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1975 DIGILAW 503 (ALL)

SARDARI LAL v. UNION OF INDIA

1975-09-30

HARI SWARUP

body1975
HARI SWARUP, J. This revision has been filed by the applicant against his conviction under Section 338 IPC and the sentence of one years R. I. awarded for the offence. 2. The prosecution case, in brief, was that the applicant had on 14-7-1970 at about 4. 45 P. M. struck the cycle of Vijay Singh who was coming on his cycle with one Bishamber. The accident caused injury to Vijay Singh and his right leg had to be amputated. Vijay Singh was coming on his cycle on the left side of the road He was going from Bulandshahr side to Delhi side According to the prosecution the truck came from the opposite direction and struck the cycle of Vijay Singh and caused injury to his right leg it was coming not only at a high speed, but was being driven rashly and negligently. 3. The accused pleaded not guilty. At the subsequent stage in the trial he took the defence that the truck was coming not from the opposite direction but from the same direction from which Vijai Singh was going on the cycle and that there was another cycle with which Vijay Singh collided and got himself struck against the truck. On the basis of this defence it was contended that the accused could not be held guilty of driving the truck either rashly or negligently. 4. The trial court believing the prosecution version, held the accused guilty of the offence under Section 338 IPC and sentenced him to one years rigorous imprisonment. On appeal the appellate court re-examined the evidence and arrived at the same conclusion. According to the appellate courts finding the defence version was not true. The appellate court has believed the testimony of Vijai Singh and has recorded a finding that the truck came from the opposite direction. Nothing has been shown on the basis of which it may be possible for me to hold that the finding recorded by the courts below is either perverse or suffers from some error. Besides the direct evidence of eye witnesses there is also the evidence of PW 1 Gopi Chand who had examined the vehicle after the accident He had found blood stains on the right wheel of the truck. Besides the direct evidence of eye witnesses there is also the evidence of PW 1 Gopi Chand who had examined the vehicle after the accident He had found blood stains on the right wheel of the truck. This fully corroborates the testimony of Vijay Singh and belies the story of the defence that the truck was moving in the same side which the cycle was going. If the truck had been coming from the same side blood stains should have been on the left wheel and not the right wheel. The prosecution version thus stands fully proved. 5. Thus it stands proved from the evidence that the truck was coming from the opposite direction, was moving on the wrong side of the road and had struck the man on the cycle by the right wheel of the truck. The cyclist was on his side when the accident took place. The evidence further is that the truck was going fast even though the road was running inside the city. There is no evidence to prove that the driver had done anything to avoid the accident. 6. The question then remains whether the act of the accused was such as to make it punishable under Section 338 IPC. Section 338 IPC provides :- " Whoever causes grievous hurt to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life, or the personal safety of others, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both. " The act of driving the truck in the manner the accused did, was without doubt such which had endangered human life and the personal safety of others going on the road. A person is said to act rashly if he acts without caring about the consequences of his action ; or if he acts recklessly or with such over-boldness that he loses the consciousness of the effect of his act. A person acting to achieve a desired result without realising that the conduct may produce other than the desired result is said to act rashly. He is indifferent as to whether any harmful result does or does not occur. A person acting to achieve a desired result without realising that the conduct may produce other than the desired result is said to act rashly. He is indifferent as to whether any harmful result does or does not occur. Whether an act is rash or not depends on the mental attitude of the actor, which has to be inferred from the attending circumstances. Negligence indicates a different state of mind from that of rashness, though it belongs to the same genus. Negligence refers to want of proper care and caution. A person is said to act negligently if he acts without the required caution to prevent an undesirable result, even though it was not intended. As stated in Russel on Crime" Vol. I, p. 42, "reckless man is one who, while aiming at an end which he desires to attain, consciously takes the risk of bringing about some other result also". In the same phraselogy, a negligent man is one who, while aiming at an end which he desires to attain, proceeds to attain it without exercise of due caution to prevent the bringing about some other result also. In the present case the applicant was aiming to drive the truck to a particular destination, be took the risk consciously of bringing about the accident by going towards the wrong side of the road, and also did not exercise the caution necessary to prevent the accident. 7. The circumstances proved by the prosecution go to indicate that the applicant was not only negligent in driving the truck but the accident had resulted due to such lack of caution on the part of the driver that his act amounted to a reckless act The evidence of Gopi Nath is that the brakes were in order. There is no evidence that the applicant had applied the brakes If he had applied the brakes, the accident might have been averted. It was due to his negligence that the accident had resulted. His going on the wrong side of the road with a high speed inside the city precints are enough to prove that he was not, caring about the unwanted consequences; his act must accordingly be deemed to be also a rash act. As grievous hurt had been caused due to the applicants rash and negligent driving of the truck, he was rightly convicted under Section 338 IPC. 8. As grievous hurt had been caused due to the applicants rash and negligent driving of the truck, he was rightly convicted under Section 338 IPC. 8. Learned Sessions Judge has given valid reasons also for imposing penalty of one years rigorous imprisonment. The time of the accident was 4. 45 P. M. in the month of July when there was broad day light and there was no difficulty of visibility. The road was in the heart of the city. The accident was serious enough to necessitate the amputation of the leg of the victim. The sentence awarded, therefore, cannot be said to be excessive. 9. In the result, the revision fails and is dismissed. The applicant is on bail, he shall be taken into custody to serve out the sentence. Revision dismissed. .