- (1.) Settled canons of criminal jurisprudence when applied in their correct perspective, give rise to the following questions for consideration of the Court in the present appeal: a) Where acts of omission and commission, deliberate or otherwise, are committed by the investigating agency or other significant witnesses instrumental in proving the offence, what approach, in appreciation of evidence, should be adopted b) Depending upon the answer to the above, what directions should be issued by the courts of competent jurisdiction c) Whenever there is some conflict in the eye-witness version of events and the medical evidence, what effect will it have on the case of the prosecution and what would be the manner in which the Court should appreciate such evidence
(2.) The facts giving rise to the questions in the present appeal are that the fields of Gurumukh Singh and Dayal Singh were adjoining in the village Salwati within the limits of Police Station Sittarganj, district Udham Singh Nagar. These fields were separated by a mend (boundary mound). On 8th December, 1985, Gurumukh Singh, the complainant, who was examined as PW2, along with his father Pyara Singh, had gone to their fields. At about 12 noon, Smt. Balwant Kaur, PW4, wife of Pyara Singh came to the fields to give meals to Pyara Singh and their son Gurumukh Singh. At about 12.45 p.m, the accused persons, namely, Dayal Singh, Budh Singh & Resham Singh (both sons of Dayal Singh) and Pahalwan Singh came to the fields wielding lathis and started hurling abuses. They asked Pyara Singh and Gurumukh Singh as to why they were placing earth on their mend, upon which they answered that mend was a joint property belonging to both the parties. Without any provocation, all the accused persons started attacking Pyara Singh with lathis. Gurumukh Singh, PW2, at that time, was at a little distance from his father and Smt. Balwant Kaur, PW4, was nearby. On seeing the occurrence, they raised an alarm and went to rescue Pyara Singh. The accused, however, inflicted lathi injuries on both PW2 and PW4. In the meanwhile, Satnam Singh, who was ploughing his fields, which were quite close to the fields of the parties and Uttam Singh (PW5) who was coming to his village from another village, saw the occurrence. These two persons even challenged the accused persons upon which the accused persons ran away from the place of occurrence. Pyara Singh, who had been attacked by all the accused persons with lathis fell down and succumbed to his injuries on the spot. Few villagers also came to the spot. According to the prosecution, pagri (Ex.1) of one of the accused, Budh Singh, had fallen on the spot which was subsequently taken into custody by the Police. Gurumukh Singh, PW2, left the dead body of his deceased father in the custody of the villagers and went to the police station where he got the report, Exhibit Ka-3, scribed by Kashmir Singh in relation to the occurrence. The report was lodged at about 2.15 p.m. on 8th December, 1985 by PW2 in presence of SI Kartar Singh, PW6. FIR (Exhibit Ka-4A) was registered and the investigating machinery was put into motion. The two injured witnesses, namely, PW2 and PW4 were examined by Dr. P.C. Pande, PW1, the medical officer at the Public Health Centre, Sittarganj on the date of occurrence. At 4.00 p.m., the doctor examined PW2 and noticed the following injuries on the person of the injured witness vide Injury Report, Ex. Ka-1. PW-2 "1. Lacerated wound of 5 cm X 1 cm and 1 cm in depth. Margins were lacerated. Red fresh blood was present over wound. Wound was caused by hard and blunt object. Wound was at the junction of left parietal and occipital bone 7 cm from upper part of left ear caused by blunt object. Advised X- ray. Skull A.P. and lateral and the injury was kept under observation. 2. Contusion of 6 cm X 2.5 cm on left side of body 3 cm above the left ilic crest. Simple in nature caused by hard and blunt object." According to the Doctor, the injuries were caused by hard and blunt object and they were fresh in duration. On 8.12.1985 at 7.30 p.m. Dr. P.C. Pande (PW1) examined the injuries of Smt. Balwant Kaur PW4 and found the following injuries on her person vide injury report Ex.Ka.2: PW-4 1. Contusion 6 cm X 3 cm on left shoulder caused by hard and blunt object. 2. Contusion of 5 cm X 2 cm on lateral side of middle of left upper arm. Bluish red in colour caused by hard and blunt object. 3. Contusion of 4 cm X 2 cm on left parietal bone 6 cm from left ear caused by hard and blunt object. According to Dr. Pande, these injuries were caused by hard and blunt object and the duration was within 12 hours and the nature of the injuries was simple. According to Dr. Pande the injuries of both these injured persons could have been received on 8.12.1985 at 12.45 p.m. by lathi."
(3.) As noted above, according to Dr. Pande, the injuries were caused by a hard and blunt object and duration was within 12 hours. Thereafter, SI Kartar Singh, PW6, proceeded to the place of occurrence in village Salwati. He found the dead body of Pyara Singh lying in the fields. In the presence of panchas, including Balwant Singh, PW8, he noticed that there were three injuries on the person of the deceased, Pyara Singh and prepared Inquest Report vide Ex. Ka-6 recording his opinion that the deceased died on account of the injuries found on his body. After preparing the site plan, Ext. Ka-10, he also wrote a letter to the Superintendent, Civil Hospital, Haldwani for post mortem, being Exhibit Ka-9. The dead body was taken to the said hospital by Constable Chandrapal Singh, PW7. Dr. C.N. Tewari, PW3, medical officer in the Civil Hospital, Haldwani, performed the post mortem upon the body of the deceased and did not find any ante-mortem or post-mortem injuries on the dead body. On internal examination, he did not find any injuries and could not ascertain the cause of death. Further, he preserved the viscera and gave the post-mortem report, Exhibit Ka-4. After noticing that there was no injury or abnormality found upon external and internal examination of the dead body, the doctor in his report recorded as under: "Viscera in sealed jars handed over to the accompanying Constables. Jar No.1 sample preservative saline water. Jar No.2 Pieces of stomach Jar No.3 Pieces of liver, spleen and kidney. Death occurred about one day back. Cause of death could not be ascertained. Hence, viscera preserved." ;