{"id":1056058,"date":"2026-06-06T17:51:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T15:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/jurisprudences\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T17:51:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T15:51:34","slug":"supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan","status":"publish","type":"kji_decision","link":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/jurisprudences\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\/","title":{"rendered":"Supreme Court of Mauritius, 17 juin 2020, 2020 INT 73 – POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN<\/p>\n

2020 INT 73<\/p>\n

POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN Cause Number: 834\/17 THE INTERMEDIATE COURT OF MAURITIUS (Criminal Division) In the matter of:- POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN JUDGMENT INTRODUCTION The Accused stands charged with the offence of arson in breach of section 346(5) of the Criminal Code. He pleaded not guilty and was not assisted by Counsel. The particulars of the charge against the Accused are that on the 16 th April 2012, he willfully and unlawfully set fire to a private van bearing registration number 3310 JL 98, belonging to Mr Louis Jean Julien.<\/p>\n

THE FACTS In relation to van number 3310 JL 98, which was subject to a fire, the police recovered parts of the said van following a search carried out by Inspector Mooniaruck at the residence of the Accused. PC Naggae who enquired in the case confirmed that the articles were remitted to the owner. As such, the Accused was prosecuted for a larceny case. Mr Goorayah and the Accused were involved in the larceny of the van number 3310 JL 98. Mr Goorayah testified that on the material day, the Accused drove van number 3310 JL 98 whilst Mr Goorayah and his brother were in another van belonging to the Accused. At one point, the Accused drove past Mr Goorayah and informed them that he would leave the van 3310 JL 98 in another spot. Mr Goorayah waited for the Accused for 10 to 15 minutes and then saw the Accused come back on foot before entering the van where Mr Goorayah<\/p>\n

was. According to Mr Goorayah, the Accused did not tell him anything about the van number 3310 JL 98. The version of the Accused is contained in his statement given to the police. He averred that he knew about van number 3310 JL 98 which was usually parked on the road and he decided to steal from the van. He went to the van and looked for a box of tools and managed to switch on the engine. He took the van home and there, removed the parts of the van before leaving same on the parking of Brighton. He then walked back home. The Accused denied having put fire to the van.<\/p>\n

OBSERVATIONS I have assessed the evidence on record. The Accused is charged with the offence of arson which is couched under section 346(5) of the Criminal Code as follows: Any person who willfully sets fire to any motor vehicle, whether it belongs to him or not, shall be liable to penal servitude. In the present case, the question to be determined is whether the Accused set fire to van 3310 JL 98 belonging to Mr Julien. \u201cIn a criminal case it is normal to assume that the version that is put to an accused party when recording his or her defence is the very complaint that was made by the victim\u201d. (RE: P MARDAY VS THE STATE (2000) SCJ 225). I have noted that in the statement recorded from the Accused, the police put the charge to him that Mr Rakesh Goorayah has averred that the Accused told him that he put fire to the van. Mr Goorayah deposed in Court. His testimony was to the effect that he saw the Accused in van 3310 JL 98 which he left in a spot before coming back on foot and hence he was unaware what the Accused did with the van. He also added that the Accused never told him anything about the van. Learned Counsel for the Prosecution referred Mr Goorayah to his statement and put to him the inconsistent part thereof. Learned Counsel for the Prosecution also refreshed the memory of Mr Goorayah to the effect that he told the police that the Accused informed him that he put fire to the van. However, Mr Goorayah denied this version and maintained that his statement to the police was not reliable as he was under the influence of tablets at the material time and his mind was unclear such that he could not figure out what he said to the police. He confirmed in Court that he was unaware that the Accused put fire to van number 3310 JL 98.<\/p>\n

Taking the Prosecution case at its best and relying on the testimony of Mr Goorayah, it would seem that the Accused drove van number 3310 JL 98 and left same in a spot. Subsequently the van was found burnt. I have considered whether there is any circumstantial evidence from which I could infer that the Accused put fire to the van. With regards to circumstantial evidence, I deem it to refer to the case of TEPER VS R (1952) AC 480 as follows: \u201cCircumstantial evidence may sometimes be conclusive, but it must always be narrowly examined, if only because evidence of this kind may be fabricated to cast suspicion on another… it is also necessary before drawing the inference of the accused\u2019s guilt from circumstantial evidence to be sure that there are no other co- existing circumstances which would weaken or destroy the inference…\u201d. In the present case, I have considered the versions of the parties as well as the real evidence produced that is the plan of the locus and the photographs which provide the Court a visual aid of the location of the incident. According to the evidence of the enquiring officer, Mr Naggea, there is no evidence that any accelerant was used when the van was set alight by fire nor were any items of clothing secured from the Accused which could have established a link between the Accused and the incident. In the circumstances, in the absence of any evidence linking the Accused to the arson and the fact that Mr Goorayah could not confirm that the Accused set fire to van number 3310 JL 98, I find that the Prosecution has not established the case against the Accused.<\/p>\n

CONCLUSION In light of the above, I find that the Prosecution has failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. I dismiss the case against the Accused.<\/p>\n

Judgment delivered by: M.GAYAN-JAULIMSING, Magistrate, Intermediate Court Judgment delivered on: 17 th June 2020<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Sources officielles :<\/strong> consulter la page source<\/a> · PDF officiel<\/a><\/p>\n

