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MANU/SC/0134/1962
Equivalent Citation: AIR1963SC612, [1963]3SCR489
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
Decided On: 30.07.1962
Appellants: Jai Dev
Vs.
Respondent: The State of Punjab
Hon'ble Judges:
J.R. Mudholkar, K.C. Das Gupta and P. B. Gajendragadkar, JJ.
Subject: Criminal
Catch Words
Mentioned IN
Acts/Rules/Orders:
Indian Penal Code, 1860 - Sections 109, 148, 149, 302 and 326
Citing Reference:
Hate Sigh Bhagat Singh v. State of Madhya Bharat MANU/SC/0073/1951
Discussed
Mohinder Singh v. The State MANU/SC/0017/1950
Distinguished

Case Note:
The appellants along with other accused persons were charged of committing
offences under Sections 148, 202 and 326 of the Indian Penal Code The incident
took place due to dispute on account of cultivable filed in respect of which a dispute
arose as to its possession between the appellants and the faction of the complainants
It was claimed by the appellants that they were in possession of the land and were
cultivating it at the time of the incident Whereas, it was argued by the prosecution
that the appellants had evaded the land and had caused a massacre It was found
by the High Court that the crop in the filed had already been ploughed by the
appellants They entered into dispute with the villagers, to whom the appellants
were the strangers, and hence, lead to murder of some of the villagers It was
further observed by the High Court that the property had been save from the

trespass, but there was no reason with the appellants for using force against
villagers Therefore, the appellants were found guilty of the offence of murder
under Section 302 of the Code It was ruled that the appellants were rightly
convicted
JUDGMENT
Gajendragadkar, J.
1. The two appellants Jai Dev and Hari Singh along with four others Yudhbir Singh,
Dhanpat Singh, Sajjan Singh and Parbhati were charged with having committed offences
under s. 148 and Sections 302 and 326 both read with s. 149 of the Indian Penal Code.
The case against them was that on September 14, 1960, they formed themselves into an
unlawful assembly in the area of Dhani Khord and that the common object of this
unlawful assembly was to commit the offence of rioting while armed with deadly
weapons and that in pursuance of the said common object the offence of rioting was
committed. That is how the charge under s. 148 was framed. The prosecution further
alleged that on the same day and at the same time and place, while the accused persons
were members of an unlawful assembly, they had another common object of committing
the murders of Hukma, Jai Narain, Jai Dev, Amin Lal, Mst. Sagroli and Mst. Dil Kaur
and that in pursuance of the said common object, the said persons were murdered.
Dhanpat Singh killed Hukma, Sajjan Singh attacked Hukma, Yudhbir Singh shot at Amin
Lal, Jai Dev shot at Mst. Sagroli and victim Jaidev, and Hari Singh shot at Jai Narain and
Parbhati killed Mst. Dil Kaur. It is the murder of these six victims which gave rise to the
charge against the six accused persons under s. 302/149 of the Indian Penal Code. An
assault made by the members of the said assembly on Ram Chander, Jug Lal, Mst. Chan
Kaur, Sirya, Murti and Murli gave rise to a similar charge under s. 326/149. At the same
trial along with these six persons, Basti Ram was tried on the charge that he had abetted
the commission of the offence of murder by the members of the unlawful assembly and
thus rendered himself liable to be punished under s. 302/109 of the Indian Penal Code.
The case against these seven accused persons was tried by the learned Addl. Sessions
Judge, Gurgaon. He held that the charges against Parbhati and Basti Ram had not been
proved beyond a reasonable doubt; so, he acquitted both the said accused persons. In
respect of the remaining five accused persons, the learned Judge held that all the three
charges framed against them had been proved beyond a reasonable doubt. For the offence
of murder, the learned Judge directed that all the five should be hanged; for the offence
under s. 326/149 he sentenced each one of them two years' rigorous imprisonment and for
the offence under s. 148 he sentenced each one to suffer R.I. for one year. These two
latter sentences were ordered to run concurrently and that too if the death penalty
imposed on them was not confirmed by the High Court.
2. Against this order of conviction and sentence, three appeals were prefered on behalf of
the five condemned persons. The sentences of death imposed on them were also
submitted for confirmation. The Punjab High Court dealt with the confirmation
proceedings and the three appeals together and held that the conviction of Yudhbir Singh,
Dhanpat Singh and Sajjan Singh was not justified and so, the said order of conviction was
set aside and consequently, they were ordered to be acquitted and discharged. In regard to
Jai Dev and Hari Singh the High Court differed from the view taken by the trial Court
and held that they were guilty not under s. 302/149 but only under s. 302, of the Indian

Penal Code. In the result, the appeals preferred by them were dismissed and their
conviction for the offence of murder and the sentences of death imposed on them were
confirmed. It is this order which is challenged by the two appellants before us in their
appeals Nos. 56 and 57 of 1962. These two appeals have brought to this Court by special
leave.
