JUDGMENT

K.K. Sonawane, J.—Rule. Rule made returnable forthwith. The matter is taken up for final hearing with the consent of parties.

2. These applications are filed for seeking relief to quash and set aside criminal proceedings initiated against the applications by exercising inherent jurisdiction recognized under Section 482 of the Cr.P.C. Both the applications pertain to identical relief based on similar facts and circumstances as well as allegations similar in nature made in the FIR, bearing Crime No. 102 of 2016, registered against the respective applicants at Police Station, Jamner, District Jalgaon, for the offence punishable under sections 420,406, 408, 409, 120-B, r/w. 34 of IPC. Therefore, we prefer to hear and adjudicate the matter in issue of both the applications by this common judicial pronouncement.

3. Facts which led to the prosecution of applicants culled out in brief, are as under:-

That, on 29.7.2016, the first informant – Shri Deepak Anant Atrawalkar, a Government Auditor of the Cooperation Department of State of Maharashtra, filed the report at Police Station, Jamner, District Jalgaon and alleged that he had conducted the audit of accounts of an Urban Cooperat