Holding

The Court held that the appellants did not share a common object to kill and were not liable under Sections 302/149 IPC, leading to the setting aside of their convictions.

Summary

The appellants were convicted for the murder of Ramdas under Sections 302 and 149 IPC. The prosecution alleged that a group of seven persons, some armed with swords and a knife, assaulted the deceased, with accused No.2 delivering a fatal stab wound. The trial and High Courts held that a common object to kill existed despite no prior meeting of minds, relying on the notion that such intent could develop on the spot. On appeal, the Supreme Court found that the identity of the appellants was doubtful, they were unarmed, and no specific overt acts were attributed to them; witnesses were interested and failed to positively identify them. Applying precedents on common object and the requirements of Section 149, the Court concluded that no case was made out against the appellants for murder or unlawful assembly, set aside the convictions and ordered their release.

Issues considered

Whether the appellants formed a common object to cause the death of the deceased under Section 149 IPC.
Whether the prosecution proved the participation of each appellant through specific overt acts and positive identification.
Whether the fatal injury caused by accused No.2 suffices to attribute liability to the other appellants under Sections 302 and 34 IPC.

Legislation cited

Indian Penal Code, 1860s. 141, s. 147, s. 148, s. 149, s. 302, s. 34, s. 452

Subjects

common objectSection 149 IPCunlawful assemblyidentification parademurderconviction set asideappellate reviewcriminal law

Judgment

SUNIL BALKRISHNA BHOIR
v.
A
THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

MAY 15, 2007

[S.8. SINHA AND MARKANDEY KA TJU, JJ.] B

Penal Code, 1860:

s.3021149-Common object-Vital injury caused to deceased by accused
no.2, while other injuries found on his person only by blows-No specific C
overt act attributed to appellant-Appellants were not armed-Witnesses did
not identify them in Test Identification parade-Hence, appellants did not
form common object to cause death of deceased

Prosecution case was that on the fateful day at 7.30 P.M. deceased and
his friend PW-1 were standing in front of deceased's house. All the accused D
persons came there. Accused no. 1 started quarreling with deceased over a
gold pendant At that the accused No. 2 caught hold of the shirt of the deceased,
a scuffle ensued between the accused No. 2 and the deceased. P.W. 1, wife of
the accused No. 1 intervened and separated them.

At about 9 P.M., when deceased was taking dinner in his house, PW-1 E
was sitting in the front room. PW-I saw accused persons standing in front of
the deceased's house. Accused No. 2 was having a knife and the accused Nos.
3 to 6 were having swords in their hands. PW-1 was assaulted by accused no.
3 by a sword by its blunt side on the shoulder, whereafter the accused entered
into the house of the deceased. Father of the deceased who examined himself F
as P.W. 5 tried to resist them and in the process, caught hold of the sword
which was in the hands of the accused no. 6 resulting in sustaining of bleeding
injuries. The accused allegedly entered into the room. The deceased was
assaulted with kicks and fist blows. Accused No. 2, stabbed the deceased with
a knife. While the accused persons were going out of the house, 'B', brother
of the deceased came whereupon accused No. 2 asked him not to enter into G
the house. While P.W. 1 was going to report the matter to the police Outpost,
he met the other brother of the deceased. The deceased was taken to hospital
where doctor declared him dead. Trial Court convicted accused persons. High

669
H
670 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2007] 6 S.C.R.

A Court upheld the same. During pendency of trial or appeal, accused no.l to 3
expired.