3. The incident which has given rise to the present criminal proceedings occurred in
Khosra No. 388 in Mauza Ahrod known as 'Inamwala field' on September 14, 1960, at
about 10.30 A.M. This incident has led to the death of six persons already mentioned as
well as the death of Ram Pat who belonged to the faction of the appellants. It has also
resulted in injuries to nine persons three of whom belonged to the side of the appellants
and six to the side of the complainants. The incident itself was in a sense a tragic and
gruesome culmination of the battle for possession of the land which was waged between
the appellants on the one hand and the faction of the complainants on the other. One of
the principal points which fell to be considered in the courts below was : who was in
possession of the said field at the material time ? The appellants pleaded that they were in
possession of the field and were cultivating the field at the time of the incident, whereas
the prosecution contends that the complainants' party was in possession of the field and
the appellants virtually invaded the field and caused this massacre.
4. The prosecution case is that between 9 and 10 A.M. on the date of the offence, the
appellants and their brothers Ram Pat and Basti Ram came to the field with their tractor
and started ploughing the bajra crop which had been sown by the villagers who were
tenants in possession. Jug Lal, Amin Lal, Ram Chander, Sunda, Jai Dev, Hukma and
others remonstrated with the appellants that the crops raised by them should not be
destroyed. Dhanpat Singh who was driving the tractor was armed with pharsi while the
appellants were standing armed with rifles. Yudhbir Singh had a pistol. Sajjan Singh and
Parbhati had pharsis and Ram pat had a bhalla. Thus all the appellants were armed with
deadly weapons and three of them had fire-arm. According to the prosecution, the
remonstrance made by Juglal and others did not held and the appellants told them that
they had got possession of the land and that they would not permit any interference in
their ploughing operations. That invitably led to an altercation and an attempt was made
to stop the working of the tractor. This immediately led to the terrible scuffle which
resulted in so many deaths. Sajjan Singh gave a pharsi blow to Juglal whose left arm was
touched. Thereupon, Ram Pat raised his bhalla against Juglal causing injuries to the latter
on the left side of the abdomen and on the right had wrist. Hukma then snatched the
bhalla from the hands of Ram Pat and gave a blow to him in self-defence. As a result,
Ram Pat fell on the ground and died. Sajjan Singh, Dhanpat Singh and Parbhati then gave
blows to Hukma with pharsis. Hukma fell on the ground unconscious. At this stage, Amin
Lal asked the appellants and their friends not to kill people but the only result of this
intercession was that he was shot by the pistol of Yudhbir Singh. Then everybody on the
complainants; said started to run away. Thereafter Jai Narain was shot dead by the
appellant Hari Singh. Dil Kaur was killed by Parbhati and others, and victim Jai Dev and
Mst. Sagroli were shot dead by the appellant Jai Dev. That, in substance, is the
prosecution case.
5. On the other hand, the defence was that all the accused persons had gone to Inamwala
field at about 8.30 A.M. on September 14, 1960, and were engaged in the lawful act of

ploughing the land of which they had taken possession. They had put the tractor on the
portion of the bajra crop which was 'kharaba' with the object of using it for manure. After
this operation had gone on for nearly two hours, a large number of residents of Dhani
Sobha and Ahrod, including women, came on the spot armed with deadly weapons and
they starated abusing and assaulting the accused persons with the weapons which they
carried. The accused persons then used jellies, kassi and lathi in self-defence. Amin Lal
from the complainants' party was armed with a pistol which he aimed at the accused
persons. Sajjan Singh then gave a lathi blow to Amin Lal and in consequence, the pistol
fell down on the ground from his hands. It was then picked up by Yudhbir Sing and he
used it is retaliation against the assailants and fired five or six rounds. Basti Ram who
was charged with abetment of the principal offences denied his presence, while the six
other accused persons admitted their presence on the spot and pleaded self-defence.
6. The prosecution sought to prove its case by leading oral evidence of the witnesses who
were present at the scene and some of whom had received injuries themselves. It also
relied on documentary evidence and the evidence of the Investigating Officer. Soon after
the incident, First Information Report was filed by the appellant Jai Dev in which the
version of the accused persons was set out and a case was made out against the villagers.
