Rajasthan High Court – Jodhpur
State vs Sumer Singh on 12 July, 2025
Author: Pushpendra Singh Bhati
Bench: Pushpendra Singh Bhati
[2025:RJ-JD:29311-DB]
HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE FOR RAJASTHAN AT
JODHPUR
D.B. Criminal Appeal No. 64/1994
State of Rajasthan
----Appellant
Versus
Sumer Singh S/o Shri Bhanwar Singh, resident of Bhasawa,
District - Jaipur
----Respondent
For Appellant(s) : Mr. Rajesh Bhati, PP
For Respondent(s) : Mr. Chandan Singh Jodha
HON'BLE DR. JUSTICE PUSHPENDRA SINGH BHATI
HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE SUNIL BENIWAL
Judgment
Reserved on : 04/07/2025
Pronounced on : 12/07/2025
(Per Sunil Beniwal, J.)
1. The instant criminal appeal has been preferred on behalf of
the appellant – State of Rajasthan under Section 378 (iii) & (i)
Cr.P.C. assailing the judgment dated 29.06.1993 passed by the
learned Sessions Judge, Merta, District Nagour in Sessions Case
No.17/1990, whereby the learned trial Court acquitted the
respondent for the offence under Sections 302 of the Indian Penal
Code (IPC) while extending benefit of doubt.
2. The facts in nutshell, as per the prosecution story in the
present case are that a case was registered on the basis of a
complaint lodged by PW-1 Raghuveer Singh, wherein it was
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alleged that on 15/16.11.1989, the accused-respondent
committed the murder of one Madan Singh.
2.1. As per the contents of the FIR dated 16.11.1989, it was
stated by complainant PW-1 Raghuveer Singh that he was
informed by one Satya Narayan and Bhanwar Singh on
16.11.1989 that Madan Singh was killed. This information was
given to him when Madan Singh was about to be cremated. Later,
he went to Police Station whereupon the post mortem was
conducted and police also started investigation.
2.2. The prosecution case is primarily based on circumstantial
evidence, as there was no eye-witness to the incident.
3. Learned counsel appearing on behalf of the State, while
arguing the appeal made the following submissions:
3.1 The accused-respondent used a liquor bottle as a weapon to
inflict a head injury upon the deceased Madan Singh, and due to
the said fatal injury, Madan Singh succumbed on the spot.
3.2. PW-6 Heera Lal who deposed that the accused-respondent
made an extra-judicial confession before him admitting that he
had killed Madan Singh. This confession was stated to have been
made in the presence of PW-11 Ram Narayan. It was urged that,
in view of this confession, the learned trial Court ought to have
accepted the prosecution story and have convicted the accused-
respondent for the offence U/s 302 of the IPC.
3.3. The PW-6 Heera Lal, before whom the extra-judicial
confession was made, conveyed the same to PW-22 Satya
Narayan, who attended the funeral of the deceased. Before the
cremation, the information was further conveyed to the brother of
the deceased. As a consequence, the cremation was halted and
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PW-1 Raghuveer Singh was sent to inform the police. Thereafter,
the police and medical team reached the spot, conducted the
post-mortem and the body of Madan Singh was cremated.
3.4. Learned counsel for the State submitted that the evidence
available on record clearly established that the accused-
respondent and deceased Madan Singh were last seen together.
They consumed liquor together, and had a quarrel over food and
some money. Learned counsel submitted that motive to kill Madan
Singh was very clear and the possession of money was proved as
Madan Singh had gone to the Krishi Mandi to sell agricultural
produce and was having about Rs.10,000/- in his pocket.
3.5. While concluding the arguments, learned State counsel
submitted that this is a case based on circumstantial evidence and
the prosecution successfully established a complete chain of
circumstances/events. The prosecution has led cogent evidence to
prove that the accused-respondent and the deceased Madan Singh
were last seen together before the incident happened and in
addition, there is an extra-judicial confession by the accused-
respondent and a recovery made at his instance makes a clear
case of conviction. It was argued that the learned trial Court failed
to properly appreciate the evidence on record and therefore, the
impugned judgment passed by the learned trial Court deserves to
be reversed.
4. Per contra, learned counsel Mr. Chandan Singh Jodha,
appearing for the respondent, submitted that:
4.1. The prosecution has completely failed to establish the guilt of
the accused-respondent. He contended that the prosecution could
neither prove the factum of the extra-judicial confession nor
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[2025:RJ-JD:29311-DB] (4 of 17) [CRLA-64/1994]establish through concrete evidence that the deceased Madan
Singh and the accused-respondent were last seen together.
