SOMAN KUTTAPPAN Vs. FOREST RANGE OFFICER

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The revision petitioner, who was the accused in C. C. No. 3 of 1988 on the file of the Judicial First Class Magistrate, Palakkad for an offence punishable under Section 51 r/w Section 9(2) of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and Section 27(2)(c) of the Kerala Forest Act, 1961, challenges the conviction entered and the sentence passed against him by the Courts below for the offence punishable under Section 51 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act.

(2.) The case of the prosecution as unravelled by the oral and documentary evidence can be summarised as follows :

(3.) After the close of the prosecution evidence, the accused was questioned under Section 313(1) (b) Cr. P. C. with regard to the incriminating circumstances appearing against him in the evidence for the prosecution. He denied those circumstances and maintained his innocence. He did not adduce any defence evidence when called upon to enter on his defence.