In fact, it was by reason of this F.I.R. that the investigation originally commenced.
Subsequently, when it was discovered that on the scene of the offence six persons on the
complainants' side had been killed and six injured, information was lodged setting out the
contrary version and that led to two cross-proceedings. In one proceeding the members of
the complainants party were the accused, whereas in the other proceeding the appellants
and their companions were the accused persons. Since the trial ended in the conviction of
the appellants and their companions, the case made out in the complaint filed by the
appellant Jai Dev has been held to be not proved.
7. At this stage, it would be convenient to refer very briefly to the findings recorded by
the trial Court and the conclusions reached by the High Court in appeal. The trial Court
found that the evidence adduced by the accused persons in support of their case that they
had obtained possession of the land before the date of the offence, was not satisfactory
and that the documents and the entries made in the revenue papers were no more than
paper entries and were not "as good as they looked". According to the learned trial Judge,
the actual possession of the land all along remained with the complaints' party Jug Lal
and his companions and that the crop standing at the spot at the time of the incident had
been sown by and belonged to the complaints party. This finding necessarily meant that
the ploughing of the land by the accused persons was without any lawful justification and
constituted an act of tresepass. The trial Court accordingly held that the accused persons
were the aggressors and that the complainants' party in fact had a right of private defence.
That is how it came to the conclusion that the six accused persons were members of an
unlawful assembly and had gone to the field in question armed with deadly weapons with
a common object of committing the offences which were charged against them. Dealing
with the case on this basis, the trial Judge did not think it necessary to enquire which of
the victims had been killed by which of the particular accused persons. As we have
already indicated, he was not satisfied that the charge had been proved against Parbhati or
against Basti Ram; but in regard to the remaining five persons, he held that the evidence
conclusively established the charges under s. 148 and Sections 302 and 326/149. In
dealing with the defence, the trial Judge has categorically rejected the defence version

that Amin Lal was armed with a pistol and that after the said pistol fell down from his
hands it was picked up by Yudhbir Singh, According to the trial Court, no one on the
complainants, side was armed with fire-arms, whereas three persons on the side of the
accused were armed with fire-arms. Yudhbir Singh had a pistol and the appellants Jai Dev
and Hari Singh had rifles.
8. When the matter was argued before the High Court, the High Court was not inclined to
accept the finding of the trial Court on the question of possession. In its judgment, the
High Court has referred in detail to the disputes which preceded the commission of these
offences in regard to the possession of the land. It appears that this land was given as a
charitable gift by the proprietary body of the village Ahrod to one Baba Kanhar Dass
many years ago. Thereafter, it continued in the cultivation of Amin Lal, Jug Lal, Charanji
Lal and Duli Chand as tenants. Kanhar Dass subsequently sold the entire piece of land to
the appellants and their brothers Basti Ram and Ram Pat on May 30, 1958, for a sum of
Rs. 25,000/-. These purchasers belonged to the village Kulana and so, the villagers of
Ahrod treated them as strangers and they were annoyed that the land which had been
gifted by the villagers to Kanbar Dass by way of a charitable gift had been sold by him to
strangers. In their resentment, the proprietary body of Ahrod filed a declaratory suit
challenging the sale deed soon after the sale-deed was executed. When that suit failed,
two pre-emption suits were filed but they were also dismissed. The appellants and their
two brothers then filed a suit for possession. In that suit a decree was passed and the
documentary evidence produced in the case shows that in execution of the decree
possession was delivered to the decree-holders. It appears that some persons offered
resestence to the delivery of possession and 15 bighas of land was claimed by the
resisters. Litigation followed in respect of that and whatever may be the position with
regard to those 15 bighas, according to the High Court, possession of 56 bighas and 6
biswas of land was definitely delivered over to Basti Ram and his brothers on December
23, 1959. In other words, reversing the finding of the trial Court on this point, the High
Court came to the conclusion that the field where the offences took place was in the
possession of the appellants and their companions.