Furthermore, there was no credible supporting evidence to
suggest that the accused-respondent committed the murder on
account of any motive.
4.2. The alleged recovery of the liquor bottle, claimed to be the
weapon used in the offence was made after a lapse of two months
and that too from an open place. It was stated that the two
recovery witnesses were PW-18 and PW-22. As far as PW-22
Satya Narayan is concerned, he turned hostile during the trial,
whereas the second witness to the recovery proceedings i.e. PW-
18 Chotu Ram deposed that although he witnessed the recovery,
however, neither recovered bottle was sealed nor the site map was
not prepared in his presence. In such circumstances, the recovery
is rendered doubtful and cannot be relied upon to link the
respondent with the alleged offence.
4.3. It is the prosecution’s case that PW-6 Heera Lal informed
PW-22 Satya Narayan about the extra-judicial confession made by
the respondent. Satya Narayan further told the fact to the brother
of the deceased and despite the complainant having knowledge of
this fact, the name of the accused-respondent was conspicuously
absent from the FIR which casts serious doubt on the veracity of
the prosecution story and indicates that the narrative is an
afterthought and has been concocted subsequently.
4.4. Learned counsel further submitted that the learned trial
Court has thoroughly appreciated the evidence available on record
and rightly concluded that neither the extra-judicial confession nor
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the “last seen together” theory was convincingly established by
the prosecution.
4.5. PW-6 Heera Lal and Ram Narayan PW-11 have been
considered as most important witnesses, but their statements
suffer from serious contradictions, particularly regarding the “last
seen” aspect, so as to establish the guilt of the accused
respondent.
4.6. PW-23 Dr. Kamal Bajaj, who opined that if a person is heavily
intoxicated and falls under such circumstances, it could lead to
cerebral hemorrhage and concussion of the brain. Thus, the
medical evidence does not conclusively point to a homicidal death.
4.7. It was also submitted that the allegation of absconding by
the accused-respondent post-incident is not borne out by the
evidence on record. PW-9 Anandi Lal deposed that the respondent
was on duty on 15.11.1989 till 4:00 PM and returned the next
day, i.e., 16.11.1989 at 10:45 AM. Similarly, PW-26 Naveen
Chaturvedi testified that the respondent was on sanctioned leave.
Hence, the allegation of abscondence immediately after incident is
unfounded and without merit.
4.8. Based on the above submissions, learned counsel for the
respondent submitted that the learned trial Court, after a
comprehensive appreciation of the entire evidence available on
record, has rightly acquitted the accused-respondent. The findings
recorded are well-reasoned and do not suffer from any legal
infirmity. Therefore, no interference is warranted in the impugned
judgment and the present appeal deserves to be dismissed.
5. Heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the
material available on record.
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6. It is true that the present case is based entirely on
circumstantial evidence. In support of its case, the prosecution
examined 29 witnesses, produced 18 documents, and exhibited
two articles. Out of the said witnesses, the most material
witnesses whose statements are required to be considered are:
PW-1 Raghuveer Singh (complainant), PW-2 Ram Lal (salesman at
the liquor shop), PW-3 Gopal Singh (brother of PW-28 Arjun
Singh), PW-6 Heera Lal (alleged witness to the extra-judicial
confession), PW-11 Ram Narayan (bus driver and another witness
to the said extra-judicial confession), PW-22 Satya Narayan (the
first person informed about the confession), PW-28 Arjun Singh
(present at the liquor shop prior to the incident), and PW-23 Dr.
Kamal Bajaj (medical expert). These witnesses are of particular
significance in the context of the circumstantial evidence forming
the basis of the prosecution story.
7. The single injury which resulted in the death of the deceased
Madan Singh was a head injury and as per the prosecution story
the injury was caused by the liquor bottle. It is evident from the
record that the alleged bottle was recovered at the instance of the
accused-respondent after a lapse of two months from the date of
the incident, and that too from an open space. In order to
examine whether the prosecution has successfully established the
recovery of the alleged weapon, the statements of two material
witnesses PW-22 Satya Narayan and PW-18 Chotu Ram are first
considered.
7.1 PW-22 Satya Narayan, who was projected as a key witness
to the recovery, deposed that although a bottle was recovered in
his presence following the arrest of the accused-respondent, the
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bottle shown to him in Court was broken, whereas the one
recovered in his presence was intact. As such, he could not
confirm that the bottle exhibited in Court was the same as the one
recovered. Consequently, he was declared hostile.
