Calcutta High Court: A Division Bench comprising of Joymalya Bagchi and Ravi Krishan Kapur, JJ. disposed of the criminal appeal filed by the appellant by ordering his further examination under Section 313 CrPC.
In the case at hand, most of the prosecution witnesses turned hostile. However, the trial judge relied on the dying declaration of the victim, who, according to PW 15- the doctor who treated the victim, had suffered burn injuries due to the pouring of hot mustard oil. Learned counsel for the appellant was before the High Court assailing the said dying declaration on various grounds including that such circumstance was not placed before the appellant during his examination under Section 313 CrPC.
The High Court perused the record and found that in fact such circumstance was not put to the appellant during his examination. The Court held it to be settled law that any circumstance which may be used against an accused must be placed to him during his examination under Section 313. Such an exercise is not an empty formality but a facet of natural justice. While deciding the appeal, the Court was not unmindful of the fact that every infraction of the aforesaid requirement would not vitiate the trial. However, if such infraction is of a grave nature, and prejudices the accused or occasions failure of justice, it shall result in a mistrial. In the instant case, the Court noted, most of the PWs turned hostile, and as such, the dying declaration if believed by the court, would be the most vital circumstance pointing towards guilt of the appellant. In such circumstances, the Court ordered the further examination of the appellant under Section 313 by putting questions before him in relation to the dying declaration. The Sessions Judge was directed to complete the exercise within four weeks. [Sk. Anowar v. Moinak Bakshi, 2018 SCC OnLine Cal 3896, dated 22-6-2018]
