Aj

ayPa
ndi
t@Ja
gdi
shDay
abhaiPat
elvS
.ta
teo
fMa
har
ash
tra
(
2012
)8SCC43

KS
.Ra d
hak r
ish
na n
,J.:
 De athsentencehasbe
ena warde
db ytheHighCourtofBombaytoAja yPa n
dit@Ja gdi
shDayabhaiPatel
fo
rd oubl
emu rder
,insepara
teinci
dents,
onef o
rt hemurderofNil
eshBh ail
alPatelandanoth
erf o
rthe
murderofJa yas
hree.
TheBo mbayHig
hC our
th ear
db ot
ht h
ea ppe
alsCr i
minalAppealNo.
46o f2000and
Cri
minalAppe alNo.789of2 001toget
hera ndrenderedac o
mmo nju d
gmento n22ndDe ce
mb e
r,2005
co
nfirmin
gt heordero
fc onv
ict
ionandenhanci
ngthes e
ntenceofli
fei mpri
sonmenttodeathandorder
ed
th
ea ppel
lanttobehang
e dti
lld
eathagai
nstwhichthisapp
ealhasbeenp r
eferred
.

 Theacc
usedAjayPa nd
it@Ja gdi
shDayabhaiPatelwasadenti
stbyp ro
fess
ion
,knowna sDoct
orJagdis
h
Pate
lath i
sDh abasiMohal
la,Di
stri
ctKhe d
a,Gujara
t.Prof
essi
onalin
comewasnots u
f f
ici
entforhimto
l
eadalavis
ha ndluxuri
ousli
fe.Sel
fpu b
li
c i
tywasg i
venofhismake-
beli
efcon
tactswiththeoffic
ial
sof
th
eAme ri
canEmbas sybywhi
chheluredthevuln
erabl
eintohi
snet,
f o
rsendi
ngthemtoAme ri
caforbette
r
pr
ospect
sinli
fe .
Sev er
alper
sonsfel
linhisnetl
ikeNil
eshandJaya
s h
reeandfewothersnarr
owlyesca
ped
fr
omt h
eclutc
hesofd eath
.

Fac
tsari
singoutofthejudg
me n
to ftheBombayHighCour
tinCri
min
alAppealNo
.46o
f2000inwhic
ht h
eHig
h
Cour
t,co
nvict
edt h
ea cc
usedunderSecti
on419ofth eIn
dianPen
alCode(fo
rsho
rtth
eIPC)andsen
tencedt
o
suff
erR.I.fo
ro n
ey ear
,underSecti
on42 0oftheIPC,R.I
.fort
woy e
a r
sa n
dfin
e,u
nde
rS e
ctio
n3 02ofth
e
IPCli
feimpri
sonmentwithfi
newh ic
hwa sco
nverte
dt odeath
.

 DoctorJa gdishPa telt heaccusedh a

dd e v
e l
opedc ontact swit haf amil
yo foneDi li
pMa nil
alPa teland
duri
ngh isv i
sitstot heirhouse,theaccusedu sedt obo o
s tth ath eh adcontactswiththeo ff
icial
so fthe
AmericanEmb ass
ywh ichkindl
edh opesinthemi ndsofDi l
ipPa tela ndhisfamilyme mbersandtheyd eci
ded
tosendNi leshBhail
a lPa t
el,cou
sinb r
othero fSmt .
S aral
aPa tel,wi feofDi l
ipPa tel
,toAme r
icau s
ingthe
accu
se d’sa l
legedinfluenceint heAme ri
canEmb assy .Ad ealwa sstrucka ndthea ccus
edd ema n
deda n
amounto fRs .2,
50,
0 0
0 /-forr eali
zationo ftheird re am.Ne gotia t
ionstookp l
acea ndthea mountwa s
reducedt oRs .
1,
10,
0 00/-a sani ni
tialp ayment,a ndt heb a l
ancewa st ob ep aidafterg et
tingNi l
esh
employme ntinAme ric
a .Dil
ipPatelinOc tober1993p aidRs .6
0 ,
0 00/-tot h
ea ccusedandthebalanceamount
ofRs .
50 ,
00 0
/ -waspaidb yMa hen
d raBha i
lalPatel,brothe roft hed eceased-Nileshtotheaccused.
 Thea ccusedl ate
ra skedDi li
pPa teltos endNi l
e s
ht oBo mba yC entralRa i
lwayS tati
onon8 .
2.1
9 94with
returnt i
cketo ft h
ea cc u
sed.Dil
ipPa t elreachedBo mba yint h ea ftern
oono f8.2.
1994.Theaccusedt o
ld
Dil
ipPa telthatthen ecessarypap er
sh adb eensubmi ttedt ot heC onsul
atea ndaskedtoleavet heplace.
Dil
ipPa tel accor
dingl
yl efttheplacean dthatwa st helas ttime ,Dil
ipPa telsawNi l
eshinthecomp anyof
theaccusedt hatwa saround3o ’c
lock.
 Inthee v e
n i
ngo f8.
2 .
1994a ta b
out5o ’clo
ck,DilipPa te lreceive dap hon
ec allfromt h
ea cc
useds tati
ng
thatt hef ormali
tiesha dbe e
nc ompleteda ndNileshwo u ldb eco minghomel ateint henigh
t.DilipPa t
el
cont
a ctedt hea cc
usedi nt hemor n
ingo f9 .
2.1
994a ndh ewa sin formedb yt h
ea c
cusedthatNi l
eshwa s
waitingu pto5 .
30PMo nthep revi
ousd aya tBomb ayC ent ralRa ilwayS ta
t i
ona ndthathewo uldbeb ack.
Dil
ipPa telc on
tactedt hea ccus
e dons e v
eralo cc
a s
io n
st ok nowwh ereaboutso fNiles
h.Me anwhil
ea n
attemp twa sma debyt hea cc
usedt hr
ou g
ho neTikab h
a itoi n
f ormDi lipPatelthatNi l
eshhadalreadyleft
forAme rica.

