(Per : HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE KS JHAVERI) 1.0 This appeal, under Section 378 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, is directed against the judgment and order of acquittal dated 11.02.2009 passed by the learned Special Judge, Fast Track Court No. 3, Vadodara, in Special (ACB) Case No. 5 of 1999, whereby, the accused has been acquitted from the charges leveled against him.
2.0 The brief facts of the prosecution case are as under:
2.1 The complainant-Ibrahimbhai Noorbhai Bhagliya was the resident of Dabhoi, District Vadodara and at the relevant time was serving as a Repeater Station Assistant at Jetpur-Pavi Telephone Exchange. Sometime in the month of March, 1999 while the complainant was on call for some fault in the phone, at that time he had a scuffle with his co-employee namely, Vithalbhai Parmar. In the said scuffle the complainant caused injuries to the said Vithalbhai. Thereafter, while the complainant was present at his office, at that time, the respondent-accused came there and inquired about the said scuffle which took place between the complainant and the said Vithalbhai. The respondent-accused therefore, took the complainant to the Jetpur-Pavi Police station, whereby a compromise took place between them. After the compromise was taken place between the complainant, the respondent-accused demanded illegal gratification of Rs.1500/- from the complainant. However, after bargaining for some time, Rs.1000/- was decided to be given, At that time since the complainant was not having the amount, he told that he would give the same on 17.03.1999. On 24.03.1999, again, when the respondent-accused met the complainant, he demanded illegal gratification amount of Rs.1000/-.
2.2 On 31.031999, a complaint with respect to the aforesaid offence was filed against the respondent with A.C.B. and a trap was laid, which was successful. Therefore, a complaint was registered against the respondent-accused. Necessary investigation was carried out and statements of several witnesses were recorded. During the course of investigation, as sufficient material was found against the respondent, he was arrested and, ultimately, charge-sheet was filed against him before the competent Court. However, as the case was exclusively triable by the Sessions Court, the same was committed to the Sessions Court, Vadodara.
2.3 On production of the respondents, charge was framed but as the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge levelled against him, trial was initiated against the respondent. During the course of trial, the prosecution has examined five witnesses and had placed reliance upon seven documentary evidence. At the end of trial, and after recording the statement the accused under Section 313 of Cr.P.C. was recorded. the learned Sessions Judge acquitted the respondent of all the charges leveled against him, by impugned judgment and order dated 11.02.2009.
2.4 Being aggrieved by and dissatisfied with the aforesaid judgment and order passed by the Sessions Court, the appellant State has preferred the present appeal.
3.0 It was contended by learned APP that the judgment and order of the Court below is against the provisions of law; the Court below has not properly considered the evidence led by the prosecution and that looking to the provisions of law, it is established that the prosecution has proved the ingredients of the offence against the respondent beyond doubt. Learned APP has taken us through the oral as well as the documentary evidence available on record.
4.0 At the outset, it is required to be noted that the principles which would govern and regulate the hearing of appeal by this Court, against an order of acquittal passed by the trial Court, have been very succinctly explained by the Apex Court in a catena of decisions. In the case of M.S.
Narayana Menon @ Mani Vs. State of Kerala & Anr, reported in (2006) 6 S.C.C. 39, the Apex Court has narrated about the powers of the High Court in appeal against the order of acquittal. In para 54 of the decision, the Apex Court has observed as under:
54. In any event the High Court entertained an appeal treating to be an appeal against acquittal, it was in fact exercising the revisional jurisdiction. Even while exercising an appellate power against a judgment of acquittal, the High Court should have borne in mind the well-settled principles of law that where two view are possible, the appellate Court should not interfere with the finding of acquittal recorded by the Court below.
4.1 Further, in the case of Chandrappa Vs. State of Karnataka reported in (2007) 4 S.C.C. 415, the Apex Court laid down the following principles;
42. From the above decisions, in our considered view, the following general principles regarding powers of the appellate Court while dealing with an appeal against an order of acquittal emerge:
[1] An appellate Court has full power to review, re-appreciate and reconsider the evidence upon which the order of acquittal is founded.
[2] The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 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 law.
[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 curtain extensive powers of an appellate Court in an appeal against acquittal. Such phraseologies are more in the nature of flourishes of language to emphasis the reluctance of 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.
