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1988 Supreme(Del) 31

High Court Of Delhi
NILAM - Appellant
Versus
STATE OF DELHI - Respondent
Criminal Miscellaneous (Main) 224 of 1986
Decided On : 01/15/1988

Advocates Appeared:
K.K.Sud, R.P.Lao, Rajesh Batra

Headnote:Indian Penal Code, 1860 - Sections 3801 34 - Prosecution of wife for offence of theft in the dwelling house of her husband with the aid of her relations - Wife maltreated - Left house with everything belonging to her - Goods belonging to husband also removed - Wife informed - Whether wife can be said to have committed offence of theft? (No)

       Held, in the present case, admittedly, the petitioner No. 1 and her husband complainant even on the date of incident were residing together in house No. 257, Dakha, Kingsway Camp as husband and wife and all the household goods belonging to either of the spouses were in their joint possession. Obviously, from the different reports made by petitioner No. 1 to the police her intention was that while proceeding to her parental house she would carry everything belonging to her along with her and in doing so if she has removed anything from her own house and from her own possession it cannot be said that the removal was from some body else's possession much less that it was done with any dishonest intention. (Para 4)

       Further held, had there been any dishonest intention or mens rea there was no question of the petitioner No. 1 or her father faithfully tendering this information to the police station on all important points of time. This goes to show that, at no stage there was any dishonest intention on the part of the petitioner No. 1 or others which is an essential ingredient of an offence under section 380 I.P.C. I, therefore, find sufficient justification in the grievance of the petitioner. The petition is as such, allowed and F.I.R. No. 317/84 forming the basis for the prosecution of the petitioners in the court of the Metropolitan Magistrate is quashed. (Para 4)

       

Malik J.

( 1 ) THE petitioners are aggrieved of the prosecution initiated against them under sections 380/34 of the Indian Penal Code in F. I. R. No. 317/84, police station Kingsway Camp, Delhi pending in the court of the Metropolitan Magistrate. The Metropolitan Magistrate directed the charge sheet to be framed against the petitioners under sections 380/34 Indian Penal Code. by his order dated 24th July 1985. The revision filed against the order was also dismissed by the Additional Sessions Judge by his order dated 6th November 1985. The petitioners being not satisfied with the orders have approached this court under its extraordinary jurisdiction under section 482 Cr. P. C. and have prayed that the records be sent for and the F. I. R. and the prosecution of the petitioners be quashed as it is an abuse of the process of the court inasmuch as the prosecution has been initiated at the instance of the husband of petitioner No. 1 who is a police official and is meant to cause harassment.

( 2 ) FOR some reason or the other the I petitioner No. 1 and the complainant Ravinder Kumar, a constable in the Delhi Police Force, could not pull on together On 13th of April 1984 after she was mal-treated and beaten by the complainant Ravinder Kumar her husband she decided to part ways with him and to shift to her parental house and in doing so she like a determined woman also decided to carry her own belongings including what was given to the husband at the time of the marriage alongwith her. The allegation made by Ravinder Kumar, her husband in his complaint, is that on 13th of April 1984 when he was away his wife, petitioner No. 1 together with other petitioners came to his rented house No. 257, Dakha, Kingsway Camp, and removed his belongings in a tempo. In the complaint it is also stated by him that some of the articles were given by his parents to his wife at the time of his marriage which includes suits and jewellery. This D. D. was lodged by him at 9. 35 p. m. on 13th of April 1984 and on the same day at about 4. 55 p. m. his wife petitioner No. I had also lodged a D. D. in which she made a grievance about the mat-treatment by the complainant and also informed the police about the articles that were given by her parents to the complainant on the date of carriage. She further informed the police that she was-going to her parents house of her free will. Pursuant to this D. D. one A. S. I, went to the scene of the incident where he found the petitioner, the father of the petitioner and some other relations loading the household articles in a tempo. On the same day at 8. 15 p. m. the petitioner No. I informed the police station Kingsway Camp by D. D. No. 14 that she was carrying her household articles along with her to the house of her patents. On 14th April 1984 she also gave a list of articles which were being carried by her. On 18th April 1984 the father of petitioner No. I also lodged a report giving details as to how his daughter was forced to take shelter in his house. He further reported to the police that when the articles were checked by his daughter at his house it was found that some belongings of the complainant were also accompanying the articles of petitioner No. 1. He gave details of those articles but the complainant refused to take these articles as a result of which these had to be formally seized by the police. Later on the complainant, on 22nd of April 1984 moved an application giving details resulting in the registration of the case and it is in this case that the petitioners are being prosecuted for ie offence of a theft in a dwelling house.

( 3 ) THE offence of a theft is defined in section 378. Indian Penal Code. as under ; "378. Theft,-Whoever, intending to take dishonestly any movable property out of the possession of any person without that person s consent, moves that property in order to such taking, is said to commit theft. Explanation 1. A thing so long as it is attached to the earth, not being movable proper





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