 Di
lipPa tel
inNovember19
94r e
adi nalo
calnewspaperSandhyaJans
at t
ao fanewsitemofaninc
ide
ntof
att
e mpttomurderan
dmu rd
ertothreeperson
sb yoneDoctorbyna
meJa gdish
.Dil
ipPatelal
soreadi
nMid
DayEv eni
ngDailydated5.1
1.
1994a b
outa r
restofDr .Jagdi
shPa teltheaccu
sed.Ontheb a
sisofthis
i
nformation
,Dil
ipPatelappr
oachedGamdeviPolic
eS tat
ionon13.
11.
1994andnar
ratedtheenti
restor
yt o
th
ep ol
ic
e.Thestate
me n
twa saccordi
ngl
yr ec
ordeda n
dap h
otog
rapho fthedeadb o
dyo funi
dent
ifie
d
per
so nfoun
dinRo omNo.103ofth eHotelAradhanaatNa naChowkint h
ee ven
ingof9.2.
199
4wa salso
sh
own .
 Intheeveningo f8.
2.
1994, theaccus
e dhadbookedRo omNo .
103ont hefir
stflooro fthatHotel
.Theaccus
ed
l
e fttheHo telabout7.
45 PMi nthee v
e ni
ngof8 .
2.1
9 94keepin
gt her o
omlockeda ndhedidnotreturn
.On
9.
2 .
199
4,fo rthep urpo
s eo fcleani
ngt heroom,itwa sopenedwit had upl
icatek eya n
dt hedeadbodyof
Niles
hwa sf ou nd
.Thed e adb odywa ss en
tf orp ost-
mortemb utp ri
ort otha tp ol
icecomple
tedo th
er
formal
itie
s ,f
ing e
rprinte xpertsal
sod idthei
rjob,artic
lesrec
e i
vedwe resentt ot h
eForensi
cLabora
tory,
C.
A. re
portwa sobtai
ned. Til
lAu gu
st1 994,therewa snot r
aceo ft h
es us
pe c
ta n dtheinves
tigat
ionwas
conti
nuin
g.Inf acton3 0.
8.1994,casewa sclass
ifiedast r
ueb utnotd etec
te d
. Thea cc
usedwa s
,however,
arrest
edb yMa laba
rHi llPo l
iceinC .
R.No .278/94f ormurderingo n
ewo ma n-Ja yash
reea ndforthe
attemptedmu rderoftwoo therpersonsatHo t
elK empsCorner.
Th eaccus
edwa si denti
fiedbyDil
ipPatel,
hiswifeSaralaPa telandMa hen
draPa telbroth
e rofthed e
ceased-Ni l
esh.Thiswa sthebrie
fb ac
kgrou
nd
ofthefirstcase .

F
act
softhesecondappealwhi
chcameupb eforetheBo mbayHighCourtvideCri
mi n
al AppealNo .
789of20 01.
 OneKaushi
kbhaiSanabha
iuPa t
elwa slead i
ngan ormalfamilylif
ewi thhiswifeJa yashreea tLabhvel,
Dis
tric
tAn and,intheS ta
teo fGu j
arat.On eJag di
sh@Ha rish
bhaiPa t
e lwa sthec ousi
nb rot
he rof
Jayash
ree.Theyhadcont
a c
tedJoyTrave lAgenc
yf orthesaidpurposeinOctober1994. K aush
ikbhaiwas
tol
dbyt heown e
rofJo yTravel
st hatt h
ee xpensesofs endi
ngo neperso
nt oAme r
icawo ul
db ear o
und
Rs.
7,23
,000/-
.Kaushi
kbhaipai
dRs .20,
000/-t othet rav
ela gentforhimsel
fa ndJa gdis
h .Whil
eh ewa s
nur
turi
ngt heideaofg oi
ngtoAme rica,thea c
cuseds ei
zedt hatopportuni
tya ndg otac q
uaint
edwi th
Kaus
hikbha
ia n
dJa g
dish.
Theaccuse
dp romisedthathewo ul
dre a
lizethei
rdreamsf orwhichhed e
ma n
d eda
hug
es um.Ont h
ea c
cusedini
tiat
ive,Ramc handr
av isi
tedt h
eh ouseofK au
s hi
kbhaion1 .
11.
1994a n
dg ave
Rs.
4,00,
000/-tohi
m,asinst
ruct
edb ytheac c
used,
b ywayo fl
oan.

 Kau
shikbhai,hiswi fe-Ja yashreeandJa gdishthenb oardedthet rai
nt oBo mbayC en t
ralf r
omBa roda
Rail
wayS ta ti
on.FAc c
usedr eac
hedBomb ayCentralRa i
lwayS tationint h
ee arlyhoursof2 .1
1.
1994a ndall
th
et hr
e ea lo
ngwi ththea ccus
edwe nttot heHo t
elK empsCo rn
era ndtwoRo omsNo s.202a nd206we r
e
bo
okedint hen ameo fthea cc
used.Theaccusedinformedt hemtha ta l
lther equi
siteforma l
itie
sha dbeen
co
mp l
eteda ndaDo ct
or,whowa ssupposedtoissueth eme di
calcertific
a te,wouldbec omingat4.30p mon
th
es amed ayt ot heh otelforme di
calc hec
k-up.Th ea cc
usedd emandedmo neyf orcomp l
etin
go t he
r
fo
rmaliti
e s,Rs.60,
000/-wa sreceivedfromK aushikbhaiandRs .40,000/-wa sr ecei
vedf romJa gdish.A
ch
equed rawno nPu nj
abNa tion
alBank,Anandf orRs.14,
50 ,
000/-
,on ep r
omissoryn o
teo fRs .8
,50,
000/-and
Rs.
4,37,
000 /-we regivent othea ccu
sedb yK aushi
kb h
a i
.Later,t hea cc
u s
e dgaveo nec apsul
ea ndt wo
tab
letse achtoK aushik
bh a
i,Jayashreea ndJag di
shwh ichtheywe rea s
k e
dt ot akeb eforetheme dical
ch
eck-
up ,wh i
chtheyd i
d.Later,Jayashr
e ewe n
tt oRo omNo .202a ndK a
u s
h i
kbhaia n
dJa gdishremainedin
RoomNo .20 6
.Kau s
hikbhaiandJa gdi
shstartedf eel
ingd ro
wsinessa ndas leepingsensationandtheyl i
ed
do
wno nth eb e
d.Th eaccusedthenadminist
ereda ninjec
tionont h
ea bdomeno fKaushikbhaiwhowe ntf as
t
as
leep.Jagd i
shb ythattimewa sa l
readyfastas l
eepa ndthatwa st helasttime,theys awt heaccused.I
n
th
emi d-
night,Kaushikb
haire g
ainedcons
ciousn
ess,hef el
ts o
mef oulplaya ndalertedtheHo telManagerand
th
eywe ntt ot heroomo fJa yash
reea ndgotther oomo pened,butJa yashreewa sf oundde ad
.Inti
ma tio
n
wasgivent oMa labarHil
lPo l
iceStatio
na ndcomp l
ainto fKaushi
k bhaiwa sre c
orded.Po l
icearres
te dthe
ac
cusedinNo vemb e
r1 9
94.