7.2 The other witness to the recovery, PW-18 Chotu Ram, stated
that the bottle was recovered at the instance of the accused
Sumer Singh. However, he was unable to confirm whether the
recovered bottle was sealed in his presence. Furthermore, he did
not assert that any site plan was prepared in his presence.
7.3 In light of such conflicting and inconsistent statements, it
cannot be said that the prosecution has successfully proved the
recovery of the weapon i.e. the liquor bottle allegedly used in the
commission of the offence.
8. As regards the alleged extra-judicial confession of the
accused-respondent, it is noted that PW-6 Heera Lal deposed that
the accused-respondent told Ram Narayan to convey to Heera Lal
that he had killed Madan Singh. PW-11 Ram Narayan has not
supported the version as stated by PW-6 Heera Lal, wherein it was
alleged that upon the accused making such a statement, Ram
Narayan laughed. Furthermore, the assertion made by PW-6 Heera
Lal that the accused-respondent confessed to having killed Madan
Singh is also not supported by the testimony of PW-11 Ram
Narayan.
8.1. Additionally, the statements of PW-22 Satya Narayan and
PW-27 Narayan were examined with a view to ascertain the
veracity of the alleged extra-judicial confession. However, both
these witnesses have turned hostile, thereby rendering their
testimonies unreliable. In light of the contradictory testimonies of
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PW-6 Heera Lal and PW-11 Ram Narayan and the unreliability of
PW-22 Satya Narayan and PW-27 Narayan, it cannot be said with
certainty that the prosecution has been able to establish, beyond
reasonable doubt, that the accused-respondent made a voluntary
extra-judicial confession admitting his guilt before PW-6 Heera Lal
and PW-11 Ram Narayan.
9. Learned counsel for the State has fervently contended that
the prosecution has successfully connected each link in the chain
of circumstances, thereby establishing a complete and unbroken
chain of events which conclusively points to the guilt of the
respondent-accused and proves that it was he who committed the
murder of the deceased Madan Singh.
10. In the present case, certain facts remain undisputed, notably
that the dead body of Madan Singh was found in the morning near
the cremation ground and graveyard. The dead body was seen by
several witnesses who have been examined before the Court.
11. PW-2 Ram Lal, in his testimony, stated that he was employed
as a salesman at the liquor shop. On the date of the incident, he
was present at the shop when the accused-respondent Sumer
Singh, along with one Sharma and Heera Kumar, arrived there. At
that time, PW-28 Arjun Singh was already present at the shop and
was consuming liquor. According to PW-2 Ram Lal, a discussion
ensued regarding the price of liquor. Sumer Singh objected to
liquor being sold to Madan Singh at a lower rate while he was
being charged a higher price. This led to a verbal altercation.
Thereafter, Sumer Singh consumed liquor and subsequently
Madan Singh also arrived. All of them then proceeded to the house
of PW-3 Gopal Singh. PW-2 Ram Lal thereafter closed the shop
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and went for dinner. He later came back and reopened the shop
and thereafter Madan Singh again came and asked for liquor. After
being served, Sumer Singh and Sharma also arrived. Sumer Singh
allegedly told Madan Singh that half a bottle would not serve the
purpose and insisted on a full bottle of liquor, however, Madan
Singh refused. It is alleged that at this point, Sumer Singh
grabbed Madan Singh by the collar, following which PW-2 Ram Lal
intervened and directed them to leave the liquor shop. Thereafter,
they all went to the shop of PW-6 Heera Lal.
12. The testimony of PW-2 Ram Lal, at best, establishes that
both Sumer Singh and Madan Singh consumed liquor on the date
of the incident and had a minor altercation. However, it does not
indicate the existence of any serious motive or provocation that
could lead Sumer Singh to commit the murder of Madan Singh.
13. The statements of PW-3 Gopal Singh and PW-28 Arjun Singh
were also examined. Although their testimonies establish that the
deceased Madan Singh and the accused Sumer Singh were seen
together, the versions given by these two witnesses materially
differ from the statements furnished by PW-6 Heera Lal and
PW-11 Ram Narayan.
