IN THE HIGH COURT OF SINDH, BENCH AT SUKKUR

                                 Crl. Acquittal Appeal No. S- 175 of 2017

 

Muhammad Shahid.. ….…….………...………..……..…...Appellant

Versus.

Muhammad Abid and another......………………………. Respondents

 

                                                For Hearing of Main Case.

 

 

Mr. Parmanand alias Prem Kumar Advocate for appellant.

Mr. Abdul Rehman Kolachi, DPG for the State waives notice.

 

 

Date of hearing:                       22-10-2018

Date of Judgment:                   22-10-2018

 

 

                                                J U D G M E N T

RASHEED AHMED SOOMRO J., Instant Crl. Acquittal Appeal is directed against the judgment dated 12.09.2017, passed by learned 1st Civil Judge & J.M-, Rohri in criminal case No. 22 of 2017, arising out of crime No. 33 of 2016, registered at P.S, Rohri for offences under sections 337A(i), 337F(i), 337L(ii), 506/2, 504, 148 & 149 PPC, whereby respondent/accused was acquitted of the charge.

2.       Facts leading to disposal of this appeal are that on 26.03.2016 at 10-00 p.m, accused/private respondent along with absconding accused formed an unlawful assembly by arming themselves with deadly weapons, committed rioting and in furtherance of their common object used abusive language, caused injuries to complainant party and issued threats of dire consequences to the complainant party.

3.       Charge was framed against the respondent, to which he pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. Thereafter, prosecution led evidence of prosecution witnesses and recorded statement of accused in terms of section 342 CrPC and after hearing the parties vide impugned judgment acquitted the respondent of the charge.

4.       Learned counsel for appellant argued that there was sufficient evidence connecting the private respondent with the commission of offence, but the learned trial court illegally acquitted him of the charge; that the trial court failed to take into consideration that the offence is of heinous nature; that respondent failed to create any dent in the prosecution case but even then the trial court illegally, unlawfully and without any justifiable reason acquitted him of the charge and while acquitting the respondent the trial court has failed to record any cogent reason.

5.       On the other hand, learned DPG for the State while supporting the impugned judgment argued that the respondent has rightly been acquitted by the trial court after appreciating the evidence properly.

6.       I have considered the arguments advanced by the learned counsel for appellant, learned DPG for the State as well as perused the record of case and have reached to a conclusion that respondent/accused has rightly been acquitted by the trial court for the reasons that according to PW- SIP-Shafqat Hussain, who is Investigating Officer of the case, after registration of FIR, he visited the place of occurrence so also inspected the injuries of complainant and after recording statements of PWs and local residents disposed of the case under B-class. He also deposed that there was no mark of injury on the body of complainant so also neither complainant nor mashir of injury disclosed about any injury on the body of complainant. Furthermore, there are glaring contradictions in the evidence of PWs on material points. It is also an admitted position that neither complainant nor any PWs produced any letter for treatment or MLC and prosecution has not examined doctor to prove that the complainant actually sustained injuries, therefore, nothing is available on record to show that complainant received any injury. Moreover, PW-4 Ghayas, who claimed to be eyewitness of the incident has deposed that at the time of alleged incident, he was present inside the house of complainant, where accused came and used abusive language and close fight was started between complainant and accused, but he did not know as to whether incident took place inside or outside the house. He also could not disclose that as to who saved the complainant while complainant deposed that PWs saved him from the accused.

7.       Under these circumstances, I am of the considered opinion that prosecution has failed to prove guilt of the respondent, as such the trial court had no option but to acquit the private respondent of the charge. The trial court after proper appraisal of material available on record and attending all the legal as well as factual aspects of the case passed a very exhaustive and well-reasoned judgment. No illegality or irregularity, misreading and non-reading could be pointed out by the learned counsel for the appellant in the judgment impugned warranting interference by this court.

8.       The Hon’ble Supreme Court of Pakistan in case of Haji Paio Khan v. Sher Biaz and others (2009 SCMR 803) has been pleased to observe as under:

"It needs no reiteration that when an accused person is acquitted from the charge by a Court of competent Jurisdiction then, double presumption of innocence is attached to its order, with which the superior Courts do not interfere unless the impugned order is arbitrary, capricious, fanciful and against the record".

 

9.       In view of above discussions, I am of the considered view that no case for interference in the impugned judgment is made out, therefore, instant Crl. Acquittal Appeal No. S- 175 of 2017 being meritless stands dismissed.

JUDGE