Thetri
alco
urtaswellasth
eHighCou
rthadela
bor
ate
lydis
cuss
edt h
ev ar
iou
ss t
epstake
nbyt
he
in
ves
tig
ati
ngage
ncyt
ounr
ave
lthet
rut
handh
enc
e,wear
enotd
eal
ingwit
hthos
efactsi
ndet
ail
.

Thepr
osecu
tioninth
ec as
eofd e
a t
hofNi l
eshexamin
ed17witnes
ses
.PW1t oPW4a r
et heempl
oyee
soft h
e
ho
telandPW5a ndPW6a retherelat
ivesofthedeceas
edNil
esh.Wehav
ea ls
ogonethr
oughth
ee v
iden
ceof
ot
herwitn
essescri
tic
all
yanditisunnec
essar
yt orep
eatwhattheyh
avesaid,
sin
cethetria
lco
urtaswellas
th
eHighCour
th a
delabor
atel
ydisc
ussedtheevi
dencegi
venb
yt h
osewit
ness
es.

 S
ofarasthed
eat
hofNil
eshi
sco
nce
rned,
the
rewasn
oeyewit
nesst
othei
nci
dentan
dtheg
uil
tofth
e
a
ccu
sedco
uldbeb
rou
ghtou
tbythepro
sec
uti
ono
nlyb
yci
rcu
mstan
tia
lev
ide
nce.Thed
ire
cte
vid
enceo
f
 PW5a ndPW6p r
ecededthede a
thofNilesh.
 PW5i sthesist
erofthede c
ea s
edNileshbyn a
meS aral
aDi l
ipPatel
.ShestatedthatafterNil
eshhadg
one
toBombay,hiswhereabo
utswe renotkn o
wn .Shehadalsodepose
dt h
ato n2 7
.3.
199
4,herh u
sbandlo
dgeda
compl
ain
ta tK and
ival
iPolic
eS tatio
ns in
ceNi l
e s
hwa sf o
undmissi
ng.Further
,theyhada l
sonotic
edthe
newsitema ppear
edinvario
usn ewspapersaboutthea r
restoftheaccus
e dinrespec
tofs omeothe
rcase.
On13.
11.
1994,herhusb
andh adagainlod
g edac ompl
aintastomi s
sin
go fNilesh
.Shehada l
sonarrat
edthe
step
st h
eyh adtakenoncomingtoknowt h
a therbroth
erNileshwasmissi
ng.Evi
dencegiv
enb ythi
switn
e s
s
iscon
sist
e ntwiththecaseo ft h
ep rosecut
iona n
dt her
ei snoreasontod i
sbel
ievethev er
sionofthi
s
witn
ess.

 PW6Di li
pPa te l
,thehusban dofPW5-h addeposedth ath eknewt heaccuseds i
nce1991a n
dt heaccused
hadc o
mewi t
ht h
ep roposalf o
rs endi
ngNi l
esht oAme ricas t
atingthath ehadg oodconnecti
onswi ththe
offic
ialsoft heAme r
icanEmb assy.PW6h ada l
sod ep
o sedt hatheh adalsogonet oBomba ywithc ashas
di
r ec
te dbythea ccused.Further,
heh ada l
sodep o
sedth aton8 .
2.1
994,NileshhadlefthishouseforBo mbay
andt h
a tPW6h ada l
sog o
net oBo mbays in
cet heaccus
e da skedhimtome eta tOp erahouseat11.30AMo n
8.
2.1994.PW6 ,itwass tated,sawt h
ea ccusedandNileshne arthebusst o
po fBlobeRa di
o.Theaccusedt o
ld
hi
mt h
a tata bout3.00p mo n8.
2.1994heh adsubmittedt hep apersbeforet h
eEmb assya n
da skedPW6t o
l
ea vet h
ep la
ces tatingthatC onsul
atewo uldnotlikethep resenceoft ooma n
yp ersons.
PW 6 ,therefore,
l
ef tthep lac
el eavingbehindt heaccuseda ndNilesh.Nil
e shdidnotr etur
nh ome,searchwa sma dea n
da
complaintwasl odge
do n28.3.
1994a tKan d
ival
iPo l
iceStation.On6.9.
1994,noti
cewa ssentthroughadvocate
toK an
d i
valiPoliceStation.PW 6a lsostatedth a
th eh a
dme ta c
cusedatv il
lageBorsadCh au
kadia ndthe
accusedg avee vasivea nswe r
s.Late r,PW 6c amea crossan ewsi temi nS and
hy aJan s
attawh ere
in
referencewa sma detoo neDr .
Jag d
ishwh ohadc o
mmi t
t edmu rderandattemp t
e dtocommitmu rderoff ew
otherp ers
ons.Newsite malsoappe aredinothernewspa p
e rsaswe l
l.

 PW6wa scros
s-examinedatlengt
hbutthedefenc
ec ou
ldnotdemol
ishhi
se v
idenc
eortheeviden
ceofo th
er
wit
nesse
sincl
udingt h
ato fPW5 .Evi
denc
e,inthiscase,
provedbeyondreaso
nabl
ed o
ubtt h
atitwa sthe
ac
cusedwholur
edNi les
hf orsend
inghi
mt oAme r
ica.F
actswouldcl
earl
yindic
atethatitwast h
ea ccus
ed
whohadextrac
tedmo neyg i
vingfal
sehopes
.Thed ec
easedwasa l
soseenbyPW 6l a
st,inthecompanyof
th
ea c
cused
.PW6h adalsomadep ay
menttotheac c
usedformedic
alexpenses
.PW5a n
dPW6 ,t
h e
r e
fore,
pr
ovedthechai
na ndlinksfromthestag
eo facquai
ntanc
ewi t
ht h
ea ccu
sedtil
lthestageofNileshbei
ng
se
eninthecus
todyo rcompanyoftheacc
used,f
ort h
ep u
rposeofsendi
ngNil
eshtoAmerica.

