ORDER SHEET

IN THE HIGH COURT OF SINDH BENCH AT SUKKUR

Crl. Acquittal Appeal No.S-09 of 2021

(Syed Taufique Hussain Shah Vs. The State and others)

 

Date

               Order with signature of Judge

           

            1. For Orders on office objections.

            2. For hearing of main case.

08-03-2023.

 

Mr. Dareshani Ali Hyder Ada, advocate for the appellant.

            Mr. Imran Mobeen Khan, APG for the State.

                           12-09-2014

                                     .-.-.-. -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

1.         It is alleged that the private respondent by making trespass into house of appellant, committed robbery there from, for that they were booked and reported upon by the police. On conclusion of trial, they were acquitted of the charge by learned IInd Assistant Sessions Judge Khairpur vide judgment dated 22-12-2020, which is impugned by the appellant before this Court by preferring the instant Crl. Acquittal Appeal.

2.         It is contended by learned counsel for the appellant that learned trial Court has recorded acquittal of the private respondents without considering the evidence brought on record; therefore their acquittal is liable to be set aside by this Court.

3.         Learned APG for the State by supporting the impugned judgment has sought for dismissal of instant Crl. Acquittal Appeal.

4.         Heard arguments and perused the record.

5.         The FIR of the incident has been lodged with delay of about 04 days; such delay having not been explained plausibly could not be overlooked. Beside FIR, the appellant also made a further statement which appears to be significant. The 161 Cr.P.C statements of the PWs were recorded with considerable delay even to FIR. The parties being related to each other are disputed over matrimonial affairs. Nothing has been brought on record in shape of any document, which may prove ownership of the appellant over the robbed articles. In these circumstances, learned trial Court was right to record acquittal of the private respondents by extending them benefit of doubt, such acquittal is not found to be arbitrary or cursory to be interfered with by this Court.  

6.         In case of State and others vs. Abdul Khaliq and others (PLD 2011 SC-554), it has been held by the Hon’ble Apex Court that;

“The scope of interference in appeal against acquittal is most narrow and limited, because in an acquittal the presumption  of innocence is significantly added to the cardinal rule of criminal jurisprudence, that an accused shall be presumed to be innocent until proved guilty; in other words, the presumption of innocence is doubled. The courts shall be very slow in interfering with such an acquittal judgment, unless it is shown to be perverse, passed in gross violation of law, suffering from the errors of grave misreading or non-reading of the evidence; such judgments should not be lightly interfered and heavy burden lies on the prosecution to rebut the presumption of innocence which the accused has earned and attained on account of his acquittal. Interference in a judgment of acquittal is rare and the prosecution must show that there are glaring errors of law and fact committed by the Court in arriving at the decision, which would result into grave miscarriage of justice; the acquittal judgment is perfunctory or wholly artificial or a shocking conclusion has been drawn. Judgment of acquittal should not be interjected until the findings are perverse, arbitrary, foolish, artificial, speculative and ridiculous. The Court of appeal should not interfere simply for the reason that on the reappraisal of the evidence a different conclusion could possibly be arrived at, the factual conclusions should not be upset, except when palpably perverse, suffering from serious and material factual infirmities”.

7.         In view of the facts and reasons discussed above, the instant Crl. Acquittal Appeal fails and it is dismissed accordingly.  

 

             JUDGE

 

Nasim /PA