ORDER :

The petitioners/accused Nos. 1 to 9 are knocking at the doors of this Court calling in question registration of a crime in Crime No.98 of 2023 for offences punishable under Sections 468, 464, 465, 468, 471, 409, 420 and 120B of the IPC, pending before the XLII Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Bengaluru.

2. Facts, in brief, adumbrated are as follows:-

The petitioners at the relevant point in time i.e., between 2016 and 2023 were in the Council, all of them being political entities appointed as Chairman and Members of a particular Committee; the Committee known as Bagair Hukum Saguvali Samithi (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Samithi’ for short). Accused No.1/1st petitioner was at the relevant point in time a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Belur constituency. He was the Chairman of the Samithi. Accused Nos.2 to 4 were its members and accused Nos.5 to 10 were the erstwhile members. Accused Nos.11 to 14 are the Tahsildars who were functioning at the relevant point in time at the said place and were Secretaries of the Samithi. The allegation revolves around the functioning of the said Samithi. It is alleged that the Samithi has created records and bartered away Gove