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1996 Supreme(Del) 547

High Court Of Delhi
SATISH CHANDRA - Appellant
Versus
UNION OF INDIA - Respondent
Decided On : 07/01/1996

Headnote:Criminal Procedure Code 1973 - Section 197 — Bar prosecution of a public servant — Without sanction of competent authority-Section 186, Railway Act — Railway servant — Applicability of — Notice to complainant to hand-over vacant possession of book-stall within stipulated period — Failed to hand over possession of stall — Petitioner took possession, put lock on book-stall, acted in good faith in discharge of official duty as public servant — Complainant initiated criminal proceedings against-Trial Court issued summons for appearance — Challenged — Pleaded prosecution is without sanction of competent authority-Public servant discharged official function — Acted under orders of superiors — Abuse of the process of law — Railway servant is public servant — Non-compliance of Section 197 — Process of summoning set aside and proceedings dropped — Order accordingly.

       Held:

       Section 186 makes it clear that a Railway employee is at par with Central Government employee and hence a public servant. Anything done in good faith is protected under the provisions of this Section. Hence an employee of the railway who did anything in discharge of his official duly cannot be prosecuted without the necessary sanction. Section 186 is an express bar to the prosecution of a railway servant without the sanction of the competent authority.

       Certificate nowhere indicate that the lock was broken or the possession was taken forcibly or any property was damaged. Even otherwise, if the petitioner being an employee of the Railways being directed to take possession complied the order of the competent authority, to my mind, the petitioner discharged his public duly. Senior Commercial Officer for and on behalf of the General Manager directed vide his order dated 20th June, 1988 to the Area Manager, DRMs Office to lake over the book stalls at New Delhi Railway Station from Shri Vijay Kumar Malhotra. The Senior Commercial Officer at the relevant time was Mr. Sanjay Dass. It is the case of the petitioner that pursuance to the order of the Commercial Manager, possession was taken. It is so apparent from the certificate reproduced above. From these facts it is clear that what the petitioner did was in discharge of his official duties. The possession of the stall was taken at New Delhi pursuance to the order of the competent authority hence the material lying in the book stall was kept in the safe custody of Additional Station Supdt. duly locked and sealed. It now does not lie in the mouth of the State to contend that action taken by the petitioner had no nexus with the discharge of his official duty.

Usha Mehra, J.

( 1 ) RAILWAY gave a contract for running the book stall at New Delhi Railway Station to M/s Gulab Singh and Sons (hereinafter called the Firm ). The said contract was renewed from 1st January,1976 upto 31st Dccember,1984. Since its services were not found satisfactory hence the licence was not renewed thereafter. Firm filed a Writ Petition and sought stay. The same was dismissed by this Court on 11th March,1987. Against that order, the Firm filed Special Leave Petition , the same was also dismissed on 6th May,1987. The Supreme Court, however, while dismissing the Special Leave Petition granted time till 31st May,1988 to the Firm to wind up the business on an undertaking to be given by the Firm that thereafter it will surrender the possession of the book stall to the Railway Authorities. One Mr. Vijay Kumar Malhotra was an employee of the Firm. He filed a Writ Petition in Supreme Court challenging the order of Railway Administration and ascerting his right on the Book Stall. The same was dismissed with the observation that respondent Railway Administration may consider the feasibility of granting the petitioners any appropriate stall where there were vacancies and to absorb as many of them as possible taking into consideration their experience and other relevant factors. Railway Administration informed the petitioner the places where the vacancies were available. As the period of 31st May,1988 expired hence Railway Administration served the Firm with a notice to handover vacant possession of the Book Stall. The said notice was issued on 1st June,1988. the Firm did not handover the possession, therefore, the Railway Administration look possession and put its lock on the Book Stall at New Delhi Railway Station. The complainant Vijay Kumar Malhotra, in the meantime. Filed a suit for injunction in the Court of Sub Judge, Delhi. Sub Judge granted interim injunction in his favour on 4th June,1988. On 6th June, 1988 the Station Supdt. lodged report with D. R. M. , New Delhi that the complainant Vijay Kumar Malhotra broke open the locks. The D. R. M, in turn instructed the Station Supdt. , New Delhi on 7th June,1988 to lodge FIR with the G. R. P. , New Delhi. On 8th Junc,1988 the Station Supdt. wrote to the S. H. O. /g. R. P. , New Delhi to register a case against Vijay Kumar Malhotra. Mr. Vijay Kumar Malhotra on receipt of the information that Station Supdt. had written a letter to S. F. O. / G. R. P. for registering a case against him, wrote to the Station Supdt. that case may not be lodged against him because he was not a representative of the Firm. The Railway Administration feeling aggrieved with the injunction granted by the Sub Judge filed a revision before the District Judge who after hearing the parties vacated the stay vide his order dated 20th June,1988. But in the evening of the same day, the said Additional District Judge stayed the operation of his own order till 23rd June,1988. The complainant Vijay Kumar Malhotra filed a revision in the High Court against the order of Additional District Judge dated 20th Junc,1988. The said petition was dismissed by the High Court on 23rd June,1988. After dismissal of the revision and there being no stay operating, the Railway Administration took possession of the book stall. On account of possession having been taken by the Railway Administration, the complainant Vijay Kumar Malhotra filed a suit before the Senior Sub Judge. This suit was dismissed on 20th August,1988 being infructuous because by then possession had already been taken over by the Railway Administration. After having lost battle in the Civil Court, the complaint Vijay Kumar Malhotra filed a criminal complaint against the petitioner on 24th Novembcr,1989. The Metropolitan Magistrate issued summons to the petitioner and the Station Supdt. , New Delhi for appearance vide his order dated 28th September,1990.

( 2 ) IT is against this order of summoning dated 28th September,1990 that the petitioner has felt ag















































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