Supreme Court of Mauritius – public domain<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN 2020 INT 73 POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN Cause Number: 834\/17 THE INTERMEDIATE COURT OF MAURITIUS (Criminal Division) In the matter of:- POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN JUDGMENT INTRODUCTION The Accused stands charged with the offence of arson in breach of section 346(5) of the Criminal Code. He pleaded not guilty and was not assisted…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"kji_country":[92666],"kji_court":[92667],"kji_chamber":[125247],"kji_year":[41198],"kji_subject":[7646],"kji_keyword":[107780,94791,8066,128178],"kji_language":[7611],"class_list":["post-1056058","kji_decision","type-kji_decision","status-publish","hentry","kji_country-maurice","kji_court-supreme-court-of-mauritius","kji_chamber-mrs-m-gayan-jaulimsing-magistrate-intermediate-court","kji_year-41198","kji_subject-divers","kji_keyword-irfaan","kji_keyword-muhammad","kji_keyword-police","kji_keyword-seedeer","kji_language-anglais"],"yoast_head":"\nSupreme Court of Mauritius, 17 juin 2020, 2020 INT 73 - POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN - Ma\u00eetre Hassan Kohen, avocat en droit p\u00e9nal \u00e0 Paris<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/jurisprudences\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Supreme Court of Mauritius, 17 juin 2020, 2020 INT 73 - POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN 2020 INT 73 POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN Cause Number: 834\/17 THE INTERMEDIATE COURT OF MAURITIUS (Criminal Division) In the matter of:- POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN JUDGMENT INTRODUCTION The Accused stands charged with the offence of arson in breach of section 346(5) of the Criminal Code. He pleaded not guilty and was not assisted...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/jurisprudences\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ma\u00eetre Hassan Kohen, avocat en droit p\u00e9nal \u00e0 Paris\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-06T15:51:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/jurisprudences\\\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/jurisprudences\\\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\\\/\",\"name\":\"Supreme Court of Mauritius, 17 juin 2020, 2020 INT 73 - POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN - Ma\u00eetre Hassan Kohen, avocat en droit p\u00e9nal \u00e0 Paris\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-06T15:51:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-06T15:51:34+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/jurisprudences\\\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/jurisprudences\\\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/jurisprudences\\\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/criminal-law-attorneys-in-paris-counsel-and-strategic-defense\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Jurisprudences\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/jurisprudences\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Supreme Court of Mauritius, 17 juin 2020, 2020 INT 73 – POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Kohen Avocats\",\"description\":\"Ma\u00eetre Hassan Kohen, avocat p\u00e9naliste \u00e0 Paris, intervient exclusivement en droit p\u00e9nal pour la d\u00e9fense des particuliers, notamment en mati\u00e8re d\u2019accusations de viol. Il assure un accompagnement rigoureux d\u00e8s la garde \u00e0 vue jusqu\u2019\u00e0 la Cour d\u2019assises, veillant au strict respect des garanties proc\u00e9durales.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Kohen Avocats\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/Logo-Kohen-1000.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/Logo-Kohen-1000.webp\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"Kohen Avocats\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kohenavocats.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Supreme Court of Mauritius, 17 juin 2020, 2020 INT 73 - POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN - Ma\u00eetre Hassan Kohen, avocat en droit p\u00e9nal \u00e0 Paris","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/jurisprudences\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Supreme Court of Mauritius, 17 juin 2020, 2020 INT 73 - POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN","og_description":"POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN 2020 INT 73 POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN Cause Number: 834\/17 THE INTERMEDIATE COURT OF MAURITIUS (Criminal Division) In the matter of:- POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN JUDGMENT INTRODUCTION The Accused stands charged with the offence of arson in breach of section 346(5) of the Criminal Code. He pleaded not guilty and was not assisted...","og_url":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/jurisprudences\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\/","og_site_name":"Ma\u00eetre Hassan Kohen, avocat en droit p\u00e9nal \u00e0 Paris","article_modified_time":"2026-06-06T15:51:34+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/jurisprudences\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\/","url":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/jurisprudences\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\/","name":"Supreme Court of Mauritius, 17 juin 2020, 2020 INT 73 - POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN - Ma\u00eetre Hassan Kohen, avocat en droit p\u00e9nal \u00e0 Paris","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-06-06T15:51:30+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-06T15:51:34+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/jurisprudences\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/jurisprudences\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/jurisprudences\/supreme-court-of-mauritius-17-juin-2020-2020-int-73-police-vs-seedeer-muhammad-irfaan\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/criminal-law-attorneys-in-paris-counsel-and-strategic-defense\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Jurisprudences","item":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/jurisprudences\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Supreme Court of Mauritius, 17 juin 2020, 2020 INT 73 – POLICE VS SEEDEER MUHAMMAD IRFAAN"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/","name":"Kohen Avocats","description":"Ma\u00eetre Hassan Kohen, avocat p\u00e9naliste \u00e0 Paris, intervient exclusivement en droit p\u00e9nal pour la d\u00e9fense des particuliers, notamment en mati\u00e8re d\u2019accusations de viol. Il assure un accompagnement rigoureux d\u00e8s la garde \u00e0 vue jusqu\u2019\u00e0 la Cour d\u2019assises, veillant au strict respect des garanties proc\u00e9durales.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/#organization","name":"Kohen Avocats","url":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Logo-Kohen-1000.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Logo-Kohen-1000.webp","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"Kohen Avocats"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kji_decision\/1056058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kji_decision"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/kji_decision"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1056058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"kji_country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kji_country?post=1056058"},{"taxonomy":"kji_court","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kji_court?post=1056058"},{"taxonomy":"kji_chamber","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kji_chamber?post=1056058"},{"taxonomy":"kji_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kji_year?post=1056058"},{"taxonomy":"kji_subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kji_subject?post=1056058"},{"taxonomy":"kji_keyword","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kji_keyword?post=1056058"},{"taxonomy":"kji_language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kohenavocats.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kji_language?post=1056058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}