In appeal to this Court, appellants contended that they were not armed
and were not known to deceased or his family and had no motive to commit
crime.
B Allowing the appeals, the Court

HELD: l. Indisputably, a vital injury was caused to the deceased by the
accused no. 2, while other injuries found on his person were caused only by
blows. The accused No. 3 is said to have caused injury to P.W. 1, but no specific
C overt act was attributed to any of the appellants. No witness stated before the
trial court in regard to the specific roles played by each of the appellants.
[Para 8) [674-GJ

2. Admittedly, test identification parades were held for identification of
the accused persons. The first test identification parade was held only in
D respect of accused Nos. l to 4, whereas the second test identification parade
was held in resped of accused Nos. 5 to 7. It is, therefore, evident that even
the identity of the appellants was in doubt Even the full name of the appellant -r·
was not disclosed in the First Information Report He in the test identification
parade was not identified by witnesses and even the first informant K and was ""('
identified only by the father of the deceased. Even father of deceased did not
E attribute any specific overt act so far as the appellant is concerned. He did
not say that appellant was having any weapon. P. W.s 2 to 4 did not identify the
accused No. 4 and accused No. 7.
[Paras 9,10 and 11) [675-A, B, CJ

F 3. Indisputably, all the witnesses are interested witnesses. P.W. 1 was
the complainant P.W. 2 was allegedly at the relevant time have been named to
the deceased. P.W. 4 is brother of the deceased. P.W. 5, was the father of the
deceased. P.W. 3 was also one of the brothers of the deceased. ~
[Para 12) (675-D, El

G 4. The Trial Judge did not place any reliance whatsoever on the evidence
of P.W. 3 and P.W. 5. Only one stab injury was inflicted on the deceased by
accused No. 2. It was not repeated. (Para 13) (675-E, F)

5. The Trial Judge as also the High Court proceeded on the basis that
for establishing common object, no prior meeting of mind was necessary.
H
SUNIL BALKRJSHNA BHOIR '" STATE OF MAHARASHTRA 67 J

According to the courts below, it may develop on the spot. The dispute between A
the parties which was said to be the motive for committing the offences was
an ornament. First of the quarrels between the accused No. 1 and the deceased
took place a fortnight prior to the date of occurrence. Appellants were not
involved. Accused No. 1 on the one hand and the deceased on the other
quarreled on the second occasion. A scuffle took place. The wife of the accused B
No. I and P.W. 1 tried to intervene. The deceased allegedly at that time
touched the person of the wife of accused No. 1. They went to lodge their
respective complaints but then the matter was settled. Accused No. 1 therefore
may have a grudge as against the deceased, who had touched his wife. It is
unlikely that the appellants who were wholly unarmed and who were even not
known to the deceased would form a common object to cause his death. Had it C
been so, they would have gone armed with weapons. Specific overt acts had
not been attributed against them. Allegations made in the first information
report show that whereas the accused Nos. 3 and 6 were armed with sword,
accused No. 2 had a knife. The knife was used by accused No. 2 all of a sudden.
Evidently nobody wanted to cause any seriO!!S injury to others. The medical
evidence does not specifically mention as to how the wounds were caused. The D
size of the wound shows that nobody had used any weapon with much force.
The wounds might have also been caused during scuffle. In the aforementioned
situation, it is difficult to apply the test of common object.
[Paras 15 and 16) [675-G; 676-A-D]
E
Bishna alias Bhiswadeb Mahato and Ors. v. State of W.B., [2005) 12
sec 657, referred to.
6. S.149 per se constitutes a substantive offence. The object of this
section is to make clear that an accused person whose case falls within its
terms cannot put forward the defence that he did not, with his own hand, commit F
the offence committed in prosecution of the common object of the unlawful
assembly or such as the members of the assembly knew to be likely to be
committed in prosecution of that object. Unlawful assembly was formed
originally to assault and something might have happened all of a sudden.
[Para 17) [676-F, G]
G
Radha Mohan Singh alias Lal Saheb and Ors. v. State of U.P., [2006] 1
SCC (Cri) 661 and Rabindra Mahto and Anr. v. State of Jharkhand, [2006)
10 sec 432, relied on.

Ram Dular Rai and Ors. v. State ofBihar, AIR (2004) SC 1043; Munna
H
672 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2007] 6 S.C.R.

A Chanda v. State ofAssam. (2006( 3 SCC 752 and Mummidi Hemadri and Ors.
v. State ofAndhra Pradesh, (2007) 4 SCALE 431, referred to.