 Theprose
cuti
onhadexamine
dPW1t oPW4t op r
ovethesubsequen
te ve
n t
sandthestepstaken.
PW1t o
PW 4we reallatt
achedtoHot
e lAradhanaorguesthou
seo fAradhana.PW 1isaninde
p end
entwitn
ess
ManageroftheHotel
Aradha
na.Henarratedwhathadhappen
e dathisHot
e l
.PW1a l
sosawt h
ed e
ceas
edin
th
ec o
mp anyoftheaccu
sed.
Hes awt h
ea cc
usedtakin
gNiles
hi nRoomNo .1
03andlatercomin
gbackal
one
l
eavin
gt h
eh o
telwith
outhan
din
go verthekeyattherecept
ioncount
e r
.Nothi
nghadbee
nb r
o u
ghtouti
nthe
cr
ossexaminati
onofthes
ewitn
e ss
estoc o
ntrad
ictwhathehads t
ated.

L
ear
nedcouns
elappe
a r
ingfo
rtheac
cuse
dhadal
sono
tseri
ousl
yattac
kedthef
ind
ing
sa n
dreaso
ningg
ivenb
y
t
hetri
alcou
rtaswellasth
eHighCo
urtino
rde
rin
gconv
ict
ionandh
isthr
ustwasonth
eq ua
ntu
mo fsent
enc
e
a
warded,
andlat
erdeathpen
alt
y

Wehavealr
eadyin
d i
cate
dt h
emo d
usope r
andia
doptedb
ytheaccus
edint
h ese
c o
ndcas
ewasal
soal
mos
tthe
sa
me.Fewfact
softhiscas
eh a
vealre
ad ybee
ndealti
ntheear
li
erpara
graphsofthi
sju
dgme
ntandh
enc
e,we
mayd
irect
lycometotheevi
denceofthekeywitn
esse
sinth
iscas
e.

 Jayas
hreeth
ev i
cti
mwa spoi
sonedbytheacc
usedatHo
telKempsCorn
er.PW 1andPW 5weredi
rec
t
vi
cti
mso ft
hea c
cusedwhofort
unat
elysur
viv
ed.PW 1wasthehusban
da n
dPW 5wa sthebr
othero
f
Jaya
shre
ethedeceas
ed.Ev
iden
ceofPW1a ndPW5a rec
onsi
sten
ta n
dhavenotbee
nsha
kenatal
lbyth
e
de
fence.
Nodoub
th a
sb e
encre
atedabou
tthevera
cit
yofthe
irtest
imony.
PW1a ndPW5we r
ethedi
rec
t
 v
ict
imsan
dwe r
ealsot
hee
yewi
tne
ssest
otheen
t i
retra
nsac
tio
nandwehav
ec r
iti
cal
lygo
net
hro
ught
he
e
viden
ceadd
ucedb
yPW1andPW5andno
thi
ngwasbro
ughto
uttodi
scr
edi
tthei
revi
dence
.

 Thep r
osecuti
onexaminedsixteenwitn
ess
esPW 2 ,PW 4,PW 1 4we ret h
es taf
fme mber
soft hehotel
KempsC or
ner-t h
eyh adnarra
t e
d ,i
ndeta
il,thema nnerinwh i
chthea ccu
sedb o
okedtheroo
m,p ai
dthe
amount,to
okt hethr
eewi tnes
sest obo
thther ooms.Theh ot
elwi t
nessesidenti
fiedtheacc
usedinthe
courtaswellasint heidenti
ficati
onpar
ad e.Thep ro
se c
utio
ne xamin
e dPW 8pa nchwit
nessesbefo
re
whomt heacc
usedvol
untari
lygaves t
ate
mentu /s27ofth eEvide
nceActwh ichl
edtothedis
cover
yo fhu
ge
cashamount,
chequ
es,promis
sorynotesa
ndvariousart
iclesli
kepasspor
ts,rubbe
rstampsetc
.

 Wehavealsog
oneth
rough,
crit
ical
ly
,theor
alevi
denc
ea ndth
edocu
mentsprod
u c
edinth
iscas
eandfoun
d
nore
asontotak
eadifferen
tv i
ewf r
omthatofthetr
ialco
urtan
dt h
eHighCourtonc
onvi
cti
on.
Weh a
ve
al
sogon
ethrou
ghth
es t
a t
ementundersec
tio
n313Cr.
P.
C.madebytheacc
usedinbot
hthecas
eswhic
hwa s
ofto
talde
nial
ofth
ecrime.

Nil
eshthedec
eased,
vic
timinthefi
rstcas
ewa sanun
ma r
rie
db o
yof25yea
rsandyettobe
c o
mematur
eenou
gh
toknowtheworl
daroun
dh i
m.All
thehope
sd a
shedonth
ee ven
tfuld
aywhe
nh ewasmur
deredinabr
uta
lmann
er
notonl
ybyinf
lic
tin
ginju
riesbydead
lyweapononvi
talpar
tsofthebo
dybutal
soin
jur
iesonthet
esti
sca
usi
ng
hi
mimme ns
esuffer
ingandpai
n.

Jaya
shree
,thed ec
eased-vict
imwa sadmin
ist
eredexces
siv
et a
ble
tsb yth
eDe n
tis
tturn
edk i
ll
era
nd
Jaya
shreedie
do ft ha
ti nthen i
ghtoft hatfat
efulday.Themedi
calev
iden
cecle
arl
yindi
cat
esth
at
Ka
ushik
bhai
,Jaya
shreeandJa
gdishhadta
ke no
necaps
ulea
ndtwotabl
ets.

Th
eBombayHi
ghCour
tnot
ici
ngtheg
has
tlymann
erinwhi
chtheacc
use
dha
dmu r
der
edNil
eshaswel
las
Ja
yas
hre
eandpo
iso
nedPW1andPW5,
con
side
redi
tasar
ares
tofra
recas
ewa
rra
nti
ngdea
ths
ente
nce
.

