JUDGEMENT
Sandeep Mehta, J. -
(1.) Mr. J.R.Choudhary for the complainant.
Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and the Public
Prosecutor for the State assisted by counsel for the complainant.
This is second bail application. The first bail application came to
be dismissed by order dated 08.12.2004. After dismissal of the earlier
bail application, number of prosecution witnesses have been examined.
It is contended by the learned counsel for the petitioner that the
occurrence is of between 2.00 P.M. To 2.30 P.M. on 03.7.2004 and
there was agitation by the villagers on which the police came to the
place of occurrence. One of the police personnel Ramsingh took the
petitioner in a police jeep to the police station at 5.00 P.M. The matter
was investigated by Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Nava vide report dated
07.07.2004. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate reached the spot and it is
said that some persons came in two jeeps and took away Baba
Satyanand. The petitioner was at his house and was taken to the
police station by the police. On the strength of this, learned counsel
submits that the petitioner was not the person who abducted Baba
Satyanand Maharaj and caused any injury to him. It is stated that
Baba was allegedly kidnapped from village Solaya and taken to
Pushkar at a distance of about 150 km., where on the next day, his
dead body was found. According to learned counsel for the petitioner,
the petitioner did not accompany the abductors which is evident from
the inquiry held by Sub-Divisional Magistrate as also the statement of
one Ramsingh recorded by SDM in the said inquiry. Learned counsel
further submits that PW-2 Satyanarayan has not witnessed the
occurrence. He has stated that he along with Bhanwarlal came to
Solaya in a bus and was giving the account of the bus and sat under a
tree. He heard some noise of scolding; he asked to an old lady about
the scolding, who at the relevant time was present. She informed that
Baba was being assaulted. The other witness is PW-4 Bannaram.
According to learned counsel for the petitioner, he has also not
witnessed the occurrence for the reason that PW-5 Nandaram has
stated that at the time of occurrence, he did not see any person of
village Solaya. He belongs to village Nava. Therefore, learned counsel
submits that in view of statement of PW-5 Nandaram, PW-4 Banna
Ram who belongs to village Solaya was not present at the place of
occurrence and, therefore, did not witness the occurrence. Learned
counsel further submits that the prosecution witnesses PW-3 Bhopal
Ram, PW-8 Nolaram, PW-9 Ghasi Ram, PW-11 Bhanwarlal, PW-12
Malchand @ Babulal, PW-13 Mannaram, PW-14 Prabhati, PW-16
Pemaram and PW-17 Rameshwar have not supported the prosecution
case and have turned hostile.
(2.) Learned public prosecutor and counsel appearing for the
complainant submit that these witnesses have turned hostile, but so
far as the present petitioner is concerned, some of the witnesses PW-3
Bhopal Ram, PW-4 Bannaram, PW-5 Nandaram and PW-18 Heeralal
have named the petitioner. PW-18 Heeralal stated that the persons
who abducted the Baba were Ashok, Rajendra, Bhanwarlal, Aslam,
Brajmohan etc.
(3.) I have carefully gone through the statements of these
witnesses. Some of the accused namely Aslam, Brijmohan,
Ramswaroop, Smt. Soni and Smt. Singari have already been granted
bail. From the statement of PW-2 Satyanarayan, it appears that he
gathered the information from an old lady. So far as the statement of
PW-4 Bannaram is concerned, according to witness PW-5 Nandaram,
he is from village Nava and at the place of occurrence there was
nobody from village Solaya and PW-4 is from village Solaya whose
presence has not been shown by PW-5. The statement of PW-18
Heeralal is not with regard to the occurrence, he is the person who
claims to have one and half drum of diesel out of which 20 liters of
diesel was taken by the petitioner. Keeping in view, the inquiry report
held by S.D.M. Nava as also the statement of Ramsingh and other
witnesses who are not consistent that it was the petitioner who was
with the other kidnappers, at any rate, there is an arguable point and
that after the Baba was taken by the persons who came in two jeeps,
the present petitioner was found at his residence as stated by counsel
for the petitioner and was taken by the police and subsequently was
arrested.;
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