11. No case had been made out as against the appellants to arrive at a
conclusion that they are guilty of commission of an offence under ss.302/
149 IPC. (Para 24( (679-C(
B
CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Criminal Appeal No. 415 of
2006.

From the Judgment and Order dated 1.2.2005 of the High Court of ~
Judicature at Bombay in Crl. A. No. 1042/1988. __.
c
WITH
Crl. Appeal No. 416-417 of 2006.

V.A. Mohta, Nitin S. Tambwekar, B.S. Sai, K. Rajeev, Nilkanta Naik and
D Shivaji M. Jadhav for the Appellants.
Sushi! Karanjkar and V.N. Raghupathy for the Respondent.
'I"

The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
-(

E S.B. SINHA, J. I. These appeals arising out of the judgment and order
dated 1.2.2005 passed by a division Bench of the Bombay High Court were
taken up for hearing together and are being disposed of by this common
judgment. Altogether 7 persons were charged for commission of murder of
one Ramdas on 3.2.1987 at 9 p.m. at his house. The accused were charged
under Sections 147, 148, 302/149, 452 of the Indian Penal Code. Accused No.
F 3 was also charged for causing simple hurt to P. W. 1 Kishor. The learned Trial
Judge convicted the accused persons. The High Court has affumed the said
'I"
judgment. It is stated that during the course of the trial and/or pendency of
the appeal, accused Nos. 1 to 3 have expired. Accused No. 6 has not preferred T

any special leave petition before us.
G 2. The motive for commission of the offence is said to be that the
deceased and accused no. 1 had quarreled with each other about a fortnight
prior to the date of incident.

3. Prosecution case is said to be as under : ;-,- ..-
\
H ~
SUNIL BALKRISHNA BHOIR l'. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.] 673

~
,A On 3.2.1987, the deceased Ramdas and his friend Kishor, P.W. I, the first A
infonnant were standing in front of the deceased's house. All the accused
persons allegedly came there at about 7.30 in the evening. Accused No. I
asked for a gold pendent from the deceased Ramdas which was the subject
matter of the dispute between the parties and in relation whereto quarrel had
taken place as the earlier occasion. The deceased, in response thereto is said
to have stated, that he had returned the said gold pendent to some persons B
hailing from Panchpakhadi area. At that the accused No. 2 allegedly caught
hold of the shirt of the deceased, a scuffie ensued between the accused No.
.
_...__
2 and the deceased. P.W. I with the wife of the accused No. 1 intervened and
separated them. Allegedly, the deceased touched the person of the wife of
accused no. I, for which complaints were made by both the parties before the c
Outpost of the Police at Kopri. However, no report was accepted and the
police officers said to have pacified allegedly pacified both the parties and
sent them back. On 3.2.1987 at about 7.30 p.m., P.W. I came to the house of
the deceased. They went to a pan stall and took a round in the Bazar. At
about 9.00 p.m. both of them came back to the house of the deceased. Ramdas
expressed his desire to have his dinner and requested P.W. I at his place to D
wait whereafter he promised to go to the complainant's house. While P.W. I
-.., was sitting on the cot in the front room of the deceased' s house and the
deceased Ramdas had been taking his dinner, he saw 6 to 7 persons coming
y to the front of the house. When he went out to see as to who they were,
found the accused persons standing there. Allegedly, accused No. 2 was E
having a knife in his hands, and the accused Nos. 3 to 6 were having swords
in their hands. P. W. I was asked to call the deceased to which he replied that
he was taking his dinner, and they could talk to him after he finished taking
meal. He was then allegedly assaulted by accused no. 3 by a sword by its
blunt side on the shoulder, whereafter the accused entered into the house of
the deceased. Baburao, father of the deceased who examined himself as P. W. F
5 tried to resist them and in the process, caught hold of the sword which was
'f
....., in the hands of the accused no. 6 resulting in sustaining of bleeding injuries .
The accused allegedly entered into the room. The deceased was assaulted
with kicks and fist blows. Accused No. 2, Anil Mhatre stabbed the deceased
Ramdas with a knife. While the accused persons were going out of the house,
G
Bhaskar, brother of the deceased came whereupon accused No. 2 asked him
not to enter into the house. While P.W. I was going to report the matter to
the police Outpost Kopri, he met the other brother of the deceased, Sudhakar.
~ Sudhakar was asked by P.W. I to bring the deceased to the police outpost,
and he went to the po lice outpost. The deceased was brought to the said
outpost by Sudhakar, whereafter he was referred to the Civil Hospital. A H
674 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (2007) 6 S.C.R.