14. As per the testimony of PW-11 Ram Narayan, both the
deceased Madan Singh, Narayan Lal and the accused Sumer Singh
were having oral altercation and were using foul words against
each other. He further states that there was quarrel between
Heera Lal and Sumer Singh on Heera Lal refusing to make food
available. PW-11 Ram Narayan further stated that all three namely
Sumer Singh (accused), Madan Singh and Narayan Lal were
intoxicated. According to him, Heera Lal took Madan Singh to his
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house so that he could sleep, and thereafter, Madan Singh did not
return. PW-11 further stated that after Heera Lal left with Madan
Singh and he was unaware of when Heera Lal returned. He also
deposed that subsequent to Heera Lal’s departure, the accused
Sumer Singh and he (Ram Narayan) went to sleep together, and
after 9:20 PM, Sumer Singh did not go anywhere and remained
asleep.
15. On the other hand, PW-6 Heera Lal deposed that after he
had gone to sleep, Sumer Singh came to him around 1:00 AM and
asked for food. When he refused, Sumer Singh asked him to
accompany him to the shop. On his insistence, he eventually
followed Sumer Singh and thereafter Sumer Singh in presence of
PW-11 Ram Narayan said that you convey to Heera Lal that he has
killed Madan Singh.
16. The version of PW-11 Ram Narayan is entirely contradictory
to that of PW-6 Heera Lal. Similarly, the testimonies of other
prosecution witnesses also do not support the “last seen together”
theory as sought to be established by the prosecution.
17. Learned trial Court has elaborately dealt with the evidence of
the witnesses in an attempt to establish the chain of
circumstances. However, in view of the contradictory statements
discussed above, the “last seen together” theory as sought to be
propounded by the prosecution was not established. Consequently,
in the absence of a complete dots being connected, the accused
cannot be held guilty.
18. As far as the alleged motive for committing the offence is
concerned, it was argued by learned counsel for the appellant that
the deceased Madan Singh had gone to the Krishi Mandi on the
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same day to sell agricultural produce and was carrying a sum of
₹10,000/- in his pocket. In support of this, the purchaser (PW-17
Jagdish Prasad) of the agricultural produce was examined and a
receipt said to have been recovered from the pocket of the
deceased was also exhibited as Ex.P/6. However, none of the
witnesses supported the prosecution story to the extent of
establishing a motive for the murder of Madan Singh on account of
the said money.
19. Furthermore, there is no evidence of any serious dispute
having arisen between Madan Singh and Sumer Singh that could
have provoked Sumer Singh to take the drastic step of killing
Madan Singh. As per the evidence available on record, there was
an oral altercation between Heera Lal and Sumer Singh at one
point in time, and there is also evidence of an oral altercation
between Sumer Singh and Madan Singh. It is also a fact that, on
the intervening night of 15/16.11.1989, Sumer Singh, Madan
Singh, and Narayan Lal were intoxicated. In view of the above
factual circumstances, the prosecution could not establish its case
and connect all the dots to finally conclude that it was the Sumer
Singh who had murdered Madan Singh on the intervening night of
15.11.1989.
19.1 What emerges from the evidence is that there was
merely a heated argument and quarrel regarding the rate of liquor
and whether to purchase half or full bottle. Thus, the prosecution
has failed to prove that the accused had any motive to kill Madan
Singh over the alleged money. Learned trial Court, therefore,
rightly concluded that the motive, as alleged by the prosecution,
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[2025:RJ-JD:29311-DB] (12 of 17) [CRLA-64/1994]
was not established so as to hold the respondent-accused guilty
for the offence under Section 302 IPC.
20. Learned counsel for the State further contended that the
conduct of the respondent-accused in absconding on the next day
of the incident, i.e., 16.11.1989, indicated guilt. However, upon
examination of the evidence, this contention is found to be
baseless, as there is clear evidence on record to show that Sumer
Singh went on duty on the next date and was later on medical
leave. Hence, the allegation of absconding also remains unproved.
21. It is undisputed that the present is a case of circumstantial
evidence and thus the guiding principles laid down by the Hon’ble
Apex Court in the case of Sharad Birdhichand Sharda v. State
of Maharashtra [(1984) 4 SCC 116] have to be established to
prove guilt on basis of circumstantial evidence. The Hon’ble Apex
Court while discussing the said principles in the recent case of
Nusrat Parween Vs. State of Jharkhand (AIR 2025 SC 105)
observed as under:
“7. It is a well-established principle of criminal jurisprudence
that conviction on a charge of murder may be based purely
on circumstantial evidence, provided that such evidence is
deemed credible and trustworthy. In cases involving
circumstantial evidence, it is crucial to ensure that the facts
leading to the conclusion of guilt are fully established and
that all the established facts point irrefutably to the Accused
person’s guilt. The chain of incriminating circumstances must
be conclusive and should exclude any hypothesis other than
the guilt of the Accused. In other words, from the chain of
incriminating circumstances, no reasonable doubt can be
entertained about the Accused person’s innocence,
demonstrating that it was the Accused and none other who
committed the offence. The law with regard to conviction
based on circumstantial evidence has been crystalised by
this Court in the case of Sharad Birdhichand Sharda v. State
of Maharashtra (1984) 4 SCC 116, wherein it was held:
153. A close analysis of this decision would
show that the following conditions must be(Downloaded on 12/07/2025 at 08:32:03 PM)
[2025:RJ-JD:29311-DB] (13 of 17) [CRLA-64/1994]fulfilled before a case against an Accused can be
said to be fully established:
(1) the circumstances from which the conclusion
of guilt is to be drawn should be fully
established.
