Kashmira Singh vs. State of Madhya Pradesh on 4 March, 1952

L.P. Tiwari was the Food Officer at Gondia. Ramesh was son of the L.P. Tiwari. The Kashmira Singh was an Assistant Food Procurement Inspector there. L.P. Tiwari found the Kashmira and Harbilas getting rice polished at a certain rice mill. At that time the polishing of rice was prohibited by a State law. L.P. Tiwari reported the all matter to the Deputy Commissioner of Bhandara. Then Deputy Commissioner suspended the Kashmira as well as later his services were terminated by an order of the State Government.


This embittered the Kashmira who on occasions was express a determination to be revenged.  This determination he got into touch with the Gurubachan singh and enlisted his services for murdering the boy of L.P. Tiwari. On the religious ceremonies were in progress all day in the Sikh Gurudwara at Gondia. The boy of L.P. Tiwari (Ramesh) was there in the morning and there was enticed to the house of the Kashmira's brother Gurudayal singh and was done to death in a shockingly revolting fashion by Kashmira, with the active assistance of Gurubachan singh, in that day. The body was tied up in a bag and rolled up in a roll of bedding as well as allowed to lie in Gurudayal's house and the Ramesh dead body wrapped as was carried by Gurubachan on his head to a chowkidar's hut near the Sikh Gurudwara. The Kashmira was accompanied him. The distance along the route was about half a mile to three quarters of a mile. It was left there about midnight. In midnight Kashmira and Gurubachan engaged the services of a rickshaw coolie Sannatrao. They took him to the chowkidar's hut, recovered the bundle of bedding and went in the rickshaw to a well and there the dead body was thrown into the well.

Gurubachan's confession has played an important part in implicating the Kashmira, and the question at once arises, the confession of an accused person can be used against a co-accused? It is evident that it is not evidence in the ordinary sense of the term because, as the Privy Council said that It does not indeed come within the definition of evidence contained in Section 3 of the Evidence Act., It is not required to be given on oath, nor in the presence of the accused as well as it cannot be tested by cross examination.  It is a much weaker type of evidence than the evidence of an approver.

The Sessions Court held that a conviction under Section 201 because he was convicting the appellant of murder. He followed a Nagpur decision in such a case it would be improper to convict in the alternative. The accused was associated with the disposal of the body after the occurrence as well as at the scene of the crime.  Twelve hours had elapsed and the first connection proved with the disposal is at a place over half a mile distant from where the boy is to have been murdered. The Court convicted the Kashmira of an offence under Section 201, Indian Penal Code, and sentenced him to seven years' rigorous imprisonment. The murder was cruel as well as revolting one as well as for that reason it will be necessary to examine the evidence with more than ordinary care lest the shocking nature of the crime induce an instinctive reaction against a dispassionate judicial scrutiny of the facts and law.  

The Supreme Court held that appellant Kashmira Singh has been convicted of the murder of one Ramesh, a small boy aged five, and has been sentenced to death. The appellant Kashmira his brother Gurudayal singh, his nephew Pritipalsingh (son of Gurudayal), a boy and one Gurubachan singh. Gurudayal and pritipal have been acquitted. Gurubachan singh confessed and convicted with sentenced to death.

 

 

 

 

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