Holding

The conviction for murder under Section 302 IPC was unsustainable and set aside due to lack of proof beyond reasonable doubt.

Summary

Satish Nirankari and his lover Pooja, whose inter‑caste marriage was opposed by her family, went to a vacant house, performed a makeshift marriage, and each consumed copper sulphate. Pooja ingested a larger dose, later hanged herself; Nirankari survived, raised alarm, and sought medical help. He was convicted under IPC §§302 (murder) and 309 (attempted suicide). On appeal, the Supreme Court held that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Pooja's death was homicidal: the post‑mortem did not state homicide, the suicide note was likely her handwriting, and the circumstantial evidence did not satisfy the established tests for a murder conviction. Consequently, the conviction under §302 was set aside and the appeal was allowed.

Issues considered

The prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that the death was homicidal under IPC §302.
Whether the circumstantial evidence satisfied the legal tests for conviction.
Whether the suicide note could be treated as evidence of Pooja's intent to die.
Whether the appellant was liable under IPC §309 for attempting suicide.
The burden of proof under Evidence Act §106 and its discharge by the prosecution.

Legislation cited

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973s. 313, s. 374
Indian Evidence Act, 1872s. 101, s. 106
Indian Penal Code, 1860s. 302, s. 306, s. 309

Subjects

murdersuicidecircumstantial evidenceburden of proofIPC 302IPC 309suicide noteinter‑caste marriageacquittal

Judgment

[2017] 4 S.C.R. 298

A SATISH NIRANKARI
v.
STATE OF RAJASTHAN
(Criminal Appeal No. l 074 of 2007)
B JUNE 09, 2017
[A. K. SIKRI AND ASHOK BHUSHAN, JJ.)
Penal Code, 1860- ss. 302, 309- Murder -Attempt to commit
suicide - On facts, death of a girl - Girl and appellant in love with
C each other, however because of difference in caste, girl:~ family did
not give approval to their marriage - Appellant and girl consumed
copper sulphate - Thereafter, the girl hanged herself resulting in
her death -Appellant survived the attempt since he consumed lesser
quantity - Conviction and sentence of appellant uls. 302 and 309
by the courts below - On appeal, held: Prosecution failed to prove
D that the cause of death was homicidal - Doctor as also post-mortem
report does not say that it was homicidal - Girl and appellant went
to the place of the incident together - Statement of the appellant
that as girl :S health deteriorated, he went out to seek neighbours
help but found her hanging when he returned and thereafter, rushed
E her to the hospital - Appellants conditions deteriorated after
consuming poison and he remained in the hospital for 50 days -
Bindi, vermillion, bangles, rose garland recovered from the place
of incident - Also suicide note in the writing of the girl - All factors
amply demonstrate that the prosecution failed to bring out and prove
the guilt of the appellant beyond reasonable doubt - There are
F lurking doubts and many missing links - Conviction of the appellant
u/s. 302 set aside.
Criminal jurisprudence - Criminal cases not to be decided
on the basis of hypothesis - Prosecution is to prove the guilt of the
accused charged for such an offence and that too, beyond
G reasonable doubt.
Evidence - Circumstantial evidence - Reliability of - Held:
In a case where there is no eyewitness and, which rests 011
circumstantial evidence, prosecution is obligated to prove all those
circumstances which leave no manner of doubts to establish the
H
298
SATISH NIRANKARI v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN 299

guilt of the accused person - Chain of circumstances must be A
complete and must clearly point to the guilt of !he accused.
Allowing the appeal, the Court
HELD: 1.1 It is a case of circumstantial evidence and there
is no eyewitness to the incident in-question. Cause of death of
the victim-'P', as per the medical report, was Asphyxia and 8
ligature marks were found over her neck. Further, both the
appellant as well as 'P' had consumed copper sulphate. It is the
quantum of the said poisonous substance which made the
difference. Inasmuch as lesser quantity consumed by appellant
was the reason that he survived, coupled with the fact that he c
could be taken to the hospital before his conditions deteriorated.
However, he remained in the hospital for 50 days which shows
that the substance consumed by him also had deleterious effects.
It is also an admitted case that both 'P' and appellant were in
love with each other which had blossomed over a period of time.
Their affection for each other was known to 'P's family but was D
not taken positively. 'P's father himself stated that because of
difference in caste, such an inter-caste marriage had not happened
in their family. He, thus, accepted that 'P's family refused to give
their blessings to the intentions of couple to tie a matrimonial
chord. [Para 21][313-G-H; 314-A-C] E
1.2 The story put forth by the appellant is plausible. As per
him, 'P' was subjected to physical abuse and beatings and was, in
fact, mercilessly beaten even on the day of incident. When she
was madly in love with the appellant and wanted to marry him,
there is a possibility that after receiving such kind of shabbily F
treatment at the hands of her parents, in anguish she may have
decided to revolt and, therefore, proposed to the appellant, that
they should get married for which they chose a secluded place.
This fact cannot be wished away that from the place of the incident,
bare essentials necessary for a marriage which a couple would
like to perform in such circumstances, have been recovered. G
These are in the form of garlands, bangles, bindi, sindoor etc.
Thus, the appellant and the deceased got married in such a
charged atmosphere. After the marriage was performed, 'P' might
have started thinking as to what would lie ahead. Knowing the
adamant, stiff and belligerent attitude of her family, she might H
300 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2017] 4 S.C.R.

A have realised that in no case this marriage would be accepted in
her family. Going by the previous behaviour of her family
members, she might have nurtured the apprehension that neither
she nor the appellant would be spared by her family members. At
this stage,· she could have insisted for putting an end to their
B lives themselves. Such kind of thinking is not unusual in a
situation in which the parties were placed, and the mind can work
in such a direction. On this hypothesis, it becomes a case of
committing suicide by 'P', as projected by the appellant.jPara
22)(314-D-H]
1.3 Other hypothesis is equally plausible. Going by the fact
c that 'P' was in love with the appellant and though she wanted to
marry him, she might have told the appellant that because of stiff
resistance from her family she would not marry the appellant as
she would go by the wishes of the family even when she personally
did not approve of this. Such a reaction on the part of a girl to
D sacrifice her love and accept a decision of her parents, even though
unwillingly, is a common phenomenon in this country. If this was
the situation and after· she communicated to the appellant her
intention not to marry him as she was suffering physical torture
because of continuing the said relationship, it may not have been
liked by the appellant. It also happens in love that when a man is
E not able to get a girl which he wants, he may go to the extent of
killing her as he does not want to see her alliance with any other
person. This might be the motive in the mind of appellant.
However, whether events turned in this way is anybody's guess
as no evidence of this nature has surfaced. It is not even possible
F for the prosecution to state any such things as whatever actually
happened was only known to two persons, one of whom is dead
and other is in dock. [Para 23][315-A-DJ
1.4 It is to be kept in mind that this Court is dealing with a
criminal matter where appellant is charged with committing
G murder of 'P'. Criminal cases cannot be decided on the basis of
hypothesis. It is also to be kept in min<J that it is for the
prosecution to prove the guilt of the accused charged for such an
offence and that too, beyond reasonable doubt. In a case where
there is no eyewitness and, which rests on circumstantial
evidence, the prosecution is obligated to prove all those
H
SATfSH NIRANKARI v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN 30 l