9. The High Court has also found that the crop in the field had been ploughed by the
appellants and their companions and that the operations which were carried on by them
on the morning of September 14, 1960, did not constitute trespass in any sense. On the
evidence, the High Court has come to the conclusion that the villagers who did not
tolerate that the strangers should take possession of the land had come to the filed to take
possession and they were armed. It appears that the number of villagers was much larger
than the number of persons on the side of the accused party, though the weapons carried
by the latter included fire-arms and so, the latter party had superiority in arms. The High
Court has, therefore, come to the conclusion that the party of the accused persons was
entitled to exercise its right of private defence. The property of which they were in
possession was threatened by persons who were armed with weapons and so, the right to
defend their property against an assault which threatened grievous hurt, if not death, have
them the right to use force even to the extent of causing death to the assailants. It is
substantially as a result of this finding that the High Court took the view that Sajjan
Singh, Yudhbir Singh and Dhanpat Singh who were responsible for the death of the three
of the victims were not guilty of any offence. In the circumstances, they were entitled to
defend their property against assailants, who threatened them with death, even by causing

their death. That is how these three accused persons have been acquitted in appeal. In
regard to the appellants Jai Dev and Hari Singh, the High Court has held that at the time
when these two appellants caused the deaths of Jai Dev and Jai Narain respectively, there
was no apprehension of any danger at all. As soon as Amin Lal was shot dead, all the
villagers who had come to the field ran away and there was no longer any justification
whatever for using any force against the running villagers. Since at the relevant time the
property had been saved from the trespass and the assailants had been completely
dispersed, the right of private defence ceased to exist and so, the appellants who were
proved to have caused the two deaths could not claim protection either of the right of
private defence or could not even plead that they had merely exceeded the right of private
defence; so, they are guilty of the offence of murder under s. 302. That is how the
appellants have been convicted of the said offence and have been ordered to be hanged.
10. The question which the appeal raises for our decision thus lies within a very narrow
compass. The findings of fact recorded by the High Court in favour of the appellants
would be accepted as binding on the parties for the purpose of this appeal. In other words,
we would deal with the case of the appellants on the basis that initially they and their
companions had the right of private defence. Mr. Anthony contends that having regard to
the circumstances under which the appellants fired from their rifles, it would be
erroneous to hold that the right of private defence had come to an end. According to him,
allowance must be made in favour of the appellants in determining the issue. Because it is
now found that they were faced with an angry mob whose members were armed with
weapons and who appeared determined to dispossess the appellants and their friends of
the field in question. The decision of the point thus raised by Mr. Anthony would
substantially depend upon the scope and effect of the provisions of s. 100 of the Indian
Penal Code.
11. Section 100 provides, inter alia, that the right of private defence of the body extends
under the restrictions mentioned in s. 99, to the voluntary causing of death if the offence
which occasions the exercise of the right be an assault as may reasonably cause the
apprehension that grievous hurt will otherwise be the consequence of such assault. In
other words, if the person claiming the right of private defence has to face assailants who
can be reasonably apprehended to cause grievous hurt to him, it would be open to him to
defend himself by causing the death of the assailant.
12. In appreciating the validity of the appellants' argument, it would be necessary to recall
the basic assumptions underlying the law of self-defence. In a well-ordered civilised
society it is generally assumed that the State would take care of the persons and
properties of individual citizens and that normally it is the function of the State to afford
protection to such persons and their properties. This, however, does not mean that a
person suddenly called upon to face an assault must run away and thus protect himself.
He is entitled to resist the attack and defend himself. The same is the position if he has to
meet an attack on his property. In other words, where an individual citizen or his property
is faced with a danger and immediate aid from the State machinery is not readily
available, the individual citizen is entitled to protect himself and his property. That being
so, it is a necessary corollary to the doctrine of private defence that the violence which
the citizen defending himself or his property is entitled to use must not be unduly
disproportionate to the injury which is to be averted or which is reasonably apprehended

and should not exceed its legitimate purpose. The exercise of the right of private defence
must never be vindictive or malicious.