TheHighCourthe
ardt heargumentsoftheadvo
catefortheaccu
sedaswell
a sth
eprosecu
toront
hep o
intas
towh e
t h
ertheHighCo u
rtcouldenhanc
ethesentenc
eoft heacc
usedfro
mlifetodeath.
Havin
gnoti
cedthat
theHighCourth
ast h
epo wert oenha
n c
ethesenten
cefromlif
eimpris
onmenttodeath
,theHig
hCourti
ssue
d
anoticeon1.
12.
2005t otheaccus
edt oshowcaus
ewh ythesenten
ceofli
feimpris
onmentbenoten
hancedto
deathsente
nce.
Theo perati
veportionoftheo
rderreadsasfo
llo
ws:

Weh aveheardtheargumentsofl
e ar
nedadvocat
ef o
rthepeti
tio
neraswella
slearn
edAPPf o
rtheStat
efor
quit
es o
met i
meo ntwoo cc
asio
ns.
I nexerc
iseofsuo-
motopower
sandonthebasi
sofjudgmentoftheSu
preme
Court,i
twi l
lben eces
s a
ryt oheart h
ea ccu
seda stowh yhi
ss e
nten
ces h
oul
dn otbee n
hancedfro
ml i
fe
impri
sonme
ntt odeath.Theref
ore,theaccu
sedb epro
ducedbytheKal
yanDist
ric
tPr i
sonAuthor
iti
esbefo
re
thi
sCo u
rton12thDecember2005.

Theacc
usedwaspro
ducedbefor
etheCour
ton12thDece
mb e
r2 0
05b utth
ea d
voca
t erep
resent
ingth
ea c
cus
ed
wasabsen
t.Con
sequent
ly,t
hema tt
erwasadjo
urnedto13.
12.
2005.On13.
12.
200
5,t h
ea cc
usedaswellashi
s
advo
catewerepr
esentandth
eC o
urton1
3.
12.
2005rec
ordedth
ef o
ll
owingst
atementoftheacc
usedwhi
chrea
ds
asfol
lo
ws:

(
Accuse
du n
dersta
ndsEngli
sh.Hegivesthest
a t
ementinEng
li
sh.Wearer
ecord
ingthesameinhi
sownlang
uage.
)
Iamnotinvo
lvedi
nt hecase
.Th etr
av e
lagentshou
ldal
sohavebee
nimpl
ica
tedinthiscas
e.Iamnotin
vol
ved.I
amnotgui
lty.
(Repeatedl
ythea ccu
sedwa si
nformedbyusaboutt
henat
ureofthesh o
wc a
usenot
icegi
ven.
He
madetheafor
esai
dst at
ementa ndhedoesnotwanttosayanymor
e.Mat
teradjou
rnedto22ndDecemb
er,20
05
at3.
00forJudgmen
t.Accu
sedt obeproduc
edonthatday.
Argu
me n
tso fCo un
selo fAppe l
lant:Mr .Sushi
lK ara
n j
akar,learne
da dvo
catea ppeari
ngf o
rt hea c
cuse
d
su
bmitted:
 t hattheHighC o
urthasn otfoll
owe dthep ro
ce d
urel a
idd ownunderSect
i o
n2 35(
2)oft h
eC odebefor
e
enhan
cingthesentenc
eo flif
ei mp r
iso
nme n
tt odea t
h.Learnedcoun
selpoi
ntedo u
tt h
ath av
ingregardto
theobjec
ta n
dthese t
tinginwhichthenewp ro
v i
sionofSection235(
2)wasi
n ser
tedinthe1973Code,
ther
e
canbenod ou
btthatitisoneo fthemo stfundamentalpartsofthecri
minalproc
edureandnon-
compli
anc
e
there
ofwi l
lexfacievit
iatetheo rder.
Insupportofh i
scontenti
on,l
ear
nedc o
unselpl
acedreli
anceonth
e
judg
me n
to fthi
sCourtinSantaS i
n g
hv .
S t
ateo fPu n
jab;(
1976)4SCC190andar ecen
tjudgmentinRajesh
Kumarv.Statethr
oughGo v
ernmen tofNCTo fDelhi;(
2011)
13S CC706
.

Mr
.ShankarChi
llarge,l
ea rnedcouns
elappearin
gf o
rt heState,s
ubmitted
:
 t ha
ti nthef actsa ndc ir
cumstancesoft h
isc a
se,theHi ghCourtwasjust
ifie
di nacco
rdin
gma ximum
sen
tenceofd eathpe nal
ty,si
nceonfacts,i
twa sfoun
dt obeararestofrar
ecaseandthetes
tlaiddownby
thi
sCourtinBa c
h a
nS i
nghv.StateofPu nj
ab;(
1980)2SC C68
4h asbeenfu
ll
ysatis
fied.
Learn
edp ro
secuto
r
sub
mittedth i
sisac a s
eo fd o
ublemurderanda t
temptt ocommitmurde
ro ft
woo the
rsandthema nne
rin
whic
ht h
esa mewa se xecutedwasgruesome.F
urther,
itwa spoi
ntedouttha
ttheproced
urelai
ddownu nd
er
Sect
ion235(2)Cr .
P.C.wa sfull
yc o
mp l
iedwitha n
dt he
r eisnor e
asontoups
ett heconv
icti
on/senten
ce
awardedbyt h
eHi ghC o
urt.

De
cis
iono
fSu
pre
meCo
urt
:

 Wehe ar
dt hel
earnedcounselone
ithersideonthi
sp oi
ntatlength
.Theorigi
nalfi
lema d
ea vai
labl
etot h
is
Co
urtd i
dnotcontai
nt hecopyofshowc a
usenotic
ed ated1.
12.
2005issue
db ytheHighCourtaswe l
lasthe
fu
lltextoft h
eo rd
erp assedbytheHighC o
urton13.1
2.20
05r ec
ordin
gt hesta
temento ftheaccuse
d.We
pas
seda norde
ro n11
.04.2
012toproducetheori
ginalfi
lestoexaminewhethertheHighCourthadfol
lowed
th
ep roc
e d
urelaiddownu nderSec
tion2 35(
2)Cr.
P.C.Recordswerema deavai
labl
ea ndwewe ntthr
ough
th
oserecordswithgr
ea tcare.
Weh avealsoperu
sedt h
ef ul
ltextoftheshowcausenotic
ed ate
d1 .
12.
2005
i
ssuedbyt h
eHi g
hC ou
r tandthestatementreco
rdedb ytheHighCourtunderSect
ion235(2)Cr.
P.C.
after
s
ummo ni
ngtheaccuse
d.

