GURDIP SINGH Vs. STATE OF HARYANA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THESE two appeals are preferred by the accused against their conviction and sentence imposed by the learned Presiding Officer, Special Court, constituted under the Essential Commodities, Act, Kurukshetra, in the Essential Commodities Case No. 2 of 1986 dated 10.8.1987.

(2.) THE Ist accused is the appellant in Criminal Appeal No. 471 of 1987 while accused Nos. 2 and 3 preferred Appeal No. 480 of 1987. Since both the appeals arise out of the same judgment, they are disposed of together by this common judgment.

(3.) ACCORDING to the case of the prosecution, the accused adulterated kerosene oil with petrol and carrying on business of kerosene and petrol without any licence and that they were not supplying kerosene to the ration card holders. On the other hand, they are forging signatures and thumb impressions of the ration card holders in the distribution registers and selling the kerosene to others at high prices. It is further case of the prosecution that the father of Ist Accused Ajit Sigh Manchanda was the sole proprietor of the Petrol Pump installed in the name and style of Haryana Filling Station, Ismailabad and his licence was valid upto 31.3.1986 and the said Ajit Singh Manchanda died four/five months prior to 9.5.1985 which is the date of registration of FIR No. 113 Police Station, Thaska in this case. The Ist accused used to work in the petrol pump of his father and he was also selling the kerosene oil. Since the Depot of Kerosene Oil was also with him, the other two accused namely Ashok Kumar and Ram Kishan were assisting the Ist accused in his business.