13. There can be no doubt that in judging the conduct of a person who proves that he had
a right of private defence, allowance has necessarily to be made for his feelings at the
relevant time. He is faced with an assault which causes a reasonable apprehension of
death or grievous hurt and that inevitably creates in his mind some excitement and
confusion. At such a moment, the uppermost feeling in his mind would be toward off the
danger and to save himself or his property, and so, he would naturally be anxious to strike
a decisive blow in exercise of his right. It is no doubt true that in striking a decisive blow,
he must not use more force than appears to be reasonably necessary. But in dealing with
the question as to whether more force is used than is necessary or than was justified by
the prevailing circumstances, it would be inappropriate to adopt tests of detached
objectivity which would be so natural in a court room, for instance, long after the incident
has taken place. That is why in some judicial decisions it has been observed that the
means which a threatened person adopts of the force which he uses should not be
weighed in golden scales. To begin with, the person exercising a right of private defence
must consider whether the threat to his person or his property is real and immediate. If he
reaches the conclusion reasonably that the threat is immediate and real, he is entitled to
exercise his right. In the exercise of his right, he must use force necessary for the purpose
and he must stop using the force as soon as the threat has disappeared. So long as the
threat lasts and the right of private defence can be legitimately exercised, it would not be
fair to require, as Mayne has observed, that "he should modulate his defence step by step,
according to the attack, before there is reason to believe the attack is over" [Mayne's
Criminal Law of Indians, 4th Ed. P. 23.1]. The law of private defence does not require
that the person assaulted or facing an apprehension of an assault must run away for
safety. It entitles him to defend himself and law gives him the right to secure his victory
over his assailant by using the necessary force. This necessarily postulates that as soon as
the cause for the reasonable apprehension has disappeared and the threat has either been
destroyed or has been put to rout, there can be no occasion to exercise the right of private
defence. If the danger is continuing, the right is there; if the danger or the apprehension
about it has ceased to exist, there is no longer the right of private defence, (vide Sections
102 and 105 of the Indian Penal Code). This position cannot be and has not been disputed
before us and so, the narrow question which we must proceed to examine is whether in
the light of this legal position, the appellants could be said to have had a right of private
defence at the time when the appellant Jai Dev fired at the victim Jai Dev and the
appellant Hari Singh fired at the victim Jai Narain.
14. In dealing with this question, the most significant circumstance against the appellants
is that both the victims were at a long distance from appellants when they were shot dead.
We will take the case of victim Jai Dev first. According to Gurbux Singh (P.W. 37),
Assistant Sub-Inspector, the dead body of Jai Dev was found at a distance of 70 paces
from the place of the tractor, but it was discovered that it had been dragged from a place
at a longer distance where Jai Dev stood when he was fired dead. From that place to the
place where his dead body was actually found there was a trail of blood which
unambiguously showed that Jai Dev fell down at a more distant place and that he was
dragged nearer the scene of the offence after he fell down. This statement is corroborated
by the memo prepared on September 14, 1960 (item No. 104). Blood-stained earth was

taken from both these spots. Roughly stated, the spot where Jai Dev was shot at can be
said to be about 300 paces away from the tractor where the appellant Jai Dev stood. It is
true that Gurbux Singh made on express reference to the trail of blood in rough site plan
which he had prepared on the day of the offence. But item 8 in the plan, we were told,
does refer to the dragging and that is enough corroboration to the evidence of Gurbux
Singh. Besides, in considering the effect of the omission to mention the trail of blood in
the rough plan, we cannot ignore the fact that at that time Gurbux Singh's mind was really
concentrated on the F.I.R. received by the Police from the appellant Jai Dev himself and
that means that at that time the impression in the mind of Gurbux Singh must have been
that the deceased Jai Dev belonged to the party of the aggressors and so, blood marks
caused by the dragging of his body may not have appeared to him to be of any
significance. However that may be, the sworn testimony of Gurbux Singh is corroborated
by the memo contemporaneously prepared and it would be idle to suggest that this
evidence should be disbelieved because the rough site plan prepared by Gurbux Singh
does not refer to the trail of blood.
15. Mr. Anthony has, however, strongly relied on the statement of Juglal (P.W. 13) who
has narrated the incident as it took place, and in that connection has stated that the
accused Jai Dev then opened fire from his rifle killing Jai Dev deceased at the spot. It is
suggested that the words "at the spot" show that the victim Jai Dev was standing at the
spot when the appellant Jai Dev shot at him. We are not inclined to accept this contention.
What the witness obviously meant was that from the spot where the appellant Jai Dev
was standing he fired at the victim Jai Dev. Besides, reading the account given by Juglal
as a whole, it would not be fair to treat the words "at the spot" in that technical way.
Similarly, the argument that according to Jai Dev all the shots were fired almost
simultaneously, is also not well-founded. When a witness gives an account of an incident
like this, he is bound to refer to one event after another. That does not mean that the two
appellants and their companions fired almost simultaneously. Therefore, we are not
satisfied that the evidence of Juglal supports the argument that the victim Jai Dev was
near the scene of the offence when the appellant Jai Dev fired at him.
16. Mr. Anthony has also relied on the statement of Chuni Lal (P.W. 16), in support of the
same argument. But it is clear that this witness was obviously making a mistake between
the two documents P.N.F. and P.N.E. A statement like this which is the result of confusion
cannot legitimately be pressed into service for the purpose of showing that victim Jai Dev
was near about the scene of the offence. Then again, the statement of Hira Lal (P.W. 5) on
which Mr. Anthony relies shows that in the committing Court he had said that Jai Dev
had been injured at the spot; but he has added that he had said so because subsequently
after the occurrence, he saw the dead body of Jai Dev near the scene of the offence.
