IMPORTANT POINT
Rule 159 of the High Court of Jharkhand Rules, 2001 is not ultra vires.

JUDGMENT

ADARSH KUMAR GOEL, J.

1. This writ petition has been filed under Article 32 of the Constitution of India seeking to declare Rule 159 of the High Court of Jharkhand Rules, 2001 as violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution and provisions of Sections 397 and 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (“Cr.P.C.”). The rule in question is as follows:

“In the case of revision under Sections 397 and 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 arising out of conviction and sentence of imprisonment, the petitioner shall state whether the petition shall be accompanied by a certified copy of the relevant order. If he has not surrendered the petition shall be accompanied by an application seeking leave to surrender within a specified period. On sufficient cause if shown, the Bench may grant such time and on such conditions as it thinks and proper. No such revision shall be posted for admission unless the petitioner has surrendered to custody in the concerned Court.”

2. Case of the petitioners is that they have been convicted and sentenced under Section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code (“IPC”) and Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act. Against the said conviction and sentence, their appeal has been dismissed and revision petition was filed before the High Court but the same was not registered on account of impugned Rule 159 as they failed to surrender to custody. It is submitted that this Rule is in conflict with the provisions of Criminal Procedure Code dealing with the statutory revisional jurisdiction of the High Court and even in a fit case, the High Court cannot consider the revision petition and grant bail unless a convicted person covered by the Rules surrenders to custody. The Rule being subordinate legislation could not militate against the substantive statutory provision. Since the Division Bench of the High Court has upheld the validity of the Rule and the special leave petition was dismissed by this Court against the said judgment, the petitioners have no other remedy except to approach this Court under Article 32 as their fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 21 are affected.

3. A counter affidavit has been filed by the Registrar General of the High Court of Jharkhand opposing the prayer for declaring the Rule to be ultra vires. Reliance has been placed on the judgment of the Division Bench of the High Court in Mahadeo Prasad Shrivastav vs. High Court of Jharkhand, 2004 Crl.L.J.4392 laying down that the Rule could not be held to be arbitrary, discriminatory or illegal. Special Leave Petition (Crl.) No.4890 of 2004 filed against the said judgment was dismissed by this Court. It has also been stated that there is an identical provision in Order XXI, Rule 6 of the Supreme Court Rules, 1966 and thus such a provision cannot be held to be arbitrary nor such a provision, in any manner, be held to be inconsistent with Section 389 read with Sections 397 and 401 Cr.P.C. The High Court is competent to frame Rules to regulate its procedure. Reliance has also been placed on a Judgment of this Court in Mayuram Subramanian Srinivasan vs. C.B.I., 2006 (5) SCC 752 laying down that a convicted person is required to surrender under Rule 6 of Order XXI of the Supreme Court Rules, 1966, unless the Court directs otherwise.

3. We have given due consideration to the rival submissions.

4. We do not find any merit in the challenge to the validity of the Rule. It is well known practice that generally a revision against conviction and sentence is filed after an appeal is dismissed and the convicted person is taken into custody in Court itself. The object of the Rule is to ensure that a person who has been convicted by two courts obeys the law and does not abscond. The provision cannot thus be held to be arbitrary in any manner. The provision is to regulate the procedure of the Court and does not, in any manner, conflict with the substantive provisions of the Cr.P.C. relied upon by the petitioners. A similar provision exists i