circumstances which leave no manner of doubts to establish the A ·
guilt of the accused person, i.e., chain of circumstances must be
complete and must clearly point to the guilt of the accused. Chain
of continuous circumstances means that all the circumstances
are linked up with one another and the chain does not get broken
in between. It is well established that circumstantial evidence of
8
the following character needs to be fully established: (i)
circumstances should be fully proved; (ii) circumstances should
be conclusive in nature; (iii) all the facts established should be
consistent only with the hypothesis of guilt; and (iv) the
circumstances should, to a moral certainty, exclude the possibility
of guilt of any person other than the accused. It also needs to be C
emphasised that what is required is not the quantitative, but
qualitative, reliable and probable circumstances to complete the
claim connecting the accused with the crime. Suspicion, however
grave, cannot take place of legal proof. In the case of
circumstantial evidence the inference of guilt can be justified only D
when all the incriminating facts and circumstances are found to
be not compatible with the innocence of the accused or the guilt
of any other person. [Para 24)(315-E-H; 316-A-C]
1.5 The statements of the family members of deceased in
the court to the effect that the suicide note was not in the
handwriting of the 'P' does not inspire confidence and appears to E
be an afterthought. In fact, it appears that tliere was no
controversy regarding this aspect in the mind of 1.0. It is for this
reason that neither any effort was made to have the comparison
of the writing on suicide note with the admitted handwriting of
'P' nor was any expert opinion taken thereupon. In any case, this F
appears to be a big flaw in the investigation inasmuch as even if
there was any controversy, such an evidence should have been
collected by the prosecution. Failure to do so, coupled with the
statement of 1.0. leaves no mannei: of doubt suicide note is in
the handwriting of 'P'. That is sufficient to hold that it was a case
of suicide and not murder. It may also be mentioned that after G
collecting the said evidence, the 1.0. had initially charged the
appellant with the offence under Section 306, IPC, i.e., abetment
to suicide. This is sufficient to extend the benefit of doubt to the
appellant. That apart, conduct of the appellant on the day of
H
302 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2017] 4 S.C.R.

A incident, when examined in the said background, creates a dent
in the prosecution case. [Paras 30, 31][319-G-H; 320-A-C)
1.6 The deceased and appellant had gone to the place of
incident together. It is not even the case of the prosecution that
appellant abducted deceased and forcibly took her to the place of
B incident. This can also be seen in light of prior affair of the parties.
Since the parties are in love with each other and families are
against it, they decided to get married. It is established that
deceased was wearing bindi, make-up, sindoor (vermillion) and
12 red bangles. From the place of incident from the place of
incident following articles were removed-Hindi, Vermillion,
C bangles, rose garland, make up material, metal glass, one tumbler
containing copper sulphate water, fruit juice. Both appellant and
deceased thereafter consumed poison however, the appellant
stopped short while drinking poison and wanted to be alive. The
appellant made effort to save deceased and came out of the house,
D raised alarm, and called for help from PW-4-neighbour and told
him to call his brother-'A'. PW-4 in addition to 'A', also called
PW-1 (owner of the house where incident took place). The said
facts were corroborated by PW-4 and PW-1. [Paras 32, 33 and
34) (320-D-G)
1.7 The appellant made sure that .deceased was taken to
E
hospital to save her. The said fact is corroborated by the statement
of PW-13. PW-13 also stated that 'A' told him that appellant and
deceased had affair. If appellant's intention was to commit murder
of the deceased and escape, he could have just left the deceased
at the spot and deceased would have died of poisoning. It was
F pointless and futile for appellants to additionally hang deceased.
Moreover, if such was the intention of the appellant, he would
not have called for help or raised alarm with neighbours. The
appellant also would not have committed the murder in the place
where he worked and operated from. If appellant's intention was
G to commit murder, he could have run away from the spot of
incident as admittedly, there is no eyewitness of the whole incident.
If appellant's intention was to commit murder, he would not have
directed his brother-'A' to call for deceased's parents, which he
admittedly did. Admittedly appellant also consumed poison and
was in hospital for 50 days. Appellant is also convicted for Section
H
SATISH NIRANKARI v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN 303

309 IPC for attempting to commit suicide. [Paras 35- A
39] [320-G-H;321-A-D]
1.8 The High Court made two observations as reasons in
support of the conclusion that it is the, appellant who committed
murder. First reason was that it was highly unbelievable that 'P'
could arrange the poison from a house belonging to a stranger. 8
Second reason was that after consuming poison, a lonely girl could
not fathom strength to hang herself. These are mere conjectures.
There had to be a positive evidence that the appellant had
administered poison to the deceased, which is missing.
Moreover, the circumstances assumed by the High Court are
again unwarranted. [Para 40)(321-D-F] c
1.9 The prosecution failed to prove that the cause of death
was homicidal. Doctor-PW-3 did not say that death was homicidal
in nature. Post-mortem Report also does not say that it was
homicidal. This aspect is not even dealt with by the High Court.
Further, the alleged weapon, i.e., cable wire was not sent to CFSL D
and to any scientific laboratory to confirm fingerprints of the
appellant. All the said factors amply demonstrate that the
prosecution has not been able to bring out and prove the guilt of
the appellant beyond reasonable doubt. There arc lurking doubts
in the story of the prosecution and many missing links. The
prosecution has not been able to prove the guilt of the appellant E
beyond reasonable doubt. As a consequence, the conviction of
the appellant under section 302 IPC is set aside. [Paras 41,42
and 44][322-E-F; 323-FJ
State v. Dr. Ravindra (1992) 3 SCC 300 : [1992] 2 SCR
815; Chandrakant v. State of Gujarat (1992) I SCC F
473; Padala Veera Reddy v. State of A.P. (1989) Suppl.
2 sec 706; Bodhraj Alias Bodha and Ors. V. State of
Jammu & Kashmir (2002) 8 SCC 45 - referred to.
Wills' Circumstantial Evidence by Sir Alji·ed Wills -
referred to. G
Case Law Reference
[1992) 2 SCR 815 referred to Para 24
(1992) 1 sec 473 referred to Para 24
(1989) Suppl. 2 sec 706 referred to Para 25
(2002) s sec 45 referred to Para 43 H
304 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2017] 4 S.C.R.

A CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Criminal Appeal
No. 1074 of 2007.
From the Judgment and Order dated 19.02.2007 of the High Court
ofRajasthan at Jaipur Bench, Jaipur in D. B. Criminal Appeal No. 382
of2004.
B Huzefa Ahmadi, Sr. Adv., Vivek Jain, Mrs. Manik Karanjawala,
Advs. for the Appellant. .
S.S. Shamshery, AAG., Ainit Sharma, Ankit Raj, Ms. Ruchi Kohli,
Milind Kumar, Advs. for the Respondent.

c The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
A. K. SIKRI, J. l. Pooja, daughter of Pramod Bhatnagar
(Informant) went missing on November 01, 1995. On that day,' she had
left her home at 5.30 PM to attend her MBA classes. However, she did
not return back. Her father and family members became anxious and
D worried when they found that she had not returned till 9.00 PM. Before
they could go out to search for her, one Ashok informed them around
l 0.00 PM, that Pooja was admitted to SMS Hospital, Jaipur. On receiving
this information, the informant rushed to the hospital. After reaching
there, he found that body of Pooja was lying there as she was already
dead. As per the informant she was murdered by the appellant herein,
E who had strangulated her neck by squeezing the same. Next morning,
the Informant lodged written report of the murder of Pooja with the
Police Station, Gandhi Nagar, Jaipur, stating the aforesaid facts.
2. On the basis of the report, case was registered and police sprung
into action. Dead body of Pooja was subjected to autopsy. Statements
F of various witnesses were recorded and necessary memos were drawn.
The appellant Was arrested. Challan was filed in the court implicating
the appellant alleging that the appellant had committed the murder. The
case came up for trial before the Special Judge (Communal Riots/Man
Singh murder), Jaipur who framed the charges under Sections 302 and
G 309 of the Indian Penal Code (for short, 'IPC'). The appellant denied
the charges and claimed trial. The trial was held wherein the prosecution
produced as many as 16 witnesses. Statement of the appellant, thereafter,
was recorded under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (for
short, 'Cr.PC') wherein the appellant claimed innocence and rebutted
the prosecution story. The version projected by him was that Pooja was
H
SATISH NIRANKARI v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN 305
[A. K. SIKRI, J.]

madly in love with him and wanted to marry him. However, her parents A
did not agree for their marriage. Accordingly, both, the appellant and
Pooja had decided to commit suicide. Both of them consumed copper
sulphate, though the quantity taken by the appellant was lesser in
comparison with that of Pooja. Soon after Pooja started vomiting. At
this juncture, he went out of the room to seek help. When he returned B
back he found Pooja hanging. He untied the noose of cable wire which
was used for the purpose of hanging and removed her to the hospital
with the help of the neighbours.
' Aforesaid story
3 . Arguments were heard by the Special Judge.
put forth by the appellant did not convince the trial court judge, who
after analyzing the prosecution evidence, came to the conclusion that C
the prosecution was able to prove, beyond reasonable doubt, charges
against the appellant. Holding that Pooja did not commit suicide but was
murdered, the trial court found the appellant guilty of murder. It imposed
the sentence of life imprisonment for committing that crime, punishable
under Section 302, IPC. The trial court also held that since the appellant D
had himself admitted that he had consumed copper sulphate with the
intentto commit suicide, offence under Section 309 also stood proved.
For this offence, the appellant was directed to undergo simple
imprisonment of three months. Monetary fines for both the offences
· were also inflicted with default clauses.
E
4. The appellant preferred appeal against the said judgment under
Section 374 Cr.PC by approaching the High Court of Judicature for
Rajasthan. This appeal has been dismissed by the High court vlde ·
impugned judgment dated February 19, 2007. Aggrieved by this outcome,
he has challenged the order of the High Court, which is the subject
matter of the present appeal. F

5. From the aforesaid prosecution story narrated in brief along
with the defence version, it becomes clear that it is only the appellant
who is involved in the episode in-question. The only aspect on which the
controversy revolves around is as to whether it is the appellant who
committed murder of Pooja or Pooja had committed suicide? Since, this G
is the only narrow scope of the appeal, arguments were advanced ~y
the counsel for the parties revolving around this limited aspect. Obviously,
our discussion would also remain within the bounds of the aforesaid
controversy, eschewing other details which are not warranted and ·
relevant, for the purposes of deciding this appeal. H
306 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2017) 4 S.C.R.

A 6. It would be apposite to take into consideration some of the
admitted facts which would also help in resolving the dispute.
'
7. Deceased Pooja was a student of English Literature and
simultaneously she had joined Management course of American Institute
for which she was attending classes in the evening. She was 23 years
B of age. Satish (appellant) was non-matric and Pooja fell in love with the
appellant while she was teenager. She wrote a few love letters to the
appellant during that period. On November 01, 1995, Pooja left her house
at 5.30 PM, but she did not reach to attend management classes. Around
l 0 PM, one Ashok informed the father of Pooja that she was admitted
to the Hospital. When parents of Pooja reached hospital, they found
C Pooja dead.
8. Pooja was found hanging in the house which bears Municipal
No. D-9 lndrapuri, Jaipur. This house belonged to one Priyambda,
daughter of Vidya Bhushan, Advocate (PW-I) and was under
construction on the relevant date, though the construction was almost
D complete. Thus, at the time ofincident nobody was staying in the house.
How this incident happened and under what circumstances the incident
came to be noticed and Pooja was taken to hospital are described by
Vidya Bhushan (PW-I), Mahesh Sharma (PW-2), Vi nod Kumar Gupta,
Advocate (PW-4) and Kami Singh Rathore, Advocate (PW-13). Their
E statements need to be noted, in brief, at this stage.
9. Vidya Bhushan, advocate (PW-I), in his deposition stated that
the house D-9, Indrapuri belonged to his daughter Priyambda and its
construction was almost complete. Key of the house usually remained
near electricity meter so that labourers could do their work. Although
F Mahesh was not his son, he was living with him since his childhood. In
the year 1990-91, he got installed Dishantenna in the house and its control
room was at the ground floor. Satish who was a mechanic of dish-
antenna associates with Mahesh in that work. On November 01, 1995
Vinod Gupta, Advocate informed him over telephone around 8.30 PM
that in his house at lndrapuri a girl was lying unconscious and a boy was
G pelting stones. Thereupon, he directed Mahesh to make inquiry. Mahesh
later on informed him that from his house one boy and a girl were removed
to the hospital. He further stated that site-plan (Ex. P-1) was drawn in
his presence and in the ground floor of his house, a register, purse, wrist
watch, small box of vermillion, metal glass, glassware contained copper
H sulphate Neela-Thotha, fruit juice and many other articles were found.
SATlSH NIRANKARI v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN 307
[A. K. SIKRI, J.]