Therefore, in our opinions, having regard to the evidence on the record, the High Court
was right in coming to the conclusion that Jai Dev deceased was standing at a fairly long
distance from the scene of the offence when he was shot at.
17. That takes us to the case of the victim Jai Narain. Jai Narain was in fact not in the
Inamwala field at all. According to the prosecution, he was on the machan in the
adjoining field which he was cultivating and it was whilst he was in his own field that the
appellant Hari Singh fired at him. The distance between the appellant and the victim has
been found to be about 400 paces. Now this conclusion is also supported by evidence on

the record. Jai Narain's mother, Chand Kaur (P.W. 10) says that she was her son falling on
the ground from the machan, and that clearly means the machan in the field of which Jai
Narain was in possession. The position of this field is shown in the rough plan and sketch
prepared by the Sub-Inspector (P.A.J.). The evidence of Hira Lal (P.W. 5) supports the
same conclusion, and Gurbux Singh swears to the same fact. He says that the dead body
of Jai Narain was found lying at a distance of more than 400 paces from the point where
the tractor was said to be standing at the time of the occurrence. That is the effect of the
evidence of Juglal (P.W. 13) also. Thus, there can be no doubt that the victim Jainarain
was at a long distance from the field in question and like the appellant Jai Dev who took a
clean aim at the victim Jai Dev who was standing a distance and shot him dead, the
appellant Hari Singh also took a clean aim at the victim Jai Narain who was away from
him and shot him dead. That is the conclusion of the High Court and we see no reason to
interfere with it.
18. In the course of his arguments, Mr. Anthony relied on the fact that some of the
prosecution witnesses on whose evidence the High Court has relied were not accepted by
the trail Court as truthful witnesses, and he contends that the High Court should not have
differed from the appreciation of evidence recorded by the trial Court. There are two
obvious answers to this point. In the first place, it is not wholly accurate to say that the
trial Court has completely disbelieved the evidence given by the prosecution witnesses. It
may be conceded in favour of Mr. Anthony that in delaying with a part of a prosecution
case relating to Prabhati and Basti Ram, the trial Court did not accept the evidence of the
witnesses which incriminated them, and in that connection, he has referred to the
criticism made by the defence against those witnesses and has observed that there is force
in that criticism. But, while appreciating the effect of the observations made by the trial
Court in dealing with that particular aspect of the matter, we cannot lose sight of the fact
that as to the actual occurrence the trial Court, in substance, has believed the major part
of the prosecution evidence and has stated that the said evidence is quite consistent with
medical evidence. In other words, the sequences of events, the part played by the
assailants as against the specific victims and the rest of the prosecution story have, on the
whole, been believed by the trial Court. In this connection, we ought to add that the trial
Court did not feel called upon to consider the individual case of each one of the accused
persons because it held that a charge under s. 149 had been proved. But when the High
Court came to a contrary conclusion on that point, it became necessary for the High Court
to examine the case against each one of the accused persons before it, and so, it would
not be accurate to say that the High Court has believed the witnesses whom the trial
Court had entirely disbelieved. That is the first answer to Mr. Anthony's contention. The
second answer to the said contention is that even if the trial Court had disbelieved the
evidence, it was open to the High Court, on a reconsideration of the matter, to come to a
contrary conclusion. It is true that in dealing with oral evidence a Court of Appeal would
normally be reluctant to differ from the appreciation of oral evidence by the trial Court,
because obviously the trial Court has the advantage of watching the demeanour of the
witnesses; but that is not to say that even in a proper case, the Appeal Court cannot
interfere with such appreciation. Besides, the criticism made by the trial Court is not so
much in relation to the demeanour of the witnesses as in regard to their partisan character
and the over-statements which they made as partisan witnesses are generally apt to do.
Therefore, we see no justification for contending that the finding of the High Court as to

the distances at which the victims Jai Dev and Jai Narain were shot at should not be
accepted.