A doctor upon examining him declared him dead. Complainant Kishor and witness J...
Baburao were also examined by the doctor. They were rendered medical
assistance.

4. The short question which arises for consideration in these appeals
is the nature of involvement of the appellants before us. It is contended that
B the appellants were unanned, and they were not known to the deceased or
his family by even P.W. I Kishor. They had no motive to commit the crime.

5. The post mortem report shows that the following injuries were found
on the body of Ramdas:

C "I. Stab wound on epigastric region right to midline I" x 1/2" x deep
to peritoneal cavity direct cavity direct into backward and upward.

2. Incised wound over left index finger at metocarpus fallengial joint
112" x 1/4" x 118"

D 3. Incised wound on left thumb metocarpus fallengial joint 1/2" x II
4" x 118""

6. Only injury no. 1 was found by the doctor to be sufficient in the
natural course to cause death.

E 7. The injuries on the person ofKishor was only a clean wound on left
infra clavicular region middle third of the clavic 114 cm x 1/4 cm x 114 cm.
whereas Baburao suffered the following injuries:-

"Clean incised wound on the right hand at the distal fonner kreez I/
2 cm. 1/2 cm x 114 cm. and on first web space 112 cm. x 112 cm x II
F 2 cm. Injury on first web space is also a clean incised wou.nd and it
is injury no. 2.

Clean incised wound on left thumb tenninal fale x 1/2 cm. x 1/2 cm. x "I'
1/2 cm."

G 8. Indisputably, a vital injury was caused to the deceased by the accused
No. 2, while other injuries found on his person were caused only by blows.
The accused No. 3 is said to have caused injury to P.W. I, but no specific
overt act was attributed ~o any of the appellants before us. No witness stated
before the trial court in regard to the specific roles played by each of the )--
appellants.
H
SUNIL BALKRISHNA BHOIR "· STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.] 675
9. The learned counsel for the appellants questioned the identification A
of the appellants by the prosecution witnesses before us. Admittedly, test
identification parades were held for identification of the accused persons. The
first test identification parade was held only in respect of accused Nos. 1 to
4, whereas the second test identification parade was held in respect of
accused Nos. 5 to 7. It is, therefore, evident that even the identity of the
appellants before us was in doubt.
B

10. Even the full name of the appellant Sunil was not disclosed in the
First Information Report. He in the test identification parade was not identified
._... by witnesses Ratna Kajale, Sudhakar Kajale, Bhaskar Kajale and even the first
informant Kishor and was identified only by the father of the deceased
Baburao Kajale. Even Baburao did not attribute any specific overt act so far
c
as the said Sunil is concerned. He did not say that Sunil was having any
weapon.

11. P. W. Nos. 2 to 4 did not identify the accused No. 4 and accused No.
7 being the appellants in Criminal Appeal Nos. 415 of2006 and 416 of2006 D
respectively .
.....
12. Indisputably, all the witnesses are interested witnesses. P.W. I was
the complainant. P.W. 2 Ratna was allegedly at the relevant time have been
~
named to the deceased. P.W.4 is Bhaskar, brother of the deceased. P.W. 5,
Baburao was the father of the deceased. P.W. 3 Sunil was also one of the E
brothers of the deceased.