Weha vetoexami
newhet
hertheHi
ghCour
tha
spro
per
lyapprec
iatedthepur
pos
eandobj
ectofS
ecti
on
23
5(2)Cr.
P.
C.an
dappl
iedthes
amebear
ingi
nmin
dth
efacttha
tt he
ya r
et a
kin
gawayth
elifeo
fahuman
be
ing
.

S
ection235Cr.
P.C.
ini
tsentir
etyisextr
actedforrefe
renc
e:
2
35 :
Judgmentofacqui
ttalo
rconvi
cti
on
(
1)Afterheari
ngargu
me n
tsandpoin
tsofla
w( i
fa n
y),t
heJudges
hallg
iveajudg
mentintheca
se.
(
2)Ifthea cc
usedisco
nvic
ted,t
heJu d
geshall
,unl
esshepro
ceedsinacco
rda
ncewi
t hth
epr o
vis
ion
sofs
ect
ion
3
60h eartheacc
usedontheques
tionofsen
tence,andth
enpasss
e n
tenceonh
imacc
ordin
gt ol
aw.

Thenec
ess
ityo
fin
ser
tin
gsu
b-s
ect
ion(
2)wa
shi
ghl
ig
hte
dbyt
heL
awCo
mmi
ssi
oni
nit
s41
stRe
por
twh
ichr
ead
s
asfo
ll
ows:

Itisnowbeingin
creasingl
yrecog
nizedthataration
alandc o
nsis
tents ent
enci
ngpoli
cyrequir
est h
eremo v
alof
severa
ldefici
encie
sint hepres
entsystem.Onesuchdefici
encyisth el
ackofcomprehensi
veinfor
mationasto
thecharact
erist
icsa ndbackg
roundoft heoffender
.Th eaimso fs ent
enci
ngbe c
omea llth
emo res ointhe
absenc
eo finformationonwh i
cht h
ec orrec
tion
alprocessist oo perat
e.Thepu bl
icaswe llasthec our
ts
themsel
vesareint heda r
kaboutthejudici
alapproac
hi nthi
sregar d.
Wea reoft heviewthatthet aki
ngof
evi
d e
nceastot h
ec i
rcumstanc
esreleva
ntt osent
encin
gs hou
ldbee ncour
aged
,andbotht h
eprosecuti
onandthe
acc
u s
eds h
ouldbea l
lowedtoco-o
perateint h
epr o
cess.TheLawCo mmissi
oninitsRe po
rthado pi
nedthatthe
taki
ngo fevide
ncea st othecir
cumstan
cesr el
evanttos ent
encin
gs h
oul
db eencourag
edint heproces
s.The
Parli
ament,itiss een,hasa c
ceptedt her e
commendationoft heL aw Commissi
onf ul
lyandh ase nac
ted
s
ub-
sec
tio
n(2
).

Thes
c opeo fthea boveme n
t i
onedpr ov
isi
onh ascomeu pf orc onsiderati
o nbe for
et heApe xCo urtonv a
riou
s
oc
cas
ion s
.Re ferencetof ewo fthejudgmentsisa pposi
t e.
Thec ourtsareu nani
mo usintheirviewthat
 su b-se
c ti
on(2)ofS ecti
o n235clearl
ystatestha tthehearin ghastob egivent otheaccusedont h
eq ues
tio
n
o
fs e
nte nc
e,butt heques t
ioniswhatist h
eo bjecta n
dpu rpo seofh eari
n gandwh ataret hema t
terstobe
el
icitedf r
omt heaccused .
Ofc ou
rse,ful
lopportunityhast ob egiventop roduceadequatema teri
alsbefor
e
t
h eC o
u rtand,iffound, nec
essarycourtma yalsogivea no pportunit
yt ol eade vi
dence.Eviden
ceo nwhat,
t
h eevidencewh ic
hh assomer el
evanceontheq uesti
onofs en tenceandn otonconvicti
on.
 Bu tt h
ef urtherquestiontob eexaminediswh ether,i
nthea bsenceofa ddinganyma terial
sbyt h
ea cc
used,
h
a st heCo urta nyd utyt oe l
ici
ta nyinforma tio
nf romwh atevers ourcesb efor
ea wardi
ngs ente
nce,
especiall
ycapitalpunishment.Psycho
logi
caltra umawh i
chac onvic
tu ndergoeso nheari
n gthathewo ul
dbe
awa r
de dcapi
ta ls
e nt
e n
c e,t
hatis,death,
hast obeb orn
ei nmi nd,bythec ourt.
C onv
ictcouldbeac o
mp l
etel
y
s
h atteredperson,mayn otbeinh i
snormalsenses,maybed u mbfound,unabletos peakanything
.
 Ca n,ins uc
has i
tuation,thec ou
rtpre s
umet ha theh asn othingtos peako rme chani
callyrecor
dwh athe
s
t ates,withoutma kinga nyc o
nsci
ouse ffortt oelici
tr ele v
a n
ti nforma t
ion,wh i
chha ssomeb earin
gin
awa r
dingapr opera n
da d eq
ua t
es en
tence.Awa rdin
gd eaths entenceisa lwaysa nexcept i
on,
onlyinrares
t
o
fr arec ases
.

(
a)S
a nt
aSing
hv .
StateofPunjab;(
197
6)4S C
C1 9
0 :
Inthi
scaseCourthase
xtens
ive
lydeal
twithth
en a
turea
nd
s
copeofSecti
on2 35(
2)Cr.
P.C.sta
tin
gt hatsuchap ro
vis
ionwa sint
rod
ucedincon
son
ancewiththemoder
n
t
rendsinp
enolo
gyands e
ntenci
ngprocedu
res.TheCour
tn o
tice
d:todaymoreth
aneverbefo
re,s
e n
tenci
ngh
as
b
ecomead el
ic
atet a
sk,requ
irin
ga nin
ter-di
sci
pli
naryapproac
ha ndcal
li
ngforsk
il
lsandtal
entsverymuc
h
d
iff
e re
ntfro
mt ho
seordin
ari
lyexpectedoflawyers
.

