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1971 Supreme(Kar) 277

Karnataka High Court
SIDDANAGOUDA - Appellant
Versus
STATE OF MYSORE - Respondent
Decided On : 09-16-71
Cr.R.P. : 266 of 1971

Advocates:
D.S.Hulgar, G.S.ANASUYA

The court held that the proclamation under S. 87 Cr. P. C. must fix the appearance date not less than thirty days from the date of publishing, and the attachment of properties based on an invalid proclamation is not valid in law. The High Court has the power to set aside the order of attachment and direct release of the property to the alleged absconding person in order to do justice in the matter.

Headnote:

Cr. P. C. - Release of Attached Properties - S. 87, S. 88, S. 89 - The court held that the proclamation issued under S. 87 Cr. P. C. violated the mandatory provision of fixing the appearance date not less than thirty days from the date of publishing, and the attachment of properties based on an invalid proclamation cannot be regarded as valid in law. The High Court, exercising its powers under S. 439 Crpc., can set aside such order of attachment and direct release of the property to the alleged absconding person in order to do justice in the matter.

Fact of the Case:

The petitioner, accused in a criminal case, was proclaimed as absconding and his properties were attached. After the acquittal of the remaining accused, the petitioner appeared and filed an application for release of the attached properties, claiming he had no knowledge of the criminal case and the proclamation.

Finding of the Court:

The Magistrate rejected the petitioner's request based on a previous decision and disbelieved the evidence of the petitioner's lack of awareness. The High Court held that the proclamation violated the mandatory provision of S. 87 Cr. P. C. and the attachment based on it was invalid. The High Court set aside the Magistrate's order and directed the release of the attached properties to the petitioner.

Issues: Validity of the proclamation under S. 87 Cr. P. C., legality of the attachment of properties, and the court's powers to set aside the order of attachment and direct release of the property.

Ratio Decidendi: The court held that the proclamation violated the mandatory provision of fixing the appearance date not less than thirty days from the date of publishing, and the attachment of properties based on an invalid proclamation cannot be regarded as valid in law. The High Court, exercising its powers under S. 439 Crpc., can set aside such order of attachment and direct release of the property to the alleged absconding person in order to do justice in the matter.

Final Decision: The petition was allowed, and the order passed by the First Class Magistrate, Koppal, in Misc. Case No. 84 of 1970 was set aside. The properties attached were directed to be released in favor of the petitioner.

( 1 ) THE First Class Magistrate, Koppal by his order passed on an application presented by the petitioner under S. 89 Cr. P. C. , in Misc. Case no. 84 of 1970, requesting for release of the attached properties in his favour, rejected the request. This petition is directed against that order. The facts necessary for a decision are: that in CC. No. 21 of 1968 on the file of the said First Class Magistrate, this petitioner was one of the accused. The charge was under 302 IPC. As it was reported that the petitioner was absconding and the Magistrate felt satisfied, he issued a proclamation under S. 87 Cr. P. C. The proclamation was issued on 17-10-1968. It may be mentioned here itself that by the said proclamation, the magistrate called upon the petitioner to appear in his Court within 29-10-1968 to answer the complaint.

( 2 ) AS the petitioner did not appear in the said Court, the Magistrate proceeded to take action under S. 88 Cr. P. C. and attached the properties in question. It is found that the said criminal case ended in acquittal of the remaining accused and that thereafter this petitioner appeared and filed the application in question. In that application the petitioner has made out that he had no knowledge of such a criminal case pending against him and that he was required to be present in the Court in that case and that he was not at all aware of the proclamation and further that the proceedings started against him under Ss. 87 and 88 Cr. P. C. are null and void, and, therefore, he was entitled to return of the attached properties.

( 3 ) THE records received from the lower Court show that the petitioner has examined witnesses in proof of the fact that he was not aware of the proceedings in CC. No. 21 of 1968 and that he was not absconding. The learned Magistrate has disbelieved the said evidence. In regard to release of properties, he has relied upon the decision in palsingh v. The State, AIR 1955 Pun 18. He has held on the basis of this decision that the contention of the proclamation being illegal and the entire proceedings based thereon also being illegal, cannot be taken into consideration while dealing with an application under S. 89 Cr. P. C.

( 4 ) THE proclamation was issued on 17-10-1968. It was proclaimed therein that the petitioner was to appear before the lower Court within 29-10-1968. S. 87 (1) of Cr. P. C. mandatorily lays down that such proclamation, requiring an absconding person to appear at a specified place and a specified time, should fix the date and time not less than thirty days from the date of publishing such proclamation. It is evident that the time fixed for the appearance of the petitioner is within thirty days. Therefore, it is also clear that the proclamation issued by the Magistrate has violated the mandatory provision of S. 87 Cr. P. C. In gurappa Gugal v. State of Mysore, 1968 2 Mys. L. J. 630. this Court has held that the provision of S. 87 Cr. P. C. is mandatory and a proclamation under that section ought to specify not less than thirty days from the date of publishing of the proclamation for the appearance of the accused, and further that giving thirty days from the date of the proclamation is in contravention of the section and such an error is not curable under S. 537 Cr. P. C. It was further directed by this court in that case that in regard to attachment of the property of the petitioner in the said case, all consequential benefits resulting from the order quashing the proclamation were to be given to the petitioner. Therefore, it is spen that the proclamation in question is not at all curable. It is to be quashed and the petitioner is entitled to all the benefits flowing therefrom.

( 5 ) IN Pal Singh v. The State (1), it is held that the only two conditions laid down in S. 89 Cr. P. C. will have to be taken into consideration and that even if attachment had been made irregularly in contravention of the provisions of S. 87 Cr. P. C. , that would not be available for a decision unde





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