In cross-examination, he stated that two cable wires were hanging from A
the railing of staircase. Garlands of rose and glass bangles were also
lying. He also stated that he had seen Pooja (deceased) once when she
came to l1is house with Satish. Satish wanted to marry her and he
advised Satish to seek permission of their parents.
I0. Mahesh Sharma (PW-2) deposed thatthe house 0-9, lndrapuri B
was in the name of Vidhya Bhushan's daughter, Priyambda. In that
house he with the assistance of appellant installed dish-antenna. When
the business of dish-antenna was in progress, one day the appellant came
to the house with a girl whose name was Daisy. On November 0 I, 1995
around 9 PM Vidhya Bhushan directed him to go to the said house. On
reaching the house he was informed by neighbour Vinod Gupta that a C
boy and a girl consumed poison and they were vomiting. Karni Singh Ji
thereafter took them to SMS Hospital.
11. Vinod Kumar Gupta, advocate (PW-4) deposed that plot No.
D-9, adjacent to his house, belonged to VidhyaBhushan, Advocate. On
November 0 l, 1995 around 9 PM while he was sitting on dining table he D
noticed that somebody was pelting stones at his house. He came out of
the house and found that on plot No. D-9 a boy was vomiting. The boy
told him that he and his girlfriend consumed poison. The boy made
request to save him and gave telephone number of his brother. Vinod
Gupta communicated information about the incident to Vidhya Bhushan E
and the brother of the boy. After fifteen minutes three persons came on
a scooter and the girl was removed to the hospital.
12. Kami Singh Rathore, Advocate (PW- l 3) in his deposition stated
that on November 0 I, 1995 around 9 PM he had gone to the house of his
relative Anand Singh Rathore at Satya Vihar Colony for taking dinner. F
As soon as he reached one boy of Video parlour came to him and
requested him to save the life of his brother. He then carried a boy and
a girl to the hospital. The condition of the girl was serious.
13. At this juncture, we reproduce the post-mortem report (Ex.
P-4) wherein the following ante-mortem injuries were found on the G
dead body of Pooja:
"I.A ligature mark29cm x 0.Scm placed 8 cm above supra sterna
notch in mid line and is nearly transversely all around the neck,
another ligature mark commencing from the left side of the upper
border of ligature mark on one above 3 cm from the mid line and H
308 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2017] 4 S.C.R.

A is running obliquely upwards backwards laterally and disappearing
in chairs just post to the left mastoid process and it is 06 cm below
left ear labule.
Right side 2 cm from the upper border of ligature mark no one
running obliquely upwards backwards and laterally upto below
B right mastoid process and it is 04cm below right ear lobule the
ligature mark number one is deep and upper one is not deeper
brown coloured.
2. Hematoma Scm x 4cm on occipital region.
Medical board that conducted autopsy on the dead body opined
c that the cause of death was asphyxia due to pressure on neck
with ligature."
14. It would also be pertinent to mention here that Pooja was
wearing bangles, bindi and had also applied Sindoor. Garlands were also
there.
D
15. An alleged suicide note (Ex. P-3), purportedly written by Pooja
· was also found from the place of incident in the register belonging to
Pooja which register Pooja had presumably taken along with her as she
had left the house to attend her management classes. This suicide note
reads as under:
E
""Dear Mummy Papa
We both are taking our lives. We cannot live without each other.
We tried a lot to make you understand but you refused to listen to
us. We and no one else are responsible for our death. It is our
last desire that we both be cremated together on one pyre. Hope
F
you would definitely fulfil our last desire.
Your daughter Sd/- Daisy
Dear Bhaisahab
Must fulfil our last desire. Satish" Sd/- Satish."
G
16. The aforesaid facts proved on record would demonstrate that
the appellant and Pooja were alone in the house which belonged to a
third person, at the time of incident. There is no eyewitness of the
occurrence. Both had consumed copper sulphate. However, since the
appellant had consumed lesser quantity, and was, therefore, fully conscious
H
.
SATISH NIRANKARI v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN 309
[A. K. SIKRI, J.]

as he had gone out and drawn the attention of Vinod Kumar Gupta A
(PW-4) towards the incident by pelting stones at his house. At the same
time, cause of death of Pooja was Asphyxia and ligature marks were
found over her neck. Thus, it is not the consumption of copper sulphate
which resulted into her death. At this juncture, we would also like to
reproduce the entire statement of the appellant recorded under Section
B
313, Cr.PC where he claimed his innocence:
"I am not guilty, case is false. Puja alias Daisy was residing near
my house. Houses of both of us were situated close to each
other. We both used to visit the houses of each other. Puja used
to visit my house. Since childhood, strong friendship developed
between us. We both started loving each other. We used to write C
love letters to each other as well. Exh. D.6 to Exh. D.11 letters
were written by Puja only to me which were given by me to
police. We both wanted to marry but parents of Puja were against
our marriage. On 21. l 0.95 it was birthday of Puja. That day I
. went to the house of her parents about our marriage whereupon D
they flatly refused for the same and got angry and abused and
beat Puja and threatened to kill me. On 1.11 .95 Puja came to me
and told that today her parents have beaten her black and blue.
They beat her daily and do not allow her to meet you. Thereupon,
we both decided that today we would marry each other. We both
went to the market on scooter and from there Puja herself bought E
make up items, bangles, bindi, etc. Also purchased garlands for
marriage. We both performed marriage before the photo of God
by exchange garlands. Thereafter, Puja said that he parents and
relatives are very dangerous people they would kill me and you.
She said now she does not want to live and would commit suicide. F
I explained to her but she did not agree to my advice. Then I told
herthat I cannot live without you. Pooja said that we lived together
and should die together. Then, she wrote a note to her parents in
which I also put my signature and Puja also signed it. Then she
brought jug fill with liquid like copper sulphate from the white
washing material lying there in the house D-9, lnderpuri. She G
gave that to me also and herself consumed it. I consumed in
small quantity and I thought that one should not commit suicide
and then I put down the glass. In the meanwhile, condition of
Daisy started deteriorating and she started vomiting. 1 went out
H
310 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2017] 4 S.C.R.

A for help and knocked at the door of neighbour Vi nod, Advocate
but no one came out inspite of knocking the door for long and
thereupon from outside I threw stones at his house. After
sometime, Vinod came out and I requested him to save Daisy and
have (sic.) him telephone number of my brother. After that I
went back to the house and saw Puja hanging with wire and
B
withering in pain and then 1ran to her and got her freed from the
hanging and she fell down on the floor and I also sat beside her
and started attending her. After some time, my brother Ashok
reached. I told him to call parents of Puja whereupon he said that
first arrange for her treatment as that could save her. Thereupon,
c I also considered it better and then we were taken to the hospital.
There l sent Ashok to the house of Puj a to inform her parents. I
do not know what happened after that.''
17. Keeping in view the aforesaid aspects, we proceed to discuss
the vital issue.
D 18. Mr. HuzefaAhmadi, learned senior counsel for the appellant
stated that the circumstantial evidence which has surfaced on record
clearly leans in favour of the appellant's version. He submitted that
prosecution accepted that there was a love affair between the appellant
and Pooja. It is also accepted that parents of Pooj a were against their
E marriage. Not only this, since Pooja was determined to marry the
appellant, she was maltreated and physically beaten by her parents. On
the fateful day, i.e., November 01, 1995, Pooja had told the appellant
that she was beaten black and blue by her parents. Therefore, she was
upset and, at that moment, both decided to marry each other. It is for
this reason that Pooja.had herself brought make up items like bangles,
F bindi, sindoor etc. and she purchased garlands for marriage. It is in
these circumstances that they married each other before the photo of
God. However, immediately thereafter, Pooja became paranoid as she
had an apprehension that their marriage will not be accepted by her
parents andrelatives who were very dangerous and in all likelihood they
G would kill both Pooja and the appellant. Under this fear she decided to
commit suicide and did not change her decision inspite of appellant's
advice. At this stage, appellant also decided to end his life as he did not
want to live without Pooja. In that heat of the moment both of them
decided to end their lives. It is under these circumstances that they took
liquid like copper sulphate from the washing material which was lying in
H
SATISH NIRANKARI v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN 311
[A. K. SIKRI, J.)