TheC o
urtf ou
n dthattherequ
irementsofSe ct
ion235(2)werenotcompli
edwi th
,inas
mu chasn oo ppor
tunit
y
wasgiventothea ppel
la
nt,aft
errecordi
nghisconvi
cti
on,toproduc
ema te
rialan
dma kesubmissi
on sinregar
dto
thesentencetob eimposedonhim.TheC o
urtn ot
icedint h
atc a
set heSessi
onsCourtchosetoi nfl
ic
td eat
h
senten
ceo nth eaccus
eda ndthep os
sibi
li
tyc oul
dn otb erul
edo utthatift heaccuse
dh adb eeng i
venan
opport
unitytop r
oducemateri
alandma k
es ubmis
sion
so nthequest
ionofsentenc
e,ascontemplate dbySectio
n
235(2)
,hemi ghthavebeeninap o
sit
iontop ersuad
et heS es
sion
sC our
tt oimposeal es
s e
rp e nalt
yo fli
fe
impri
sonment.TheCourt,
therefo
re,hedt
l h
eb reachofthema nd
atoryrequi
rementofS ec
tion23 5(2)coul
dnot,
inthecircumstan
ces,beigno
reda sin
consequent
ialanditc a
nv i
tiatethesentenc
eo fde athimpo sedbyt h
e
Sessi
onsCourt.TheCour
t,ther
efore,a
llo
we dtheappeal an
dseta s
idethesentenc
eo fdeathandr e mand
edt h
e
casetot heSessi
onsCourtwithad i
recti
ont opassappropri
atesentenceaftergiv
ingano pport uni
tytot h
e
acc
u s
edt obeheard.

Fu
rther
,inSan
taS i
ngh,
theCour
talsohel
dasfol
lowsTh
: ehear
ingcon
templ
a t
edbyS ec
tion235
(2)
isno
tconfi
ned
mere
lyt oh
earin
go r
alsubmi
ssi
ons,bu
ti ti
salsoint
endedtogiveanopportu
nitytot h
eprose
cuti
onandthe
ac
cusedtoplac
eb efo
rethecourtfactsandmateri
alrel
ati
ngtov ar
iou
sf act
orsbearingo
nthequest
ionof
se
ntencean
diftheyarecont
estedbyeithe
rsid
e ,
thentopro
duceevid
enceforthepurposeo
festa
bli
shi
ngthe
sa
me.

(
b)Dag
du&ors
.v.S
tateofMah
ara
sht
ra;
(19
77)
3SC
C68
:Th
eth
reeJu
dge
sBe
nch
,re
fer
rin
gtot
hej
udg
men
tin
S
antaSi
ngh
,hel
dasfo
llo
ws:

TheCo
u r
to nc
o n
vict
inganacc
usedmustun
quest
iona
blyhearhi
montheque
sti
onofsent
enc
e.Bu
tif,f
ora
ny
re
ason
, i
tomitstodosoa n
dtheaccu
sedmake
sag ri
evanc
eo fi
tinth
ehigh
ercou
rt,i
twoul
dbeope
ntoth
at
co
urttoremed
yt hebrea
chbygi
vin
gah e
ari
ngtotheacc
usedont
hequ
esti
onofs
enten
ce.

Itfurt
herhe
ldasf
oll
o :F
ws o
rapropera
ndeff
ecti
veimpl
eme
ntat
ionofth
eprov
isio
nc o
ntai
nedinSect
ion
235(
2),
iti
snota
lwa
ysnec
ess
aryt
oreman
dth
ema t
tert
ot h
ecou
rtwhic
hha
srec
ordedthecon
vic
tio
n.Remand
i
sanexc
epti
on,n
otaru
le,
ando
ugh
tth
ere
for
etob
eav
oid
eda
sfa
raspo
ssi
bl
eint
hei
nte
res
tso
fexpe
dit
iou
s,
t
houg
hfai
r,d
ispo
sal
ofcas
es

(c
)Muniappanv.Sta
teofTa milNadu;
AIR19 8
1SC1220
:Thi
sCour
theldasfoll
ows:
Theobl
igati
ont ohearthea ccus
edo nthequest
ionofsent
encewhichisimposedbySecti
on235(2)ofthe
Cri
mina
lPr o
cedureCodeisnotdisc
harge
db yput
tingafo
rmalques
tiontotheacc
usedastowhathehastosay
onthequest
ionofs e
ntence
. TheJudgemustmakeagenui
neeffor
tt oeli
ci
tf r
omt h
ea c
cus
eda l
lin
f o
rmat
ion
whic
hwillev
e n
tuall
ybearont h
equesti
onofsent
ence.

(
d)All
auddinMian&ors.v.St
ateo fBih
ar;(1
989)3SC
C5 :Thi
sCour
ta l
socons
ide
redt h
eef fec
tof
n
on-
compli
anceo
fSecti
on235(
2)Cr
.P.
C.a
ndhel
dthatth
eprov
isi
oni
sma
ndato
ry.Th
eoperat
ivepor
tio
nofth
e
j
udg
me n
treadsasf
oll
ows:

 Ther equi
reme n
to fh earingt hea ccusedisi n
te nde
dt os atisfyth eru l
eo fn atura
lj u
stice.Iti sa
fundamentalrequi
reme n
to ffairplayt hatthea ccu
sedwh owa shithertoconcen
tratingonthepro sec
u ti
on
evid
en c
eo nt h
eq uesti
ono fguiltshould,onbeingfoundg ui
lt
y ,bea s
kedi fheh asa n
ythin
gt osa yora ny
evid
en c
et ot endero ntheq uestiono fs en
tence.Thisisa l
lt hemo ren ecessa
r ysincetheCo u r
tsa re
gener
a l
lyrequir
edt omaket hechoicef r
omawi der an
geo fdis
c ret
ioninthema tterofsentenc
ing.Toa ssi
st
theCourtind ete
rmi n
ingthec orre
cts entencetob eimposedt helegi
slatureint
roducedSub-sect
io n(2)to
Secti
on23 5.Thesaidprovisi
ont hereforesatis
fiesad ualpurpose;i
ts ati
sf i
esther ul
eofnat u
ra lju
s ti
ce
byaccordi
ngt otheaccusedano pportunityofbeingheardontheq uesti
ono fsentenceandatthesa met ime
hel
pst heCourttochoosethes entencetob eawarded.Sin
cet h
epr ovis
ionisintendedtogivetheac cus
e dan
oppor
t uni
tyt oplaceb eforet heCo urta l
lt h
er elevantma teri
alh avin
gab earingont h
eq ue sti
ono f
sente
n c
et herecanb enod oubtt h
att h
epr ovi
si
oni ssal
u t
arya ndmu stbes tri
ctlyfoll
owed.Itisc l
e arl
y
mandatoryandshoul
dn otbet reateda same r
ef ormali
ty.

