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2015 Supreme(Ker) 437

IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM
ASHOK BHUSHAN & A.M. SHAFFIQUE, JJ.
T. MOHAMMED ASHRAF – Petitioner
Versus
STATE OF KERALA & OTHERS – Respondents
W.A. No. 658 of 2015 & W.P. (C) No. 23387 of 2014
Decided On : 27.5.2015

Advocate Appeared:
For the Petitioner:Sri. P.B. Sahasranaman, Sri. T.S. Harikumar, Sri. K. Jagadeesh and Sri. Raajesh S. Subrahmanian, Advocates.
For the Respondent:Sri. R. Prasanth Kumar, CGC, Smt. Girija Gopal, Special Government Pleader and Sri. K.I. Mayankutty Mather, Advocates.

Headnote:

Constitution of India, 1950 - Article 72 - President - Pardon - Power of - Findings of - Held, Position, therefore, is undeniable that judicial review of the order of the President or the Governor under Art.72 or Art.161, as the case may be, is available and their orders can be impugned on the following grounds: (a) that the order has been passed without application of mind; (b) that the order is mala fide; (c) that the order has been passed on extraneous or wholly irrelevant considerations; (d) that relevant materials have been kept out of consideration; (e) that the order suffers from arbitrariness

JUDGMENT

ASHOK BHUSHAN, J.

1. This Writ Appeal has been filed against the judgment dated 02.03.2015 in W.P. (C) No. 23387 of 2014 dismissing the Writ Petition filed by the petitioner.

2. Brief facts giving rise to the Writ Appeal are:-

Appellant, who shall hereinafter referred to as the Writ Petitioner, was convicted under Section 138 read with Section 141 of the Negotiable Instruments Act by the learned Chief Judicial Magistrate, Pathanamthitta in C.C. No. 437 of 2002 with imprisonment for one year and was further ordered to pay a sum of Rs. 57,97,940/- by way of compensation to P.W.1, complainant. Petitioner filed Criminal Appeal No. 363 of 2006 which was dismissed by judgment dated 26.10.2007 by the learned District and Sessions Judge, Fast Track, Pathanamthitta. Criminal Revision Petition No. 4154 of 2007 was filed by the petitioner in this Court. This Court vide order dated 25.06.2009 partly allowed the Revision Petition, the operative portion of which is quoted as follows:-

(i) Substantive sentence awarded to the petitioner is modified as simple imprisonment till rising of the court.

(ii) Petitioner is granted six months time from this day to deposit in the trial court Rs. 57,97,940/- (Rupees Fifty Seven lakhs ninty seven thousand nine hundred and forty only) for payment to respondent No. 1 by way of compensation under Section 357(3) of the Code. In case of default, petitioner has to undergo simple imprisonment for three months."

3. Against the said judgment, petitioner filed SLP (Crl.) No. 8479 of 2009 which was dismissed by the Supreme Court on 23.11.2009, however, time for payment was extended for a period of three months. After the above proceedings were over, petitioner submitted a petition dated 27.03.2010 described as clemency petition before the President of India for pardon. Petition was forwarded to the Central Home Department. The Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs sent a letter to the State Government for enquiring the genuineness of the petition. The Home Department, State of Kerala sent its report informing that the petitioner is residing with his wife and three sons at Panambilly Nagar, Kochi, Kerala. Petitioner filed W.P. (C) No. 14918 praying for a direction to the learned Chief Judicial Magistrate not to proceed with the steps in execution of the judgment in C.C. No. 437 of 2002 till disposal of the petition submitted by the petitioner to the President of India under Article 72 of the Constitution of India.

4. The learned Single Judge by judgment dated 18.05.2010 dismissed the Writ Petition against which W.A. No. 829 of 2010 was filed where an interim order was granted subject to deposit of one half of the compensation ordered. The clemency petition filed by the petitioner was subsequently rejected by the President of India which was communicated to the Home Department of the Government of Kerala as well as to the petitioner on 21.07.2014. W.A. No. 829 of 2010 filed by the petitioner against the judgment of the learned Single Judge dated 18.05.2010 was dismissed by the Division Bench on 15.12.2014 as infructuous noticing the fact that the basis of filing the Writ Petition, i.e. pendency of the clemency petition has been knocked out on account of dismissal of the clemency petition and the Writ Appeal has become infructuous.

5. Thereafter petitioner filed W.P. (C) No. 23387 of 2014 giving rise to this Writ Appeal praying for the following reliefs:-

"(i) To issue a writ, direction or order in the nature of certiorari calling for the records leading to Exhibit P9, communication dated 21st July, 2014 issued by the 3rd respondent.

(ii) To issue a writ, direction or order in the nature of mandamus commanding the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Pathanamthitta not to proceed with the steps for apprehending the petitioner in furtherance of the judgment in C.C. No. 437 of 2002 till the disposal of the clemency petition, Exhibit P1, judgment modified by Exhibit P3 judgment till the disposal of the clemency peti


































































































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