the liouse; D-9, Indrapurl. Eltlphasizing these facts coupled with the A
subsequent evettts, that is, the circurnstl!h\:.:s under which the appellant,
after seeing that condition df Pogja was deteriorating, went out and sought
Help &f H~lgmitmr, Vinod Kumar Gupta (PW-4). He also submitted that
wheii i181J8dy eilftl~ uut from the house of PW-4 after he knocked at the
door, the appellant fraritiettHy ifltew st-0nes at his house to gain attention,
forcing him to come out. From these eitcomet~nces, Mr. Ahmadi pleaded B
thttt the entire conduct of the appellant, taken together, would clearly
show that the iip~~lli!flt had Mt killed Pooja and would not have d\me so
as he loved her immensely from thtl ehlldhood. He also highlighted the
fell~wit1g facts which were pleaded before the High Court.

"(i) The proseeutum fl!lled to establish motive behind the guilt. c
(ii) Following material facts were left unnoticed by the learned
tfl1tljudge:·
"a. Pooja had ltlft H11f hguse on November l, l 995 at 5 PM
and this fact is established by the statements of Pramila D
Bhritn11sar (PW9) and Pramod Bhatnagar (PW 12) but there is
tttl tividllnc4l as to where she remained from 5 PM to 9 PM.
b; Tl1~ftl is liti tividen.:e from where the accused purchased
Sindoor (Vetrnilion), Bindi and Bangles.
c. There is no evidence llS to who did the make-up. E
d. There is no evidence from wheiC ;:ioison was purchased
!iftrl Wh5 hati atimitti§tilred poison.
e. There is no evidertce as td who were the associates of A shok.
Evett Astttlk Had not bes11 examined by the prosecution. F
f, Appellant also consumed poison and was admitted in hospital
for about 5 months.
(iii) There is no definite opinion of the doctor that death of Pooja
was homicidal. The possibility that the death could be suicidal
could not be ruled out. G
(iv) The fact that Pooja committed suicide was established from
the letter (Ex. P-3) which was written by her. He submitted that
the courts below had simply gone by the testimony of Pooja's
IT':.Jther, who had denied the handwriting of Pooja on Ex. P-3,
H

•
·~ l' I '
(l •• I

312 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [20 I7] 4 S.C.R.
."•.{' .

A which was" neither here nor there as it was self-serving evidence.
On the other hand, prosecution did. not make any attempt to either
compare the handwritingm~ Ex. P-Jwith admitted handwriting of
Pooja or sought. any opinion of
. handwriting expert.
' ~

· (v) In this behalf, he also referred to the deposition of PW-16,
B ' S.H.O. Gandhi Nagar, PoliceStation." ·
19. Mr. Ahmadi read out the relevant portion from the deposition
of Vidya Bhushan, Advocate (PW-I), wh'O had: supported appellant's
version to the extent that he knew thatPooja and the appellant were in
love with each other and Pooja's parents were opposing ~h.e.s,ame. PW-
C I had even told them that he would persuade their parents for their
marriage. Else, both should go to court for'mar~iage. He also referred
to the deposition of Pramod Bhatnagar (PW-12), father of Pooja -
deceased who had accepted in his cross-examination that he was Kayasth
and in their family no Kayasth had ever married a Sindhi. He had also
deposed that love marriage had never taken place in their family.
D
20. Learned counsel for the State, on the other hand, read out the
depositions ofManju Bhatnagar, aunt of the d.eceased (PW-8), Pramot
Bhatnagar, father of the deceased and Pramila Bhatnagar (mother of
the deceased). All of them had consistentlystated that they recognised
the handwriting of Pooja and Ex. P-3 was not written by her. They had
E stated that Pooja was not'iii the habit of writing in Hindi and she used to
write in English only. It was also explained by PW-9 that the letter
started with addressing them as 'Mummy Papa' whereas she never
used to call her 'mummy' and never called her father ·pa'pa.'. Instead
she was addressing them as Jij i and Kaka Saheb respectively. She also
F never used the words 'My dear' for her parents. They also deposed to
the effect that at the end of that letter name 'Daisy' was written which
was not the name of her daughter. The learned State Coun~el also drew
the attention of the Court to the seizure memo· of articles which were
seized from the place of occurrence. He submitted that apa1~ from other
articles like garlands, bindi packet, vermillion, dark red colour box (sindoor),
G etc. It was also significant to note that in the articles belonging to Po~ja,
one mark sheet of University of Rajasthan was found in the polythene
bag as well as prospectus ofUn'iversity ofRajasthan for post-graduate
studies 1995-96 with form and also one syllabus of University of.R.ajasthan
for M.A. English on which her name, Pooja Bhatnagar, was written
H with pen. Two passport size photographs of Pooja in black and white on
SATISH NIRANKARI v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN 313
[A. K. SIKRI, J.]

the back of which No. 5134307 was written, were also found in her bag. A
With the aid of these articles, learned counsel submitted that Pooja had
ambitions for higher studies and the aforesaid papers showed that she
was planning to apply for admission in M.A English in the University.
With these kinds of ambitions, there was no question of Pooja taking her
life by committing suicide. He also relied upon the judgments of the Trial
B
Court as well as the High Court and the manner in which evidence was
discussed and analysed by the two courts below holding that the
circumstances conclusively established chain of evidence so complete
as not to believe any unreasonable ground for the conclusion consistent
with the innocence of the appellant and that the circumstantial evidence
conclusively proved that it was a case of murder committed by the c
appellant and, particularly, emphasised that as per post-mortem report
cause of death was Asphyxia. Further, Dr. S.K. Pathak (PW-3), who
conducted autopsy on the dead body of Pooja had specifically stated
that hematoma measuring 5cmX4cm was found on occipital region. There
was second ligature mark ending towards back of the neck which was
0
caused by strangulation. He further submitted that the story projected
by the appellant that when he came out of the house for help, Pooja had
hanged herself with wire was so improbable that no credence could be
given to it, as it was not possible for a lonely girl, after consuming poison
to gather such strength to hang herself. He also submitted that the High
Court was perfectly justified in its conclusion that the version of the E
appeilant that Pooja herself brought copper sulphate from the house, D-
9, indrapuri, was highly unbelievable being stranger in the house of an
advocate to arrange that poison.
21. We have given our due considerations to the submissions
advanced by the counsel on either side and have also minutely gone · F
through the judgments of the courts below alongside the deposition of
witnesses which were referred to and relied upon by both the parties in
support of their respective cases. As is clear from the factual discussion
recorded upto now, it is a case of circumstantial evidence and there is no
eyewitness to the incident in-question. Cause of death of Pooja, as per
the medical report, was Asphyxia and ligature mars were found over G
her neck. Further, both the appellant as well as P<?oja had consumed
copper sulphate. It is the quantum of the said poisonous substance which
made the difference. Inasmuch as lesser quantity consumed by appellant
was the reason that he survived, coupled with the fact that he could be
H
314 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [20 I7] 4 S.C.R.

