A P KUTTAN PANICKER Vs. STATE OF KERALA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) These criminal appeals and criminal revision petition arise from the judgment of the Sessions Judge of Trivandrum in a counterfeit currency note case.

(2.) Of the nine accused persons tried by the learned Judge for the offences punishable under S.120B, 489A and 489D I. P. C., accused 4, 5, 6 and 8 have been acquitted and the rest convicted. The first accused was convicted under S.120B I.P.C. alone and was sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for two years. Accused 2, 3 and 9 were convicted under S.120B, 489A and 489D and given a concurrent sentence of two years rigorous imprisonment. Accused 7 is convicted under S.120B and 489D IPC. and given a concurrent sentence of rigorous imprisonment for two years. Along with the appeals of the convicted persons the States appeal against the acquittal of accused 4, 5, 6 and 8 and the revision petition asking for the enhancement of the sentence of the appellants have been heard by us.

(3.) The prosecution case is that these nine accused together with two others, who have turned approvers and one Krishnan, who is now no more, entered into a conspiracy to produce counterfeit two rupee currency notes. They obtained the blocks necessary for printing the notes from one N.S. Nair - who later committed suicide - and also purchased a press and other necessary equipment but were unsuccessful in producing counterfeit notes as the blocks turned out to be defective. They later obtained another set of blocks and had given them to be mounted and corrected when the conspiracy came to light and they were arrested.