[4] An appellate Court, however, must bear in mind that in case of acquittal 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 shall be presumed to be innocent unless he is proved 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 reasonable conclusions are possible on the basis of the evidence on record, the appellate Court should not disturb the finding of acquittal recorded by the trial Court.
4.2 Thus, it is a settled principle that while exercising appellate power, even if two reasonable conclusions are possible on the basis of the evidence on record, the appellate Court should not disturb the finding of acquittal recorded by the trial Court.
4.3 Even in a recent decision in the case of State of Goa V. Sanjay Thakran & Anr. reported in (2007) 3 S.C.C. 75, the Apex Court has reiterated the powers of the High Court in such cases. In para 16 of the said decision, the Court has observed as under;
16. From the aforesaid decisions, it is apparent that while exercising the powers in appeal against the order of acquittal the Court of appeal would not ordinarily interfere with the order of acquittal unless the approach of the lower Court is vitiated by some manifest illegality and the conclusion arrived at would not be arrived at by any reasonable person and, therefore, the decision is to be characterized as perverse. Merely because two views are possible, the Court of appeal would not take the view which would upset the judgment delivered by the Court below. However, the appellate Court has a power to review the evidence if it is of the view that the conclusion arrived at by the Court below is perverse and the Court has committed a manifest error of law and ignored the material evidence on record. A duty is cast upon the appellate Court, in such circumstances, to re-appreciate the evidence to arrive to a just decision on the basis of material placed on record to find out whether any of the accused is connected with the commission of the crime he is charged with.
4.4 Similar principle has been laid down by the Apex Court in the cases of State of Uttar Pradesh Vs. Ram Veer Singh & Ors reported in 2007 A.I.R. S.C.W. 5553 and in Girja Prasad (Dead) by LRs Vs. State of MP reported in 2007 A.I.R. S.C.W. 5589. Thus, the powers, which this Court may exercise against an order of acquittal, are well settled.
4.5 It is also a settled legal position that in acquittal appeal, the appellate Court is not required to re-write the judgment or to give fresh reasonings, when the reasons assigned by the Court below are found to be just and proper. Such principle is laid down by the Apex Court in the case of State of Karnataka Vs. Hemareddy reported in AIR 1981 S.C. 1417, wherein, it is held as under;
& This Court has observed in Girija Nandini Devi V. Bigendra Nandini Chaudhary (1967)1 SCR 93: (AIR 1967 SC 1124) that it is not the duty of the appellate Court when it agrees with the view of the trial Court on the evidence to repeat the narration of the evidence or to reiterate the reasons given by the trial Court expression of general agreement with the reasons given by the Court the decision of which is under appeal, will ordinarily suffice.
4.6 Thus, in case the appellate Court agrees with the reasons and the opinion given by the lower Court, then the discussion of evidence is not necessary.
5.0 We have gone through the judgment and order passed by the trial Court. We have also perused the oral as well as documentary evidence led before the Court below and also considered the submissions made by learned counsel for the respective parties. After appreciating the evidence on record, the Court below has recorded the conclusion that the prosecution has failed to recover the bribe amount from the respondent. Apart from that there were several contradictions in the evidence of prosecution witnesses, inasmuch as the witnesses have made improvements in respect of recovery of notes, which proved fatal to the entire prosecution case. Moreover, the prosecution had also failed to prove that illegal gratification was demanded by the respondent. Thus, from the evidence itself it is established that the prosecution has not proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
6.0 Learned APP is not in a position to show any evidence to take a contrary view in the matter or that the approach of the Court below is vitiated by some manifest illegality or that the decision is perverse or that the Court blow has ignored the material evidence on record.
7.0 In above view of the matter, we are of the considered opinion that the Court below was completely justified in acquitting the respondent of the charges leveled against him. We find that the findings recorded by the Court below are absolutely just and proper and in recording the said findings, no illegality or infirmity has been committed by it. We are, therefore, in complete agreement with the findings, ultimate conclusion and the resultant order of acquittal recorded by the Court below and hence, find no reasons to interfere with the same.
8.0 The appeal is, accordingly, dismissed. Bail bonds, if any, shall stand cancelled. The Office is directed to sent back the R & P, if lying with this Court, to the trial Court concerned forthwith.
[K.
S. JHAVERI, J.] [Z. K. SAIYED, J.] /phalguni/ Top