It may be noted here that this Court
indicated that the circumstances concerned
“must or should” and not “may be” established.
There is not only a grammatical but a legal
distinction between “may be proved” and “must
be or should be proved” as was held by this
Court in Shivaji Sahabrao Bobade v. State of
Maharashtra [(1973) 2 SCC 793] where the
observations were made: [SCC para 19, p. 807]
Certainly, it is a primary principle that the
Accused must be and not merely may be
guilty before a court can convict and the mental
distance between ‘may be’ and ‘must be’ is long
and divides vague conjectures from sure
conclusions.
(2) the facts so established should be consistent
only with the hypothesis of the guilt of the
Accused, that is to say, they should not be
explainable on any other hypothesis except
that the Accused is guilty,
(3) the circumstances should be of a conclusive
nature and tendency,
(4) they should exclude every possible
hypothesis except the one to be proved, and
(5) there must be a chain of evidence so
complete as not to leave any reasonable
ground for the conclusion consistent with
the innocence of the Accused and must show
that in all human probability the act must have
been done by the Accused.”
21.1. The Hon’ble Apex Court while elaborating the principles
in the cases of acquittal on basis of lack of circumstantial evidence
in the case of Sangappa Vs. State of Karnataka (Criminal
Appeal No.1715/2017; decided on 27.02.2025) observed as
under:
“19. The High Court labelled the Trial Court’s
appreciation as “perverse” but, on closer inspection,
we see that the Trial Court took a “possible view” of
the evidence, one that carefully noted the lack of
consistent last-seen evidence, the unreliability of
key witnesses, and the failure to prove recoveries(Downloaded on 12/07/2025 at 08:32:03 PM)
[2025:RJ-JD:29311-DB] (14 of 17) [CRLA-64/1994]conclusively. In cases of circumstantial evidence,
where the prosecution must prove each link in the
chain beyond a reasonable doubt, the appellate
courts should exercise extreme caution before
reversing an acquittal. It is a fundamental judicial
principle that the presumption of innocence,
coupled with the benefit of doubt, should not be
lightly set aside, and any interference with an
acquittal is warranted only where the trial court’s
findings are patently erroneous or manifestly
unjust.”
21.2. In the present case, as discussed above, the
prosecution has neither been able to prove motive nor ‘last seen
theory’ as there are serious contradictions in the statements of
witnesses. Further, the statements of PW-6 Heera Lal who has
been regarded as the most essential witness to prove the extra-
judicial confession of the accused, has serious contradictions with
statements of PW-11 Ram Narayan. Furthermore, PW-22 Satya
Narayan who was the key witness in the prosecution story turned
hostile. Hence, keeping into the consideration the principles
crystallized by the Hon’ble Apex Court, it cannot conclusively be
observed that it is no one but accused who has committed murder
of the deceased when the chain of circumstantial evidence is
incomplete, also considering that the factum of accused
absconding after the incident also remains unproved.
22. At this juncture, this Court deems it appropriate to reproduce
the relevant portions of the judgments rendered by the Hon’ble
Apex Court in the cases of Mallappa & Ors. Vs. State of
Karnataka (AIR 2024 SC 1252) and Babu Sahebagouda
Rudragoudar and Ors. Vs. State of Karnataka (AIR 2024 SC
2252), as hereunder-:
Mallappa & Ors. (Supra):
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[2025:RJ-JD:29311-DB] (15 of 17) [CRLA-64/1994]
“36. Our criminal jurisprudence is essentially based on the
promise that no innocent shall be condemned as guilty. All the
safeguards and the jurisprudential values of criminal law, are
intended to prevent any failure of justice. The principles which
come into play while deciding an appeal from acquittal could
be summarized as:
(i) Appreciation of evidence is the core element of a criminal
trial and such appreciation must be comprehensive inclusive
of all evidence, oral or documentary;
(ii) Partial or selective appreciation of evidence may result in a
miscarriage of justice and is in itself a ground of challenge;
(iii) If the Court, after appreciation of evidence, finds that two
views are possible, the one in favour of the accused shall
ordinarily be followed;
(iv) If the view of the Trial Court is a legally plausible view,
mere possibility of a contrary view shall not justify the
reversal of acquittal;
(v) If the appellate Court is inclined to reverse the acquittal in
appeal on a re-appreciation of evidence, it must specifically
address all the reasons given by the Trial Court for acquittal
and must cover all the facts;
(vi) In a case of reversal from acquittal to conviction, the
appellate Court must demonstrate an illegality, perversity or
error of law or fact in the decision of the Trial Court.”
