ORDER

Parvatha Rao, J. - The Petitioners herein are respectively accused 1 to5 in C.C. No. 120 of 1991 on the file of the learned II Additional Judicial First Class Magistrate, Kakinada and they pray for the quashing of the said proceedings on the ground that the cognizance of the offence itself was barred by/time and that the learned Magistrate at Kakinada had no territorial Jurisdiction and that the initiation of the criminal prosecution against petitioners amounted to abuse of the process of the Court.

2. The 2nd petitioner is the father and petitioners 3 to 5 are the sisters, of the 1st petitioner. The 2nd respondent married the 1st petitioner. It is not in dispute that the 1st petitioner and the 2nd respondent were married at Hyderabad on 10.5.1987 and that after the marriage they resided at Hyderabad for a couple of weeks and that about the end of May, 1987 they went to Bombay and resided at Plot No. B-17 in Chembur in the house of the 2nd petitioner.

3. It is the case of the 2nd respondent that at the time of her marriage, her mother gave Rs. 25,000/- cash and also gold ornaments and other silver and house-hold articles worth about Rs. 1,00,000/- to the 1st petitioner and th