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2005 Supreme(Cal) 116

High Court Of Calcutta
ARUN KUMAR
JAGADISH KESHRI AND SAO - Appellant
Versus
STATE OF WEST BENGAL - Respondent
C. R. R. 2456 Of 2004
Decided On : 02/18/2005

Advocates Appeared:
HIMANSHU DE, NAVANIT DEY, R.S.CHARTERJI

The court clarified the scope and applicability of inherent powers of the High Court under Section 482 CrPC, emphasizing that such powers cannot be exercised when there is an express provision barring a particular remedy, such as the bar on revision of interlocutory orders under Section 397(2) CrPC.

Headnote:

CRIMINAL REVISION - SECTION 307/34, 324, 325 IPC - CHARGE FRAMING - SUFFICIENCY OF EVIDENCE - INTENTION TO KILL - INJURY TO VITAL PART OF BODY - ELEMENTS OF ATTEMPT TO MURDER - INHERENT POWERS OF HIGH COURT - SECTION 397(2), 482 CRPC - SCOPE AND APPLICABILITY.

Fact of the Case:

The petitioners were charged with offenses under Sections 147/452/34 and 307/34 IPC for allegedly trespassing into the complainant's house, threatening his father, and assaulting him with deadly weapons, causing bleeding injuries and unconsciousness. The petitioners challenged the framing of charges under Section 307 IPC, arguing that the injuries sustained by the complainant's father constituted an offense under Section 324 or 325 IPC, not Section 307 IPC.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that the impugned order framing charges under Section 307/34 IPC was not vulnerable to revision, as it was an interlocutory order that did not decide the question of guilt or innocence of the accused. The court also held that the allegations made against the accused constituted an offense under Section 307 IPC, and there was prima facie evidence to support the charge.

Issues: 1. Whether the impugned order framing charges under Section 307/34 IPC was vulnerable to revision. 2. Whether the allegations made against the accused constituted an offense under Section 307 IPC. 3. Whether there was prima facie evidence to support the charge under Section 307 IPC.

Ratio Decidendi: 1. An order framing charge is an interlocutory order and is not vulnerable to revision, as it does not decide the question of guilt or innocence of the accused. 2. To quash a proceeding to prevent abuse of the process of the Court or otherwise to secure the ends of justice, it must be shown that: (a) there is a legal bar against the institution or continuance of criminal proceeding in respect of the offence alleged, or (b) the allegations in the FIR or the complaint do not constitute the offence alleged, or (c) the allegations made against the accused person do constitute an offence alleged but there is either no legal evidence adduced in support of the case or the evidence adduced clearly or manifesly fails to prove the charge. 3. To constitute the offence of attempt to murder under Section 307 IPC, the act attempted must be such that if not prevented or intercepted, it would be sufficient to cause death of the victim. No injury need be caused to the victim, and the intention to kill can be inferred from circumstances like the nature of the weapon, the place where injuries were inflicted, the nature of the injuries caused, and the opportunity available to the accused.

Final Decision: The court dismissed the petitioners' application, holding that there was no material to interfere with the impugned order framing charges under Section 307/34 IPC.

ARUN KUMAR, J.


( 1 ) THE hearing stems from an application filed by the petitioners praying for revision of the order dated 19. 06. 2004 passed by learned Additional sessions Judge, Fast Track Court No. 2 at Purulia in Sessions Case No. 22/2004 (ST 21/2004) by way of setting aside the same.

( 2 ) THE circumstances leading to the above application are that the de facto-complainant Arun Sao lodged an FIR with Purulia Town P. S. alleging that on 23. 10. 2003 at about 9. 30 a. m. the present petitioners being armed with deadly weapons trespassed into their house, threatened his father with dire consequences if the partition suit is not withdrawn immediately and on account of his protest, with a view to committing murder assaulted him on different parts of his person including head resulting in his bleeding injuries and unconsciousness. When the de-facto complainant and his mother went to his rescue, they too were assaulted. After completion of investigation the police submitted charge-sheet under Sections 452/323/ 307/34 I. P. C. , and charge was framed against the petitioners under Sections 147/452/34 and 307/34 I. P. C. on 19. 06. 2004.

( 3 ) MR. Himangshu De, learned Counsel for the petitioners, at the outset, submitted that though the impugned order dated 19. 06. 2004 has been assailed on two-fold grounds, he is not pressing the ground of juvenility of petitioners 2 and 3. As regards the other ground, on referring to the order of anticipatory bail of the petitioners passed by the learned Additional sessions Judge-in-Charge, Purulia on 25. 11. 2003, Mr. De contended that since the father of the informant is alleged to have sustained lacerated injury over right parietal region, it may at best constitute an offence under section 324 or 325 I. P. C. and not under Section 307 in any way. Mr. R. S. Chatterjee, learned Counsel for the State, on the other hand, supporting the impugned order of framing charge under Section 307/34 and other provisions of I. P. C. , contended that whether the offence is one under Section 325 or 307 I. P. C. is a matter for trial and cannot be expected to be determined at this stage.

( 4 ) TO start with, an order framing charge is an interlocutory order as it does not decide the question of guilt or innocence of the accused, and as such it is not vulnerable in revision. In this connection, the decision in V. C. Shukla v. State, reported in AIR 1980 SC 962 may be referred to.

( 5 ) AS regards quashing of proceeding to prevent abuse of the process of the Court or otherwise to secure the ends of justice, it may be done where : (1) it appears that there is a legal bar against the institution or continuance of criminal proceeding in respect of the offence alleged e. g. absence of requisite sanction, or (2) the allegations in the FIR or the complaint even if they are taken at their face value and accepted in their entirety do not constitute the offence alleged, or (3) the allegations made against the accused person do constitute an offence alleged but there is either no legal evidence adduced in support of the case or the evidence adduced clearly or manifesly fails to prove the charge. In this connection, reference may be made to the case of R P. Kapur v. State of Punjab, reported in AIR 1960 SC 866 and State of Haryana v. Bhajan Lal, reported in AIR 1992 SC 604. It is to be borne in mind that the power to quash an fir by this Court can be exercised very sparingly and with circumspection and that too in the rarest of the rare cases. At this stage the Court cannot inquire about reliability or genuineness or otherwise of the allegations made in the FIR nor it can inquire whether the allegations are likely to be established or not, as was held in the case of M. Narayandas v. State of karnataka, reported in 2004 SCC (Cr.) 118 at 123. Such a situation is not involved here, and accordingly there is no scope for quashing the impugned order.

( 6 ) A harmonious construction of Sections 397 and 482 Cr. P. C. would l



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