13. The learned Trial Judge did not place any reliance whatsoever on
the evidence of P.W. 5 Baburao and P.W. 3 Sunil. We have noticed hereinbefore
that only one stab injury was inflicted on the deceased by accused No. 2. It
was not repeated. F
1'
...,- 14. Mr. V.A. Mohta, learned senior counsel appearing on behalf of the
appellant would submit that in the aforementioned fact situation, no case has
been made out to arrive at a finding that the appellants herein had a common
object to cause the death of the deceased Ramdas.
G
15. The learned Trial Judge as also the High Court proceeded on the
basis that for establishing common object, no prior meeting of mind was
-A, necessary. According to the courts below, it may develop on the spot. The
dispute between the parties which was said to be the motive for committing
~
the offences was an ornament. First of the quarrels between the accused No. H
676 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (2007] 6 S.C.R.
...._
A I and the deceased took place a fortnight prior to the date of occurrence. .>..
Appellants herein were not involved. Accused No. I on the one hand and the
deceased on the other quarreled on the second occasion. A scuffle took
place. The wife of the accused No. I and P.W. I tried to intervene. The
deceased allegedly at that time touched the person of the wife of accused No.
I. They went to lodge their respective complaints but then the matter was
B settled. Accused No. I therefore may have a grudge as against the deceased,
who had touched his wife. It is unlikely that the appellants before us, who
were wholly unarmed and who were even not known to the deceased would
form a common object to cause his death. Had it been so, they would have
~
gone armed with weapons. Specific overt acts had not been attributed against ....
c them. Allegations made in the first information report show that whereas the
accused Nos. 3 and 6 were armed with sword, accused No. 2 had a knife. The
knife was used by accused No. 2 all of a sudden. Evidently nobody wanted
to cause any serious injury to others. The medical evidence does not specifically
mention as to how the wounds were caused. The size of the wound shows
-
that nobody had used any weapon with much force. The wounds might have
D also been caused during scuffle.

16. In the aforementioned situation, it is difficult to apply the test of y

common object. Mr. Sushi! Karanjkar, learned counsel appearing on behalf of
the respondent, however, would inter alia rely upon a decision of this court ~
in Bishna alias Bhiswadeb Mahato and Ors. v. State of W.B., (2005) 12 SCC
E
657.

In that case itself, it was held

"62. For the purpose of attracting Section 149 IPC, it is not necessary
that there should be a pre-concert by way of a meeting of the persons
F of the unlawful assembly as to the common object. If a common object
is adopted by all the persons and shared by them, it would serve the ,..
purpose." y

17. Section 149 per se constitutes a substantive offence. The object of
this section is to make clear that an accused person whose case falls within
G its terms cannot put forward the defence that he did not, with his own hand,
commit the offence committed in prosecution of the common object of the
unlawful assembly or such as the members of the assembly knew to be likely
to be committed in prosecution of that object. Unlawful assembly was formed ;-
originally to assault and something might have happened all of a sudden.
H
SUNIL BALKRISHNA BHOIR v. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA, J.) 677
A. 18. Common object is defined under Section 141 of the Indian Penal A
Code in the following terms:-

"141. Unlawful assembly. An assembly of five or more persons is
desigmted an 'unlawful assembly', if the common object of the persons
composing that assembly is-
B
First - To overawe by criminal force, or show of criminal force, the
Central or any State Government or Parliament or the Legislature of
any State, or any public servant in the exercise of the lawful power
~ of such public servant; or
+--
Second - To resist the execution of any law, or of any legal process;
or
c
Third - To commit any mischief or criminal trespass, or other offence;
or

Fourth - By means of criminal force, or show of criminal force, to any
person, to take or obtain possession of any property, or to deprive
D
any person of the enjoyment of a right of way, or of the use of water
...,. or other incorporeal right of which he is in possession or enjoyment,
or to enforce any right or supposed right; or
y
Fifth-By means of criminal force, or show of criminal force, to compel
any person to do what he is not legally bound to do, or to omit to
E
do what he is legally entitled to do."

19. Section 142 provides that whoever being aware of facts which
render any assembly an unlawful assembly, intentionally joins that assembly,
or continues in it, is said to be a member of an unlawful assembly. F
..,. 20. The question which is required to be seen in each case is, what was
..... the initial common object, if at all.