(
e)Mal
kia
tSi
nghv
.St
ateofPun
jab;
(199
1)4SCC341:
TheSu
pre
meC o
urtin
dic
ate
dth
ene
ces
sit
yofa
djo
urn
ing
t
heca
setoafu
tur
edatea
fterc
onv
icti
ngthea
ccu
s e
da n
dhe
ldasf
oll
ows:

Onf i
ndin
gt hatt heaccu
s edcommittedthechargedoffe
nces,Secti
on235(2)oft h
eCo dee mpo werstheJudge
thatheshallpa s
ss en
tenceonh i
ma cc
ordingtola
wo nheari
nghim.Heari
ngcontemplatedisn otconfin
edme rel
y
tooralhearingbuta l
sointendedtoa ff
orda nopport
uni
tyt otheprosecuti
ona swellasth ea cc
usedt opl
ace
beforetheCo urtfactsandma teri
alrel
atingtovario
usfactor
so nthequesti
ono fsentencea ndifinteres
ted
bye i
thers i
de ,toh a
vee vid
en c
ea dduc
e dtos h
owmi ti
gati
ngc i
rcumstan
cest oimpo s
eal essersentenceor
aggra
v at
inggro und
st oimposedeathpena l
ty.Ther
efore
,suffici
enttimemu stbeg i
vent oth eaccusedorthe
prose
cutionont hequest
ionofs en
tence,toshowgroun
dsonwh i
chtheprosecut
ionma ypleadort heaccusedmay
showt h
att hema ximums ent
enceo fdeathma ybetheappropriat
es ent
enceo rtheminimums ent
e n
ceo fli
fe
impri
sonmentma yb eawarded,asthecasemayb e.

(
f) Ra jeshK umarv .Stat
et hro
ughGovernmentofNCTo fDelhi
,(201
1)13S CC7 06
:Th i
sCourtexaminedat
l
eng
ththee v a
luati
o nofsentenc
ingpo
li
cya n
dt hecon
ceptofmitig
atin
gc i
rcumstancesinIndi
arelati
ngtothe
d
eathpen al
ty.TheC o
urtheldthattheobjectofheari
ngu n
derSecti
on23 5(
2)Cr .
P.
C.b ei
ngintr
insi
cal
lyand
i
nhe
rentl
yc o n
nectedwi ththesenten
cingprocedu
re,th
epr ovi
si
onsofS ecti
on3 54(3)Cr.
P.
C.wh i
chcall
sfor
r
ecor
dingo fspe c
ialreasonforawardi
ngd eathsent
ence,mustbereadc o
n j
oin
tly.TheCo ur
th el
dt h
ats u
ch
s
peci
alre asonscano nl
yb evali
dlyrec
ordedifa neffec
t i
veopport
unityofh eari
nga scontempl
atedu n
der
S
ecti
on23 5(2)Cr.
P.C.i
sgenuine
lyextend
e dandisal
lo
wedt obeexerc
isedbyt h
ea ccu
s edwhostand
sc o
nvic
ted
a
ndisawa i
tingthes ent
ence.

I
nourvi
ew,th
ep ri
nci
ple
slai
ddowni
ntheabov
ec i
tedju
dgment
ss qua
rel
ya p
p l
iesontheque
sti
onofawar
ding
o
fsent
enceandwef i
ndfro
mt h
erec
ord
sthattheHighCo
urthasonl
yme c
hanic
all
yr e
cord
edwhattheac
cuse
d
h
assai
da ndnoattempthasbeenmad
et oeli
citanyinfo
rmatio
no rpart
icul
arsf r
omt h
ea c
cuse
dort h
e
p
ros
ecuti
onwhic
ha r
er e
lev
antfora
wardi
ngap r
opersente
nce
. Theacc
used,ofcours
e,wasin
formedb
yt h
e
Co
urtoft henatureo fthesh o
w-cause-notice.
Whatwa sthen at
u reofs howcau s
en otice?
 Th en atureoft h eshow-cause-noti
cewa swh ethert h
elifesentenc
ea wa rdedbyt het rialcourtb enot
enhancedtod eathp enalt
y.Nog en u
inee fforthasb eenmadebyt h
eCo urtt oeli
ci
ta nyinforma ti
one i
ther
fromt heaccusedo rtheprosecutiona stowh etheranycir
cumstanc
ee xi
stswh ichmightinflu
e ncetheCourt
toav oi
dandn ottoa wardd e
a thsenten c
e .
 Awa rdi
ngd eaths entenceisa ne xception,notther ul
e,andonl
yi nraresto frarecas e
s,th eC o
urtc ou
ld
awar ddeathse ntence.Thestateo fmi ndo fape rsonawaiti
ngdeathsente nc
ea ndthes tateo fmindofa
personwhoh asb eenawa rdedlifesent e
n c
ema yn otbethesameme nt
a l
lyandps yc
h o
logic
ally.Thecourthas
gotad ut
ya ndo bli
gatio
nt oe lici
tr elevantf a
c tsevenift h
ea ccus
e dh askeptt otal
lys il
e n
ti nsuch
si
tua ti
ons.Int hei n
stantc ase,theHi ghCo urth asnotaddress
edt heissu einthec orrectpe rs
pe ct
ive
bearinginmindt h
o s
er ele
va n
tf a c
to rs
,wh il
eq uesti
onin
gt h
ea cc
useda nd,therefor
e ,commi t
tedag r
oss
erro
ro fpr oc
ed ureinn otproper l
ya ssimil
atingandu nder
stand
ingthepu rposeando bjec
tb e hi
ndS ect
ion
235(2)Cr.
P.C.

Insuchc
irc
umstanc
es,wea r
eincl
inedtosetasi
dethedea
thsent
enceawar
dedbytheHig
hCo urtandr
emitthe
mattertotheHighCourtt ofol
lowS ect
ion235(
2)Cr.
P.
C.inacco
rdan
cewiththepri
nc i
ple
sl a
iddown.The
conv
icti
onawardedbyt h
eHi g
hCo u
rt,howeve
r,stan
dsconf
irme
d.TheHig
hCo u
rtisre
qu es
tedt opa
ssf r
esh
order
sprefera
blywithi
nape rio
do fsixmonth
sfromthedateoftherec
eiptofthecopyoft h
isord
er.The
appeali
sal
lowedtothatextent.