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Person Who Drove Rashly with the Knowledge that it might cause a fatal accident can be prosecuted under section 304 Part II of IPC: Calcutta HC
The Calcutta high courtroom on Wednesday declined to quash court cases below segment 304 component II of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in a motor coincidence case finding that the case become still at its research stage and that the petitioner might have had an "understanding" that his reckless driving would cause a deadly accident.
Justice Bibek Chaudhuri talked about how it became determined from the initial police report that the petitioner become riding the automobile at utmost high speed notwithstanding having expertise that such reckless use may purpose the demise of any by way of-stander, himself and his fellow passengers.
"consequently at this degree of research, I am no longer inclined to quash the registration of the case towards the petitioner under segment 304 part-II of the IPC. accordingly, the immediate crook revision being devoid of any material is disregarded on the contest."
The court was adjudicating upon a case in which a grievance had been lodged against the petitioner for allegedly inflicting an automobile coincidence with the aid of riding at a high velocity and in a risky way, ensuing in the loss of life of one of his co-passengers.
The complaint become lodged by using the father of the deceased and the police thereby registered a case towards the petitioner beneath section 279/304 part-II/308/427 of IPC.
consequently, the petitioner moved the courtroom praying to quash the lawsuits pending earlier than the leader Judicial Justice of the Peace.
Senior advocate Sekhar Kumar Basu performing on behalf of the petitioner advised that the FIR case should be registered below segment 304A of the IPC. He elucidated that previous to the lodging of the grievance, a GD access became lodged on the identical accident and a police officer had performed an inquiry at the identical. The senior suggest invited the court to don't forget this inquiry document and submitted that the materials on file in no way made out a case of the wilful and planned activities on the part of the petitioner to reveal even prima facie that he induced the death with know-how that it was possible to purpose death.
He argued that that is honestly a case of rash and negligent use causing the loss of life of the daughter of the de facto complainant and it needs to have been registered below section 304A. He stated a splendid court docket choice in the nation of Punjab vs. Balwinder Singh & Ors. [2012 (2) SCC 182] to boost his argument. It becomes in addition contended that phase 304 component-II cannot be attributed to the accused and hence registration of the case is terrible in law and investigational proceedings to this point as it relates to phase 304 part-II should be quashed.
alternatively, Senior advise Sudipto Moitra appeared on behalf of the de facto complainant and submitted that there's a clear distinction between the applicability of Sections 304 and 304A as laid down in Alister Anthony Pareira vs nation of Maharashtra [2012 (2) SCC 648]. He delivered that the spot inquiry discovered that the twist of fate and the consequent dying occurred due to the petitioner's rash and negligent use with the conscious knowledge that it may cause a fatal twist of fate. as a result, it changed into entreated that it'd no longer be right to quash investigational process underneath section 304 part-II.
It turned into also mentioned that the petitioner approached the court for quashing the case slightly two days after the incident without giving any possibility to the investigating officer to take into account the veracity of the case of the defacto complainant. the senior recommend contended that the case has to not be quashed at this nubile stage of investigation and depended on excellent court selections to buttress his argument.
The court referred to that an undeniable studying of phase 304 makes it clear that it's miles in two components. the first part applies in which the accused causes demise to the victim to cause such physical harm as is probable to the purpose of dying. component II on the other hand comes into play when death is because of doing an act below the knowledge that it is probable to cause demise, but with no intention to motivate demise or such physical damage as is likely to cause death.
The single choice additionally pondered over the statement of the makers of the Code concerning the importance of purpose or knowledge on this offence and concluded that before phase 304 part II may be invoked, it must be proved that the culprit had know-how that the bodily harm turned into in all likelihood to cause demise. but, segment 304A become inserted through the IPC (Amendment) Act and deals with homicidal dying by way of a rash or negligent act. It no longer creates a brand new offence and covers those instances in which loss of life has been precipitated without intention or understanding. It applies to activities which might be rash or negligent and are immediately the cause of the loss of life of another man or woman.
The court docket as a consequence concluded that there's a difference between phase 304 and phase 304A. segment 304A carves out a case wherein dying is resulting from doing a rash or negligent act which no longer amounts to culpable murder now not amounting to homicide in means section 299 or culpable murder amounting to homicide underneath segment 300.
"In other words segment 304A excludes all the ingredients of section 299 as also of segment three hundred. wherein aim or expertise is the "motivating force" of the act complained of, section 304A will make room for the graver or most extreme rate of culpable murder not amounting to homicide or amounting to murder because the records disclose. The segment has application to those cases where there's neither aim to motive loss of life or know-how that the act in all opportunity will purpose demise."
The petitioner argued that with the aid of no stretch of the imagination can or not it's said that while driving the auto he had the information that it'd cause death by using coincidence. On the opposite, the defacto complainant argued that the investigation has now not reached the degree wherein it could be gathered whether or not the petitioner had the information that his use would probably to purpose an accident ensuing in the death of a fellow passenger.
The judge recalled that there can not be any direct evidence of information of the perpetrator and it can be only ascertained thru circumstantial evidence. applying the check of prudent man or woman below the equal facts and occasions, it becomes located that a "prudent individual might not pressure a vehicle at a very high speed and in a risky way which he can not control due to the fact they have the understanding that there is an obvious chance of fatal coincidence if an automobile is driven at very excessive speed and in a dangerous manner."