21. In Ram Dular Rai and Ors. v. State of Bihar, AIR (2004) SC l 043,
this Court held: G
"7 ... Section 149 does not require that all the five persons must be
identified. What is required to be established is the presence of five
persons with a common intention of doing an act. If that is established
merely because the other persons present are not identified that does
not in any way affect applicability of Section 149, IPC." H
678 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (2007] 6 S.C.R.

A 22. In Munna Chanda v. State of Assam, [2006] 3 SCC 752, this Court .>-
in the fact situation obtaining therein held:-

"12. It is, thus, essential to prove that the person sought to be
charged with an offence with the aid of Section 149 was a member of
the unlawful assembly at the time the offence was committed.
B
13. The appellants herein were not armed with weapons. They except
Bhuttu were not parties to all the three stages of the dispute. At the
third stage of the quarrel, they wanted to teach the deceased and
others a lesson. For picking up quarrel, they wanted to teach the ~
.~
deceased and others a lesson. For picking up quarrel with Bhuttu,
c they might have become agitated and asked for apoiogies from Moti.
Admittedly, it was so done at the instance of Nirmal, Moti was
assaulted by Bhuttu at the instance of Ratan. However, it cannot be
said that they had common object of intentional killing of the deceased.
Moti, however, while being assaulted could free himself from the grip
-
of the appellants and fled from the scene. The deceased was being
D
chased not only by the appellants herein but by many others. He was
found dead the next morning. There is, however, nothing to show as
r
to what role the appellants either conjointly or separately played. It
is also not known as to whether if one or all of the appellants were
--.(
present, when the last blow was given. Who are those who had
E assaulted the deceased is also not known. At whose hands he received
injuries is again a mystery. Neither Section 34 nor Section 149 of the
Penal Code is, therefore, attracted (See Dharam Pal v. State ofHaryana
and Shambhu Kuer v. State of Bihar)."

23. Yet again in Mummidi Hemadri and Ors. v. State ofAndhra Pradesh,
F (2007) 4 SCALE 431, a division bench of this Court opined as under:-
"14. Section 149 IPC, consists of two parts. The first part of the "
section means that the offence to be committed in prosecution of the -....
common object must be one which is committed with a view to
accomplish t:1e common object. In order that the offence may fall
G within the first part, the offence must be connected immediately with
the common object of the unlawful assembly of which the accused
was a member. Even ifthe offence committed is not in direct prosecution
of the common object of the assembly, it may yet fall under Section
141 IPC, if it can be held that the offence was such as the members
H knew was likely to be committed and this is what is required in the
SUNIL BALKRISHNA BHOIR v. STA TE OF MAHARASHTRA [S.B. SINHA J 1 679

second part of the section. The purpose for which the members of the A
assembly set out or desired to achieve is the object. If the object
desired by all the members is the same, the knowledge that is the
object which is being pursued is shared by all the members and they
are in general agreement as to how it is to be achieved and that is now
the common object of the assembly. An object is entertained in the B
human mind, and it being merely a mental attitude, no direct evidence
can be available and, like intention, has generally to be gathered from
the act which the person commits and the result therefrom ..... "

[See also Radha Mohan Singh alias Lal Saheb and Ors. v. State of
U.P., (2006] I SCC (Cri) 661 and Rabindra Mahto and Anr. v. State of C
Jharkhand, (2006] 10 sec 432.

24. Applying the tests laid down by this Court in the aforementioned
decisions, we are of the opinion that no case had been made out as against
the appellants to arrive at a conclusion that they are guilty of commission of
an offence under Section 302/149. We would assume that they were guilty D
under Section 452 of the Indian Penal Code but they have remained in
custody for sufficiently long time. We, therefore, are of the opinion that
having regard to the facts and circumstances of this case, these appeals
should be accepted. Appellants herein are in custody. They are directed to
be set at liberty unless wanted in connection with certain other cases. The
appeals are allowed and the impugned judgment is set aside. E
D.G. Appeals allowed.

-\