary according to the s:
circumstances of the particular case, from independent
evidence, circumstantial or direct, before finding the
accused guilty on the basis of his interested testimony.
However, these are only broad guidelines which may often
be useful in assessing interested testimony, and are not C
iron-cased rules uniformly applicable in all situations."
· 26. Very recently in Ashok Kumar Chaudhary & Ors. Vs.
State of Biha~ this Court had the occasion to deal with the ques-
tion of creditworthiness of the evidence of relatives of the vic-
tim. On a review of several decisions on the point, including D
Oalip Singh Vs. State of Punjab 10 , Masalti Vs. State of UP 11
and Rizan & Anr. Vs. State of Chhattisgarh, through The Chief
Secretary, Govt. of Chhattisgarh, Raipur, Chhattisgarh 12 it has
been observed that though the Court has to scrutinize such evi-
dence with greater care and caution but such evidence cannot E
be discarded on ihe sole ground of the interest of such witness
in the prosecution. The relationship per se does not affect the
credibility of a witness. Merely because a witness happens to
be a relative of the victim of the crime, he/she cannot be char-
acterized as an "interested" witness. The term "interested" pos- F
tulates that the person concerned has some direct or indirect
interest in seeing that the accused is somehow or the other
convicted either because he had some animus with the accused
or for some other oblique motive.
27. In Namdeo Vs. State of Maharashtra 13 , one of us (C.K. G
Thakker, J.) has said that a close relative cannot be character:-
ized as an "interested" witness. He is a natural witness. His
evidence, however, must be scrutinized carefully. If on such scru-
tiny, his evidence is found to be intrinsically reliable, inherently
probable and wholly trustworthy, conviction can be based on HI
1206 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2008] 14 S.C.R.

A the 'sole' testimony of such witness. Close relationship of wit- .-
ness with the deceased or victim is no ground to reject the evi-
dence. On the contrary, close relative of the deceased would
normally be most reluctant to spare the real culprit and falsely
implicate an innocent one.
B 28. Having considered the evidence of PW-5 and PW-6
in the light of the legal position enunciated in the aforementioned
decisions and bearing in mind the.fact that PW-3, who was ex-
amined by the prosecution to prove the vital fact that accused
A-4 and A-:-5 had borrowed the hammer and screw driver from
C her, being a neighbour of the complainant has not supported
the version of the prosecution, the testimony of the said two
witnesses cannot be said to be intrinsically credible. Moreover,
having regard to the fact that neither in the FIR nor in the state-
ment of PW-1, recorded two days after the occurrence, he had
D stated the fact of house breaking, in our opinion, it will be haz-
ardous to rely solely on the uncorroborated evidence of PW-5
and PW-6 to convict the accused under Section 456 l.P.C. Evi-
dently, having lost their son/brother, allegedly on account of beat-
ing by accused A-1 to A-3, there was every reason for them to
E be inimical to the accused. They were keen to see that all of
them were convicted.

29. For the aforesaid reasons, we are convinced that the
view of the High Court in discarding the evidence of PW-5 and
PW-6, does not suffer from any infirmity. In that view of the mat-
F ter and in the absence of any other evidence on the issue, the
order of the High Court acquitting all the accused of the offence
under Section 456 l.P.C. does not suffer from any illegality war-
ranting interference.
G 30. Consequently, all the appeals, being bereft of any merit,
fail and are dismissed accordingly.
)>-
S.K.S. Appeals dismissed.