A taken to the hospital before his conditions deteriorated. However, he
remained in the hospital for 50 days which shows that the substance
consumed by him also had deleterious effects. It is also an admitted
case that both Pooja and appellant were in love with each other which
had blossomed over a period of time. They were neighbours and were
frequently meeting. Their affection for each other was known to Pooja's
B
family but was not taken positively. Father of Pooja (PW-8) has himself
stated that because of difference in caste, he being a Kayasth and the
appellant being a Sindhi, such an inter-caste marriage had not happened
in their family. He, thus, accepted that Pooja's family refused to give
their blessings to the intentions of couple to tie a matrimonial chord. In
C this backdrop, question that arises is as to whether both of them wanted
to marry even if Pooja's parents and family members did not approve of
the alliance and they got married in the manner mentioned by the appellant
in his statement under Section 3 l3 of the Cr.P.C.
22. The story put forth by the appellant is plausible. As per him,
D Pooja was subjected to physical abuse and beatings and was, in fact,
mercilessly beaten even on the day of incident. When she was madly in
love with the appellant and wanted to marry him, there is a possibility
that after receiving such kind of shabbily treatment at the hands of her
parents, in anguish she may have decided to revolt and, therefore,
proposed to the appellant, that they should get married for which they
E chose a secluded place. This fact cannot be wished away that from the
place of the incident, bare essentials necessary for a marriage which a
couple would like to perform in such circumstances, have been recovered.
These are in the form of garlands, bangles, bindi, sindoor etc. Thus, the
appellant and the decease got married in such a charged atmosphere.
F After the marriage was performed, Pooja might have started thinking as
to what would lie ahead. Knowing the adamant, stiff and belligerent
attitude of her family, she might have realised that in no case this marriage
would be accepted in her family. Going by the previous behaviour of her
family members, she might have nurtured the apprehension that neither
she nor the appellant would be spared by her family members. At this
G stage, she could have insisted for putting an end to their lives themselves.
Such kind of thinking is not unusual in a situation in which the parties
were placed, and the mind can work in such a direction. On this
hypothesis, it becomes a case of committing suicide by Pooja, as projected
by the appellant.
H
SATISH NIRANKARI v.'STATE OF RAJASTHAN 315
[A. K. SIKRI, J.]

23. Other hypothesis is equally plausible. Going by the fact that A
Pooja was in love with the appellant and though she wanted to marry
him, she might have told the appellant that because of stiff resistance
from her family she would not marry the appellant as.she would go by
the wishes of the family even when she personally did not approve of
this. Such a reaction on the part of a girl to sacrifice her love and accept
8
a decision of her parents, even though unwillingly, is a common
phenomenon in this country. If this was the situation and after she
communicated to the appellant her intention not to marry him as she was
suffering physical torture because of continuing the said relationship, it
may not have been liked by the appellant. It also happens in love that
when a man is not able to get a girl which he wants, he may go to the C
extent of killing her as he does not want to see her alliance with any
other person. This might be the motive in the mind of appellant. However,
whether events turned in this way is anybody's guess as no evidence of
this nature has surfaced. It is not even possible for the prosecution to
state any such things as whatever actually happened was only known to D
two persons, one of whom is dead and other is in dock.
24. Which of the two hypothesis prevails in the present case, is
the question? We have to keep in mind that this Court is dealing with a
criminal matter where appellant is charged with committing murder of
Pooja. Criminal cases cannot be decided on the basis of hypothesis.
Another aspect which is to be kept in mind is that it is for the prosecution E
to prove the guilt of the accused charged for such an offence and that
too, beyond reasonable doubt. In a case where there is no eyewitness
and, which rests on circumstantial evidence, the prosecution is obligated
to prove all those circumstances which leave no manner of doubts to
establish the guilt of the accused person, i.e., chain of circumstances F
must be complete and must clearly point to the guilt of the accused.
Chain of continuous circumstances means that all the circumstances
are linked up with one another and the chain does not get broken in
between. It is now well established, by catena of judgements of this
Court, that circumstantial evidence of the following character needs to
be fully established: G
(i) Circumstances should be fully proved.
(ii) Circumstances should be conclusive in nature.
(iii) All the facts established should be consistent only with the
hypothesis of guilt. H
316 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2017] 4 S.C.R.

A (iv) The circumstances should, to a moral certainty, exclude the
possibility of guilt of any person other than the accused (see
State vs. Dr. Ravindra; 1992 (3) SCC 300); Cltandrakant
vs. State of Gujarat; (1992) 1SCC473. It also needs to be
emphasised that what is required is not the quantitative, but
qualitative, reliable and probable circumstances to complete
B
the claim connecting the accused with the crime. Suspicion,
however grave, cannot take place of legal proof. In the case
of circumstantial evidence the influence of guilt can be justified
only when all the incriminating facts and circumstances are
found to be not compatible with the innocence of the accused
c or the guilt of any other person.
25. Following tests laid down in Padula 1-eera Reddy 1•s. State
ofA.P.1 also need to be kept in mind:
"10. (1) the circumstances from which an inference of guilt is
sought to be drawn, must be cogently and firmly established;
D
(2) those circumstances should be of a definite tendency unerringly
pointing towards guilt of the accused;
(3) the circumstances, taken cumulatively, should form a chain so
complete that there is no escape from the conclusion that within
E all human probability the crime was committed by the accused
and none else; and
(4) the circumstantial evidence in order to sustain conyiction must
be complete and incapable of explanation of any other hypothesis
than that of the guilt of the accused and such evidence should not
only e consistent with the guilt of the accused but should be
F
inconsistent with his innocence."
26. Sir Alfred Wills in his book Wills' Circumstantial Evidence
(Chapter VI) lays down the following rules specially to be observed in
the case of circumstantial evidence:
G "( l) the facts alleged as the basis of any legal inference must be
clearly proved and beyond reasonable doubt connected with the
factum probandum;

1 1989 Supp (2) sec 706 : 1991 sec (Cri) 407
H
SATISH NIRANKARl v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN 317
[A. K. SIKRI, J.]