19. Mr. Anthony then argued that the fact that the victims were at a long distance from the
assailants when they were fired at, will not really be decisive of the point which we are
called upon to consider in the present appeal. He contends that if the assailants were
surrounded by a very big mob some of whom were armed with deadly weapons and all of
whom were determined to dispossess them at any cost, it was open to the appellants and
their companions to shoot at the mob because they were themselves reasonably
apprehensive of an assault by the mob which would have led at least to grievous hurt, if
not death; and he argues that if three of the assailants who had fire-arms fired almost
simultaneously, that would be within the legitimate exercise of the right of private
defence and the fact that somebody was killed who was standing at a distance, would
make no difference in law. The argument thus presented is not doubt prima facie
attractive; but the assumption of fact on which it is based is not justified in the
circumstances of this case. The High Court has found that at the time when the appellants
fired shots from their rifles, the villagers had already started running away and there was
no danger either to the property or to the bodies of the assailants. In this connection, it is
important to remember that the defence version that Amin Lal had a pistol had been
rejected by both the courts, so that whereas the crowd that threatened the appellants and
their friends was larger in number, the weapons in the hands of the assailants were far
more powerful than the weapons in the hands of the crowd. Having regard to the events
that took place and the nature of the assault as it developed, it is clear that Amin Lal who
was one of the leaders of the villagers was shot dead and that, according to the evidence,
completely frightened the villagers who began to run away helterskelter. Sunda (P.W. 4)
has described how Amin Lal stepped forward for the help of Hukma, but he was fired at
from the pistol by Yudhbir Singh, and having received a fatal injury on his chest Amin
Lal fell down dead on the ground. This witness adds "the members of the complainant
party feeling frightened because of the firing opened by Yudhbir Singh ran in the
direction of the village abadi". Similarly, the statement of Mst. Sarian (P.W. 12) would
seem to show that when the victim Jai Dev was fired at, he had run away. On the
probabilities, it is very easy to believe that when the villagers found that the appellants
and their friends were inclined to use their fire-arms, they must have been frightened,
even the large number of the villagers would have meant nothing. The large number
would have merely led to a large number of deaths - that is about all. Therefore, as soon
as fire-arms were used for the first time killing Amin Lal on the spot, the villagers must
have run away. That is the evidence given by some of the witnesses and that is the
conclusion of the High Court. It is in the light of this conclusion that we have to deal with
the point raised by Mr. Anthony. If, at the time when the two appellants used their rifles
against their respective victims standing at considerable distances from them, all the
villagers had run away, there was obviously no threat continuing and so, the right of
private defence had clearly and unambiguously come to an end. That is why we think the
High Court was right in holding that the appellants were guilty of murder under s. 302 of
the Indian Penal Code.
20. That leaves two minor questions to be considered. Mr. Anthony has contended that
the examination of the appellant Hari Singh under s. 342 of the Code of Criminal
Procedure has been very defective in regard to the question of distance on which the

prosecution strongly relied against him before the High Court, and he argues that this
defect in the examination of the appellant Hari Singh really vitiates the trial. It is true that
in asking him questions, the learned trial Judge did not put the point of distance between
him and the victim Jai Narain clearly; but that in our opinion, cannot by itself necessarily
vitiate the trial or affect the conclusion of the High Court. In dealing with this point, we
must have regard to all the questions put by the trial Judge to the appellant. Besides, it is
not so much the point of distance by itself which goes against the appellant Hari Singh as
the conclusion that at the time when he fired at Jai Narain, the threat had ceased; and if
the threat had ceased and there was no justification for using the firearms, the appellant
would be guilty of murder even if Jai Narain was not far away from him. It is
unnecessary to emphasise that it is for the party pleading self-defence to prove the
circumstances giving rise to the exercise of the right of self-defence, and this right cannot
be said to be proved as soon as we reach the conclusion that at the relevant time there was
no threat either to the person of the appellant or the person or property of his companions.
21. In support of his contention that the failure to put the relevant point against the
appellant Hari Singh would affect the final conclusion of the High Court, Mr. Anthony
has relied on a decision of this Court in Hate Sigh Bhagat Singh v. State of Madhya
Bharat MANU/SC/0073/1951 : AIR1953SC468 . In that case, this Court has no doubt
referred to the fact that it was important to put to the accused each material fact which is
intended to be used against him and to afford him a chance of explaining it if he can. But
these observations must be read in the light of the other conclusions reached by this Court
in that case. It would, we think, be incorrect to suggest that these observations are
intended to lay down a general and inexorable rule that wherever it is found that one of
the point used against the accused person has not been put to him, either the trial in
vitiated or his conviction is rendered bad. The examination of the accused person under s.
