Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 1973
221. Trial for more than one offence-1
(1) If a single act or series of acts is of such a nature that it is
doubtful which of several offences the facts which can be proved will
constitute, the accused may be charged with having committed all or any of such
offences , and any number of such charges may be tried at once; or he may be
charged in the alternative with having committed some one of the said offences.
(2) If in such a case the accused is charged with one offence, and it appears
in evidence that he committed a different offence for which he might have been
charged under the provisions of sub-section (1), he may be convicted of the
offence which he is shown to have committed, although he was not charged with
it.
Illustrations
(a) A is accused of an act which may amount to theft, or receiving stolen
property, or criminal breach of trust or cheating. He may be charged with
theft, receiving stolen property, criminal breach of trust and cheating, or he
may be charged with having committed theft, or receiving stolen property, or
criminal breach of trust or cheating.
(b) In the case mentioned, A is only charged with theft. It appears that he
committed the offence of criminal breach of trust, or that of receiving stolen
goods. He may be convicted of criminal breach of trust or of receiving stolen
goods (as the case may be), though he was not charged with such offence.
(c) A states on oath before the Magistrate that he saw B hit C with a club.
Before the Sessions Court A states on oath that B never hit C.A may be charged
in the alternative and convicted of intentionally giving false evidence,
although it cannot be proved which of these contradictory statements was false.