(2) the burden of proof is always on the party who asserts the A
existence of any fact, which infers legal accountability;
(3) in all cases, whether of direct or circumstantial evidence, the
best evidence must be adduced with the nature of the case admits;
(4) in order to justify the inference of guilt, the inculpatory facts
must be incompatible with the innocence of the accused and B
incapable of explanation, upon any other reasonable hypothesis
than that of his guilt; and
(5) ifthere by any reasonable doubt of the guilt of the accused,
he is entitled as of right to be acquitted."
c
27. In the present case, the circumstances which have been
weighed by the courts below in arriving at the finding of guilt of the
appellant are the following:
(i) The appellant and deceased were alone together in a lonely
house belonging to a third party which were lying vacant and D
was at the advance stage of construction.
(ii) Post-mortem report suggested that cause of death of Pooja
was Asphyxia and ligature marks were found over her 11eck.
{iii) Though, both the appellant and Pooja consumed copper
sulphate, the quantity consumed by the appellant was much E
less because of which he was in full senses and he could go
out and draw attention of a neighbour towards the incident by
pelting stones at his house.
(iv) When the condition of Pooja, as a consequence of consuming
poison, had deteriorated there was no reason for her to hang F
herself.
(v) The High Court has queried as to how could a lonely girl after
consuming poison fathom strength to hang herself.
(vi) The statement of the appellant that Pooja herself brought
copper sulphate from the place in which they were housed G
was highly unbelievable. The High Court has queried that
being a stranger in the house of a third person how she could
arrange it.
(vii) Since in the said house only Pooja and the appellant were
H
318 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2017] 4 S.C.R.

A there, it is the appellant who was supposed to explain the
circumstances because of the legal position contained in Section
I 06 of the' Evidence Act, which the appellant has failed to do.
(viii) We may remark, at the outset, that observation of the High
Court that the appellant did not discharge the burden cast upon
B him by virtue of Section I 06 of the Evidence Act is not correct.
The appellant has given his explanation to each and every
circumstance in his statement under Section 313, Cr.P.C. He
has also cross-examined the prosecution witnesses on this
aspect. Apart from his own oral statement, there could not
have been any other evidence and it was not possible for him
c to produce any other witness as well, when this fact is accepted
that there was no third person available. It would be a different
issue as to whether his statement is worthy of any credence
and that aspect shall be discussed later at an appropriate stage.
What is emphasized here is that primary burden always remains
on the prosecution to establish the guilt of the accused, which
is not only cardinal principle of the criminal jurisdiction, but
also enshrined in Section 101 of the Evidence Act. Therefore,
in the first instance, the matter needs to be examined from the
angle as to whether the prosecution has been able to prove the
guilt. While doing so, it can be discussed 11s to those facts
E which were within the special knowledge of the appellant,
whether his explanation in this behalf is convincing or not.
28. Having said so, we would like to start with the purported suicide
note (Ex. P-3) as that is the Cl!9st ml!terial piece of evidence ifthat is in
fact the suicide note of !iecea~ed, 110 further discussion is needed because
F it is sufficient to prove the innocence of the appellant. It is not in dispute
that this note was found in the notebook belonging to Pooja. It was
found at the time of inquest proceedings and was specifically taken into
posse&sion by the Police Officer (PW-16). The said suicide note is
discarded by the courts below believing the statements of mother, father
· G and aunt of deceased to the effect that it is not in the handwriting of
Pooja. While taking this course of action, both the courts below
conveniently ignored the pertinent statement made by investigating
Officer, Suresh Saini (PW-16) that "it is correct that none of witnesses
told me that this that (sic.) Ex P-3 suicide note is not in the handwriting
of Puja alias Daisy. Witnesses stated that it is in the handwriting of Puja
H only."
SATJ&J-l l'·HRAN~ARI v. ~TATf, Of RAJASTHAN 319
[A. K. SIKRl, J.]

29, Thus, wh~n th\} S.\.licide note was recovered in the presence of A
PW-lZ (fatlwr !lftb!i d!if'§f\§@<1) 11nd w!ls. si:it:\}d PY the 1.0. at that point
of time, family merri!l@r~ ()f Pooj a did not deny that the same W!lS not in
the handwriting pf th~ gei;easeq, On th\! cqntrary, this very ].Q. has
further nlentioned in his c!!ip!lsition ttrnt these witnesses had stated that
this note was in the h1mdwriting pf Pqpja only. Fo!lowiqg deposition of
B
PW· 12 in this beh11lf, in fact, clirwti@s this asp,~ct of the issue:
"Word D!!i~y written in sµh::iqe iwte Exh, P.3 regarding wl1ich I
ens11red from witmis§@S fi11g fron1 the jnvestigatio11 that this Daisy
is aitother name of Pujf!. His comwt that no witness told me this
about Exh. P.3 ~uieiq~ ru:it!'I thflt it W!IS. not in tht:: han~~riting of C
Puja alias Daisy. Whnes!i~S. stiitefi t!uit it is in the han~lwriti11g qf
Puja only. It is_ also cgrrectthat nqne of witnesses Man ju
BhatnQl:lll!d. £.raw_od. J_lhatnagar.. D_evender Mohan. Bhatnagar,
Pram ii§ t(llg m9 tb!lt Daisy is not the other name of Puja and none
of the !!forn<illid V{itpe_s~es !fonied the fact of Exh. P-3 written in
the handwriting of Puja. D
I conducted investigation till the time of getting suspended on
14.02.1996. It is correct that commission of offence found under
Section 306 IPC till the time of arrest of accused and he was
arrested under this Section only. It is correct that after arrest of
accused supplementary statement of Smt. Pramila Bhatnagar E
were taken on 23.12.1995 and kept in the file. It is correct that
~fter recording supplementary statement of Pramila Bhatnagar,
!i!lm~ were kept in the file. It is correct that Pramila Bhatnagar
11dmht~d in h~r statements that Exh. D-6 Exh. D-11 are in the
handwritinl! 9f Plliii· I do not remember that I had asked Pramila
Bhatnagar or not nig1m!ing handwriting of Exh. P.3 that this F
handwriting is of Puj a."
[Emphasis supplied)
30. In view of the above, stawments of the family membt::rn of
deceased in the court to the effoct that Ex.P-3 was not in the handwriting G
of the Pooja does not inspire confidence and appears to be an
afterthought. In fact, it appears that there was no controversy regarding
this aspect in the mind ofl.0. It is for this reason that neither any effort
was made to have the comparison of the writing on Ex. P-3 with the
H
320 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (2017] 4 S.C.R.

A admitted handwriting of Pooja nor was any expert opinion taken thereupon.
In any case, this appears to be a big flaw in the investigittion inasmuch
as even if there was any controversy, such an evidence should have
been collected by the prosecution. Failure to do so, coupled with the
statement of LO. leaves no manner of doubt Ex. P-3 is in the handwriting
B of Pooja. That is sufficient to hold that it was a case of suicide and not
murder. It may also be. mentioned that after collecting .the aforesaid
evidence, the I.O. had initially charged the appellant with the offence
under Section 306, IPC, i.e., abetment to suicide. This is sufficient to
extend the benefit of doubt to the appellant.
31. That apart, conduct of the appellant on the day of incident,
C when examined in the aforesaid background, creates a dent in the
prosecution case. In this behalf, the learned counsel for the appellant
drew our attention to the following acts of the appellant on that day.
32. The deceased and appellant had gone to the place of incident
together. It is not even the case of the prosecution that appellant abducted
D deceased and forcibly took her to the place of incident. This can also be
seen in light of prior affair of the parties.
33. Since the parties are in love with each other and families are
against it, they decided to get married. It is established that deceased
was wearing bindi, make-up, sindoor (vermillion) and 12 red bangles.
E From the place of incident from the place of incident following articles
were removed-- Bindi, Vermillion, bangles, rose garland, make up
material, metal glass, one tumbler containing copper sulphate water, fmit
juice (8-9/AD).
34. Both appellant and deceased thereafter consumed poison
F however, the appellant stopped short while drinking poison and wanted
to be alive. The appellant made effort to save deceased and came out
of the house, raised alarm, and called for help from PW-4- Vinod Gupta
(neighbour) and told him to call his brother-Ashok. PW-4 in addition to
Ashok, also called PW- I (owner of the house where incident took place).
G The said facts are corroborated by PW-4 and PW- I.
35. The appellant made sure that deceased was taken to hospital
for save her. The said fact is corroborated by the statement of Pw-13 -
Kami Singh - who stated that he took appellant and deceased to the
hospital. PW-13 also stated that Ashok told him appellant and deceased
H . had affair.
SATISH NIRANKARI v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN 321
[A. K. SIKRI, J.]