342 is undoubtedly intended to give him an opportunity to explain any circumstances
appearing in the evidence against him. In exercising its powers under s. 342, the Court
must take care to put all relevant circumstances appearing in the evidence to the accused
person. It would not be enough to put a few general and broad questions to the accused,
for by adopting such a course the accused may not get opportunity of explaining all the
relevant circumstances. On the other hand, it would not be fair or right that the Court
should put to the accused person detailed questions which may amount to his crossexamination. The ultimate test in determining whether or not the accused has been fairly
examined under s. 342 would be to enquire whether, having regard to all the questions
put to him, he did get an opportunity to say what he wanted to say in respect of
prosecution case against him. If it appears that the examination of the accused person was
defective and thereby a prejudice has been caused to him, that would no doubt be a
serious infirmity. It is obvious that no general rule can be laid down in regard to the
manner in which the accused person should be examined under s. 342. Broadly stated,
however, the true position appears to be that passion for brevity which may be content
with asking a few omnibus general questions is as much inconsistent with the
requirements of s. 342 as anxiety for thoroughness which may dictate and unduly detailed
and large number of questions which may amount to the cross-examination of the
accused person. Besides, in the present case, as we have already shown, failure to put the
specific point of distance is really not very material.
22. The last argument which Mr. Anthony has urged before us is that the prosecution

should have examined a ballistic expert in this case and since no expert has been
examined, it cannot be said that the prosecution has proved its case that the appellants
caused the deaths of the two victims by shooting from the rifles which they carried. In
support of this argument, Mr. Anthony has referred us to the decision of this Court in
Mohinder Singh v. The State MANU/SC/0017/1950 : [1950]1SCR821 . In that case, it
has been observed by this Court that it has always been considered to be duty of the
procecution, in a case where death is due to injuries or wounds caused by a lethal
weapon, to prove by expert evidence that it was likely or at least possible for the injuries
to have been caused with the weapon with which and in the manner in which they are
alleged to have been caused. We do not see how this principle can be invoked by Mr.
Anthony in the present case. The rifles which the appellants are alleged to have used have
not been recovered and so, there was no occasion to examine any expert in respect of the
injuries caused to the two victims by the appellants. What Mr. Anthony suggests is that an
expert should have been examined for the purpose of determining whether any of the
injuries found on the persons of the several victims could have been inflicted by the
revolver which had been recovered in this case. Now, the story about the recovery of this
revolver is very interesting. According to the defence, Amin Lal was carrying a revolve r
and when he was hit with a lathi by Sajjan Singh, the revolver fell down from his hands
and Yudhbir Singh picked it up and fired it at Amin Lal. Now this revolver was carried
away by Yudhbir Singh to his house and he says that he produced the same before the
Police Investigating Officer. On the other hand, according to Gurbux Singh, it was the
accused Sajjan Singh who after his arrest produced the pistol and two live cartridges
before him. It would thus appear that the revolver had been produced by one of the
accused persons on the allegation that it was carried by Amin Lal and had been used by
the Yudhbir Singh in self-defence after it had fallen down from Amin Lal's hands. It has
not been the prosecution case that it is this revolver which had been used by Yudhbir
Singh. It may well be that the revolver has been deliberately surrendered by the accused
in order to introduce complications in the case. We think, in such a case it is difficult to
understand for what purpose the prosecution was expected to examine the expert.
Therefore, in our opinion, the decision in the case of Mohinder Singh v. The State
MANU/SC/0017/1950 : [1950]1SCR821 has no application to the case before us.
23. In the result, we agree with the High Court in holding that the two appellants are
guilty of murder under s. 302.
24. The only question which now remains to be considered is one of sentence. Mr. Bindra
for the State has left this question to us since, presumably, he did not feel justified in
pressing for the imposition of the sentence of death. We have carefully considered all the
facts leading to the commission of this offence and we are not inclined to accept the view
of the High Court that the circumstances of this case require the imposition of the
maximum penalty on the two offenders. On the question of sentence, it would be relevant
to take into account the background of the incident, the nature and extent of the threat
held out by the crowd of villagers, the excitement which must have been caused at the
time of the incident, and so, though we have felt no difficulty in agreeing with the
decision of the High Court that at the time when the two appellants fired shots from their
rifles the threat had ceased to exist, it would not be unreasonable to take into account the
fact that the excitement in their minds may have continued, and that, in the special
circumstances of this case, may be regarded as an extenuating circumstance. We,

therefore, think that the ends of justice would be met if the sentence of death imposed on
the two appellants is set aside and instead, an order is passed directing that they should
suffer imprisonment for life. Accordingly, we confirm the conviction of the appellants
under s. 302 and convert the sentence of death imposed on them into one of
imprisonment for life.
25. Conviction confirmed. Sentence reduced.
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