( 1 ) ). THIS is an application under Sec. 482 of the Criminal procedure Code at the instance of the original accused Nos. 4 to 7 for quashing the proceedings in Criminal Case No. 4498 of 1998, initiated under the complaint of respondent No. 2-original complainant who is the Food Inspector, Western railway, Ahmedabad.

( 2 ) THE said complainant filed a complaint in respect of offences punishable under Sec. 7 (ii) read with Sec. 16 of the Prevention of Food Adulteration act, 1954, in respect of a food item produced by the Limited Company (accusedno. 8)

( 3 ) ). The contentions raised in the present application are two-fold, and therefore, it would be simpler to deal with applicant Nos. 1 and 2 (accused nos. 4 and 5) on the one hand and applicant Nos. 3 and 4 (accused Nos. 6 and 7) on the other.

( 4 ) ). So far as the applicant Nos. 3 and 4 (accused Nos. 6 and 7) are concerned, the complainant refers to them in the complaint as "partners". It is well established that the accused No. 8 which is the manufacturer of the food item in question is a public limited company, and that there cannot be any partners in a public limited company. Even if we assume that the complainan