New Delhi, Jan 6 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Monday said crime created societal fear and it was unjust if such a situation was allowed to perpetuate and continue in society.
A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and P B Varale said in every civilised society, the purpose of criminal administrative system was to protect individual dignity and restore societal stability and order, aside from creating faith and cohesion in the society.
"Crime creates a sense of societal fear and it affects adversely the societal conscience. It is inequitable and unjust if such a situation is allowed to perpetuate and continue in the society... The courts in the discharge of their duties are tasked with balancing of interests of the accused on one hand and the state/society on the other," the bench said.
The bench's observations came while dismissing an appeal of five convicts in a 2002 murder case.
The counsel for the convicts argued the inquest report was not made properly and the eyewitnesses parroted the statements only to implicate the accused persons due to political enmity.
Though there was inconsistency in the witnesses' statements, the court said, it would not render their testimony untrustworthy.
"Only because the dead body of Sujeesh was found at a place little away from the place of body of other victim Sunil, it cannot be the sole and decisive factor to discard the entire case of prosecution," the bench said.
On March 1, 2002, RSS/VHP had called for a bandh. During the protests clashes erupted between members of the CPI (M) and the RSS.
A group of 11 persons belonging to the RSS/VHP hid themselves fearing the CPI(M)-led mob, but two of them were attacked and killed. PTI PKS AMK
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