36. If appellant's intention was to commit murder of the deceased A
and escape, he could have just left the deceased at the spot and deceased
would have died of poisoning. It was pointless and futile for appellants to
additionally hang deceased. Moreover, if such was the intention of the
appellant, he would not have called for help or raised alarm with
neighbours. The appellant also would not have committed t he murder B
in the place where he worked and operated from. ·
37. If appellant's intention was to commit murder, he could have
run away from the spot of incident as admittedly, there is no eyewitness
of the whole incident.
38. If appellant's intention was to commit murder, he would not C
have directed his brother - Ashok to call for deceased 's parents, which
he admittedly did.
39. Admittedly appellant also consumed poison and was in hospital
for 50 days. Appellant is also convicted for Section 309 JPC for attempting
to commit suicide. D
40. We have pointed out above that the High Court had made two
observations as reasons in support ofthe conclusion that it is the, appellant
who committed murder. First reason was that it was highly unbelievable
that Pooja could arrange the poison from a house belonging to a stranger.
Second reason was that after consuming poison, a lonely girl could not E
fathom strength to hang herself. These are mere conjectures. There
had to be a positive evidence that the appellant had administered poison
to the deceased, which is missing. Moreover, following circumstances
are assumed by the High Court, which are again unwarranted.
"i. Deceased might have fallen in love with appellant while she F
was a teenager, but at the age of 23 years having ambition to
become IAS officer, it cannot be believed that she wanted to
marry appellant.
ii. Possibility cannot be ruled out that appellant was desperately
wanting to marry deceased and took her lonely place. When G
deceased did not agree, appellant first offered poison with
Thums-up and later ties cable wire to the neck of the deceased
and pushed her head on the wall. The appellant later put
vermillion and bangles on the body of the deceased."
4 I. Coming to the cause of death, learned counsel for the appellant
H
322 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2017] 4 S.C.R.

A had argued befm't lis, as well ai1 II\ the High Court, that as ~er Modi's
Medical Jutisprudettc~ & toxicology there are 16 fuain distinctions in
death caused by hanging or stranglilatitllt According to medical eyi.deh\:e
second ligature mark wt\$ ending towards back of the heck and it was
oblique going upwards and ligature mark was shining. The hyoi bone
was intact there was no fracture of larynx and trachea. There were no
B scratches, abrasions and bruises on face, mouth and eal·s. There were
no abrasions and ecchymosed around abtll\l the edges of ligature mark.
Subcutaneous tissues under ligature mark were white, hard and glistering.
There were no injuries to muscles of neck. The saliva was dribbling. If
the death would have been strangulation then fracture of larynx and
C trachea and hyoi bone was a must there should have scratches abrasions
and fingernail marks and bruises on the face neck and other parts of the
body. Saliva would not have dribbling, ligature mark would have be~m
horizontal and not oblique it would have lower tlUWI\ in the neck and not
upwards to the chin. There should have been abrasions and ecchymosed
D round about the edges of the ligature marks. Subcutaneous tissues should
have ecchymosed there should have been some injuries to musQles t:lf
neck carotid arteries, internal coat should have been ruptut>ed, whefeas
there was no such rupture. The prosecution failed to p1tlV\: that the
cause of death was homicidal. Dr. S.K. Pathak (PW·3) tlld ftut say that
death was homicidal in nature. Post-mortem Report (Ex, 11•4) a!so does
E not say that it was homicidal.
42. This aspect is not even dealt with by the High Cow1. Further,
the alleged weapon, i.e., cable wire was not sent to CFSL and to any
scientific laboratory to confirm fingerprints of the appellant. All the
aforesaid factors amply demonstrate that the prosecution has not been
F able to bring out and prove the guilt of the appellant beyond reasonable
doubt. There are lurking doubts in the story of the prosecution and
many missing links which are pointed out above.
43. In the case of Bodllraj Alias Bodlw and Ors. Vs. State of
Jammu & Kasltmir 2, this Court after quoting number of earlier
G judgments, held as under:
"I 0. It has been consistently laid down by this Court that where a
case rests squarely on circumstantial evidence, the infei ence of
guilt can be justified only when all the incriminating facts and
circumstances are found to be incompatible with the innocence
H 2
2002 (SJ sec 45
SATISH NIRANKARI v. STATE OF RAJASTHAN 323
[A. K. SIKRI, J.]

of the accused or the guilt of any other person. (See Hukum · A
Singh V. State of Rajasthan; (1977) 2 SCC 99, Eradu V. State
of Hyderabad; AIR 1956 SC 316 Erabhadrappa V. State of
Karnataka; (1983) 2 SCC 330, State of U.P. v. Sukhbasi
(1985) Suppl. SCC 79, Ba/winder Singh Vs. State of Punjab
(1987) 1 SCC 1 and Ashok Kumar Cha1terjee V.1·. State of B
M.P., 1989 Suppl. (1) SCC 560). In Bhagat Ram Vs. State of
Punjab AIR 1954 SC 621 it was laid down that where the case
depends upon the conclusion drawn from circumstances the
cumulative eftect If the circumstances must be such as to negative
the innocence of the accused and bring home the offences beyond
any reasonable doubt. C
.11. We may also make a reference to a decision of this Comt in
C. Chenga Reddy V. State of A.P. (1996) JO SCC 193, wherein
it has been observed thus; (.S'CC pp. 206-07, para 21)
21. In a case based on circumstantial evidence, the settled law is
thatthe circumstances from which the conclusion of guilt is drawn D
should be fully proved and such circumstances must be conclusive
in nature. Moreover, all the circumstances shall be complete and
there should be no gap left in the chain of evidence. Further, the
proved circumstances must be consistent only with the hypothesis
of the guilt of the accused and totally inconsistent with his E
innocence."
44. We are, therefore, of the opinion that prosecution has not
been able to prove the guilt of the appellant beyond reasonable doubt.
As a consequence, this appeal is allowed setting aside the conviction of
the appellant under Section 302 of the IPC. The appellant shall be released F
forthwith, if not wanted in any other case.

Nidhi Jain Appeal allowed.