Category: I P C

(IPC) – Ss 302, 376, 364, 366A, and 201 – Rape and Murder – Death Sentence converted to life imprisonment -Incarceration for life will serve as sufficient punishment and penitence for his actions, in the absence of any material to believe that if allowed to live he poses a grave and serious threat to the society, and the imprisonment for life in our opinion would also ward off any such threat – There is hope for reformation, rehabilitation, and thus the option of imprisonment for life is certainly not foreclosed and therefore acceptable – Conviction and sentences of appellant for offences under Sections 302, 376, 364, 366A and 201 of the Code uphold

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH IRAPPA SIDDAPPA MURGANNAVAR — Appellant Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA — Respondent ( Before : L. Nageswara Rao, Sanjiv Khanna and B.R. Gavai, JJ. )…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Sections 392 and 397 – Disclosure statement – where the prosecution fails to inspire confidence in the manner and/or contents of the recovery with regard to its nexus to the alleged offence, the Court ought to stretch the benefit of doubt to the accused – Its nearly three centuries old cardinal principle of criminal jurisprudence that “it is better that ten guilty persons escape, than that one innocent suffer”. The doctrine of extending benefit of doubt to an accused, notwithstanding the proof of a strong suspicion, holds its fort on the premise that “the acquittal of a guilty person constitutes a miscarriage of justice just as much as the conviction of the innocent” .

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH BIJENDER @ MANDAR — Appellant Vs. STATE OF HARYANA — Respondent ( Before : N.V. Ramana, CJI, Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, JJ. )…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Sections 391, 395 and 397 – Mere acquittal of some of the accused on the same evidence by itself does not lead to a conclusion that all deserve to be acquitted in case appropriate reasons have been given on appreciation of evidence both in regard to acquittal and conviction of the accused – Conviction of accused for offence punishable under Section 397 IPC is hereby set aside and the appellants–accused are convicted for the offences under Section 391 IPC punishable under Section 395 IPC – Appeal partly allowed.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH GANESAN AND OTHER — Appellant Vs. STATE REP. BY STATION HOUSE OFFICER AND OTHER — Respondent ( Before : Dr. Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud and…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Sections 300 and 304-II – Culpable homicide not amounting to murder – The incident was stated to have occurred when initially there was an exchange of words between the ladies which then got converted into an incident where blows were exchanged – matter would be covered by Exception fourthly to Section 300 IPC and as such, the crime in question would not be “murder” but “culpable homicide not amounting to murder” – All the accused would be principally guilty of the offences under Section 304-II and Section 304-II read with Section 149 of the IPC.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH SITA RAM AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. STATE OF RAJASTHAN — Respondent ( Before : Uday Umesh Lalit, S. Ravindra Bhat and Bela M.…

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC)- Section 482 – Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Section 306 – Abetment of suicide – Suicide note – Investigation stayed and Proceedings quashed – Appeal against – Alleged suicide is of a person who was working as a driver of a Special Land Acquisition Officer, who is a public servant and against whom serious and grave allegations of amassing wealth disproportionate to the known sources of income were made by the deceased. The suicide note contains a detailed account of the role of the accused in the events which led to the deceased committing suicide – order of High Court set aside – Appeal allowed.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH  MAHENDRA K C — Appellant Vs. THE STATE OF KARNATAKA — Respondent ( Before : Dr. Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud and B.V. Nagarathna, JJ. )…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Section 376(2)(f) read with Section 511 -It is a settled preposition of Criminal Jurisprudence that in every crime, there is first, Mens Rea (intention to commit), secondly, preparation to commit it, and thirdly, attempt to commit it. If the third stage, that is, ‘attempt’ is successful, then the crime is complete. If the attempt fails, the crime is not complete, but law still punishes the person for attempting the said act. ‘Attempt’ is punishable because even an unsuccessful commission of offence is preceded by mens rea, moral guilt, and its depraving impact on the societal values is no less than the actual commission.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH — Appellant Vs. MAHENDRA ALIAS GOLU — Respondent ( Before : Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal…

Murder – Organized crime – High Court quashed charge sheet against accused for KCOCA offences – Appeal against – High Court has completely glossed over the crucial fact that the writ petition was filed only after the sanction was accorded by the competent authority under Section 24(2) and more so cognizance was also taken by the competent Court of the offence of organized crime committed by the members of organized crime syndicate including the writ petitioner

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH KAVITHA LANKESH — Appellant Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA AND OTHERS — Respondent ( Before : A.M. Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and C.T. Ravikumar, JJ. )…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Ss 363, 366, 376, 376D and 506 – Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 – Ss 3 and 4 – Kidnapping and gang rape – insofar as the incident of rape attributed to the appellant it does not disclose that all the accused had committed rape on her or had the common intention and aided the commission – Charge of gang rape has not been established with convincing evidence – Appellant is liable to be convicted under Section 376 IPC and not under Section 376D IPC, the appropriate sentence to be imposed needs consideration.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MANOJ MISHRA @ CHHOTKAU — Appellant Vs. THE STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH — Respondent ( Before : M.R. Shah and A.S. Bopanna, JJ. )…

IPC Section 302/34 – no contra evidence on behalf of the defence to explain as to why they all went together to the spot with fire-arms and shot at the deceased – On the other hand, the antecedent enmity between the accused and the victims as narrated in detail by PW-1 clearly brings out the fact that there existed a common intention on the part of the accused inasmuch as they went together armed with guns in broad day light to the land where the victims were engaged in irrigation – Also the manner in which the crime was executed clearly establishes a concerted action on part of the accused – Conviction under section 302 read with Section 34 of IPC uphold – Appeal dismissed.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH INDRAPAL SINGH AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. STATE OF U.P. — Respondent ( Before : L. Nageswara Rao, B.R. Gavai and B.V. Nagarathna, JJ.…

High Court ought not to have convicted the appellant for the offence under Section 304 Part­I IPC – In absence of any intention on the part of the appellant, It is a clear case where the conviction of the appellant is to be modified to one under Section 304 Part­II IPC by maintaining the conviction for the offence under Section 201 IPC. HELD converting conviction from the one under Section 304 Part­I IPC to the one under Section 304 Part­II IPC – Appeals are allowed in part and conviction of the appellant is modified from the one under Section 304 Part­ I /34 IPC to the one under Section 304 Part ­II /34 IPC

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH  KALA SINGH @ GURNAM SINGH — Appellant Vs. STATE OF PUNJAB — Respondent ( Before : R. Subhash Reddy and Hrishikesh Roy, JJ. )…

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