The High Court while discussing the scope of Section 311 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 with regard to recalling and cross-examining the witness expressed that,

It is the duty of every Court to ensure that fair and proper opportunities are granted to the accused for just decision of the case.

A petition was filed under Section 482 of the Criminal Procedure Code on behalf of the petitioner seeking setting aside the orders of the lower court whereby the opportunity of the petitioner to cross-examine the witness (PW-1) was closed and an application filed under Section 311 CrPC seeking recall of the said witness was dismissed.

Scope of Section 311 CrPC

Supreme Court considered the scope of Section 311 CrPC in P. Sanjeeva Rao v. State of Andhra Pradesh, (2012) 7 SCC 56.

Further, in the decision of Natasha Singh v. CBI, (2013) 5 SCC 741, while referring to its earlier decisions in Mir Mohd. Omar v. State of W.B., (1989) 4 SCC 436, Mohanlal Shamji Soni v. Union of India, 1991 Supp (1) SCC 271, Rajeswar Parasad Misra v. State of W.B., (1966) 1 SCR 178, Rajendra Prasad v. Narcotic Cell, (1999) 6 SCC 110, P. Sanjeeva Rao v. State of Andhra Pradesh, (2012) 7 SCC 56 and T. Nagappa v. Y.R. Muralidhar, (2008) 5 SCC 633, Supreme Court held as under:

8- Section 311 CrPC empowers the court to summon a material witness, or to examine a person present at “any stage” of “any enquiry”, or “trial”, or “any other proceedings” under CrPC, or to summon any person as a witness, or to recall and re-examine any person who has already been examined if his evidence appears to it, to be essential to the arrival of a just decision of the case. Undoubtedly, CrPC has conferred a very wide discretionary power upon the court in this respect, but such a discretion is to be exercised judiciously and not arbitrarily. The power of the court in this context is very wide, and in exercise of the same, it may summon any person as a witness at any stage of the trial, or other proceedings. The court is competent to exercise such power even suo motu if no such application has been filed by either of the parties. However, the court must satisfy itself, that it was in fact essential to examine such a witness, or to recall him for further examination in order to arrive at a just decision of the case.

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15- The scope and object of the provision is to enable the court to determine the truth and to render a just decision after discovering all relevant facts and obtaining proper proof of such facts, to arrive at a just decision of the case. Power must be exercised judiciously and not capriciously or arbitrarily, as any improper or capricious exercise of such power may lead to undesirable results. An application under Section 311 CrPC must not be allowed only to fill up a lacuna in the case of the prosecution, or of the defence, or to the disadvantage of the accused, or to cause serious prejudice to the defence of the accused, or to give an unfair advantage to the opposite party. Further, the additional evidence must not be received as a disguise for retrial, or to change the nature of the case against either of the parties. Such a power must be exercised, provided that the evidence that is likely to be tendered by a witness, is germane to the issue involved. An opportunity of rebuttal however, must be given to the other party. The power conferred under Section 311 CrPC must therefore, be invoked by the court only in order to meet the ends of justice, for strong and valid reasons, and the same must be exercised with great caution and circumspection. The very use of words such as “any court”, “at any stage”, or “or any enquiry, trial or other proceedings”, “any person” and “any such person” clearly spells out that the provisions of this section have been expressed in the widest possible terms, and do not limit the discretion of the court in any way. There is thus no escape if the fresh evidence to be obtained is essential to the just decision of the case. The determinative factor should therefore be, whether the summoning/recalling of the said witness is in fact, essential to the just decision of the case.”

In the instant case, petitioner had initially sought to cross-examine both the parents of the deceased on one day, however, the prosecution subsequently chose to drop the mother of the deceased from the array of the witnesses.

Petitioner had ample opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses, but he did not utilize the same.

Court cannot lose sight of the fact that a fair trial is the hallmark of criminal procedure. It entails not only the rights of the victims but also the interest of the accused.

High Court while observing the above added that, it is the duty of every Court to ensure that fair and proper opportunities are granted to the accused for just decision of the case.

Elaborating more on its observations, Court stated that, adducing of evidence by the accused in support of his defence is also a valuable right and allowing the same is in the interest of justice.

Considering the fact that the petitioner had been charged for the offence punishable under Section 304B IPC and the witness was the father of the deceased, High Court deemed it apposite to grant one opportunity to the petitioner to cross-examine the witness, subject to a cost of Rs 5,000 to be deposited with Delhi State Legal Services Authority.

The matter was fixed before the trial court for 25-2-2022 and the investigating officer shall take appropriate steps to summon the witness and the matter shall be listed before the Trial Court on 14-2-2022.

Further, the Bench added that in case the petitioner does not cross-examine the witness on the date fixed and seeks an adjournment, his right to cross-examine shall stand closed.

In view of the above petition was disposed of.