Babu Sahebagouda Rudragoudar and Ors. (Supra):
“38. Further, in the case of H.D. Sundara & Ors. v. State of
Karnataka (2023) 9 SCC 581 this Court summarized the
principles governing the exercise of appellate jurisdiction
while dealing with an appeal against acquittal under Section
378 of CrPC as follows:
“8.1. The acquittal of the accused further strengthens
the presumption of innocence;
8.2. The appellate court, while hearing an appeal against
acquittal, is entitled to reappreciate the oral and
documentary evidence;
8.3. The appellate court, while deciding an appeal
against acquittal, after reappreciating the evidence, is
required to consider whether the view taken by the trial
court is a possible view which could have been taken on
the basis of the evidence on record;
8.4. If the view taken is a possible view, the appellate
court cannot overturn the order of acquittal on the
ground that another view was also possible; and
8.5. The appellate court can interfere with the order of
acquittal only if it comes to a finding that the only(Downloaded on 12/07/2025 at 08:32:03 PM)
[2025:RJ-JD:29311-DB] (16 of 17) [CRLA-64/1994]conclusion which can be recorded on the basis of the
evidence on record was that the guilt of the accused was
proved beyond a reasonable doubt and no other
conclusion was possible.”
39. Thus, it is beyond the pale of doubt that the scope of
interference by an appellate Court for reversing the judgment
of acquittal recorded by the trial Court in favour of the
accused has to be exercised within the four corners of the
following principles: (a) That the judgment of acquittal
suffers from patent perversity; (b) That the same is based on
a misreading/omission to consider material evidence on
record; (c) That no two reasonable views are possible and
only the view consistent with the guilt of the accused is
possible from the evidence available on record.”
23. Learned trial Court passed the impugned judgment of
acquittal of the accused-respondents under Section 302 IPC,
which in the given circumstances, is justified in law, because as
per the settled principles of law as laid down by the Hon’ble Apex
Court in the aforementioned judgments, to the effect that the
judgment of the trial Court can be reversed by the Appellate Court
only when it demonstrates an illegality, perversity or error of law
or fact in arriving at such decision; but in the present case, the
learned trial Court, before passing the impugned judgment had
examined each and every witnesses at a considerable length and
duly analyzed the documents produced before it, coupled with
examination of the oral as well as documentary evidence, and
thus, the impugned judgment suffers from no perversity or error
of law or fact, so as to warrant any interference by this Court in
the instant appeal.
24. The scope of interference in the acquittal order passed by
the learned trial Court is very limited, and if the impugned
judgment of the learned trial Court demonstrates a legally
plausible view, mere possibility of a contrary view shall not justify
the reversal of acquittal as held by the Hon’ble Apex Court in the
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[2025:RJ-JD:29311-DB] (17 of 17) [CRLA-64/1994]
aforementioned judgment, and thus, on that count also, the
impugned judgment deserves no interference by this Court in the
instant appeal.
25. Learned trial Court has meticulously considered all relevant
aspects, including motive, circumstantial evidence, the alleged
extra-judicial confession and the accusation of absconding and
upon a comprehensive appreciation of the entire evidence, rightly
held that the prosecution failed to establish its case beyond
reasonable doubt.
26. Thus, in light of the aforesaid observations and looking into
the factual matrix of the present case as well as in light of the
aforementioned precedent laws, this Court does not find it a fit
case warranting any interference by this Court.
27. This Court has independently examined the evidence on
record and finds no error in the impugned judgment on any of the
grounds raised by the appellant in the present appeal.
28. Accordingly, the appeal is dismissed.
29. All pending applications, if any, also stand disposed of.
(SUNIL BENIWAL),J (DR.PUSHPENDRA SINGH BHATI),J
Ashutosh-1
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