Judges : G.SIVARAJAN,S.SANKARASUBBAN
V.Narayana Reddiar - Appellant
Versus
Rugmini Ammal and Others - Respondent
Case No : W.A. No. 714 of 1999-B
Decided On : 08/25/2000
Advocates Appeared :
M.N. Sukumaran Nair, S. Sreekumar, T.R. Ramachandran Nair And M.K. Chandramohan Das, Advocates
Kerala High Court Act 1958 S. 5 - Legal - challenging - Issued - Against order of Municipality petitioner approached Government issued an order dated which is produced - Original Petition directing appellant to submit an application through Local Authority seeking regularization of additional structure made by him - Challenging above order that first respondent - Filed Original Petition -Held, counsel for first respondent then contended that even though matter arose in proceedings Constitution of India jurisdiction exercised by single Judge is of Code of Criminal Procedure - Hence, Appeal will not lie - Court don't find any basis for this contention - According to us merely because provision of Code of Criminal Procedure was being considered jurisdiction exercised by court cannot be said to be criminal jurisdiction - Offences cannot be tried without a complaint from court and before sending such complaint court has to be satisfied that prima facie case has been made - Appeal allowed
SANKARASUBBAN, J.
This writ Appeal is filed against the Order in C.M.P. No. 35930 of 1998 in O.P. No. 12701 of 1998. Fourth respondent in the C.M.P. is the appellant. He is the fourth respondent in the Original Petition also. According to the appellant, he is a tenant of a building called 'Jaya Building, ' Main road Kollam. The tenancy was given by one Durairaja Reddiar by executing an agreement of lease dated 6-1-1994. This lease deed enabled him to make alterations in the building. Accordingly, he effected some alterations in the building. When It was found that alterations were effected, the appellant received, from the Kollam Municipality, an order directing him to demolish the structure, which according to the Municipality, is unauthorised.
2. Against the order of the Municipality, petitioner approached the Government. The Government issued an Order dated 22-6-1998, which is produced as Ext. P-5 in the Original petition directing the appellant to submit an application through the Local Authority seeking regularization of the additional structure made by him. It is challenging the above order that the first respondent Rugmini Ammal, W/o. Durairaja Reddiar, filed the Original petition. The contention raised by the petitioner in the Original Petition is that there was no lease agreement and that the construction was unauthorised. Further, it was stated that the construction cannot be legalised on other grounds.
3. Appellant filed a counter affidavit. Along with the counter affidavit, she produced photo copy of agreement of lease, Ext. R-4(a) is dated 6-1-1994. Thereafter, the first respondent filed C.M.P. No. 35930 of 1998. The contention taken in the C.M.P. is that Ext. R-4(a) is a forged document. It is further stated that the first respondent sought the opinion of Professor B. B. Kashyap, a renowned and accepted handwriting and finger print expert. The signatures in the lease agreement, Ext. R-4(a) was compared with the admitted signatures of Durairaja Reddiar in Ext. P-7. The expert gave his opinion copy of which is produced as Ext. P-18. According to Ext. P-18, the signatures in Ext. R-4(a) do hot tally with the signatures in the admitted signatures. Hence, the handwriting expert has given an opinion that the five disputed signatures have not been written by the writer of the admitted signatures.
4. A counter affidavit was filed in C.M.P. No. 35930 of 1998. In the counter affidavit, it is stated that Ext. R4(a) was produced before the Government and Ext. P-5 Order itself will show that this was produced before the Government. The fabrication of Ext. R4(a) is denied. Along with the counter affidavit, the petitioner produced Exts. R4(e) to R4(m). According to the counter affidavit, Exts. R4(e), R4(1) and R4(j) also contain the signatures of the deceased Reddiar. An additional counter affidavit was filed producing Ext. R4(n), in the counter affidavit, as already stated, the appellant denied that Ext. R4(a) was fabricated.
5. A reply affidavit was filed by the first respondent in which, the first respondent denied the execution of certain documents signed by Reddiar and produced by the appellant. The prayer in C.M.P. No. 35930 of 1998 is to conduct an enquiry into the production of Ext. R4(a) forged lease deed and make a complaint thereof and forward it to the Magistrate of the First Class having jurisdiction.
6. The learned single Judge considered the arguments of both sides. The learned single Judge relied on the opinion given by the handwriting expert and prima facie came to the conclusion that Exts. R4(a), R4(e). R4(i) and R4(j) were fabricated and hence, there is a reasonable likelihood to establish the offence under Sections 463, 471, 475 and 476 of I.P.C. The learned single Judge directed the Registrar of this Court to make a complaint for that purpose in writing and send to the Magistrate of the First Class having Jurisdiction. It is against the above order that the present Writ Appeal is filed. Along with the
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