SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Audio Icon Pause Audio Icon
judgment-img

1997 Supreme(Raj) 588

High Court Of Rajasthan
Judgename : S.C.MITAL
NARSING DAS - Appellant
Versus
STATE OF RAJASTHAN - Respondent
S. B. CRI. R. P. 293 Of 1985
Decided On : 08/04/1997

Advocates Appeared:
J.P.S.Choudhary, R.L.Jangid, S.K.MATHUR

SECTION 195 (1) (B) (II) CR. P. C. BARS COGNIZANCE OF OFFENCES MENTIONED THEREIN UNLESS COMPLAINT IS LODGED ON BEHALF OF COURT AS PER PROCEDURE PRESCRIBED UNDER SECTION 340 CR. P. C.

Headnote:

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE - SECTION 195 (1) (B) (II) - FORGERY - COGNIZANCE - BAR - DOCUMENT PRODUCED IN COURT - COMPLAINT BY COURT NECESSARY - SECTION 195 (1) (B) (II) CR. P. C. BARS COGNIZANCE OF OFFENCES MENTIONED THEREIN UNLESS COMPLAINT IS LODGED ON BEHALF OF COURT AS PER PROCEDURE PRESCRIBED UNDER SECTION 340 CR. P. C. - PURPOSE AND OBJECT OF CREATING BAR AGAINST COGNIZANCE ON PRIVATE COMPLAINT OF SUCH OFFENCES IS TO ENSURE THAT PERSON WHO HAS PRODUCED DOCUMENT IN PROCEEDINGS OF COURT WHILE GIVING EVIDENCE IS NOT HARASSED BY VEXATIOUS OR BASELESS PROSECUTION.

Fact of the Case:

PETITIONER CHALLENGED THE ORDER OF JUDICIAL MAGISTRATE TAKING COGNIZANCE OF OFFENCES UNDER SECTIONS 467, 468, 420 AND 120-B I. P. C. AGAINST THEM ON THE GROUND THAT COGNIZANCE WAS BARRED BY SECTION 195 (B) (II) CR. P. C. AS THE ALLEGED FORGED DOCUMENT WAS PRODUCED IN PROCEEDINGS FOR HEARING OF BAIL PETITION IN HIGH COURT.

Finding of the Court:

THE COURT HELD THAT THE BAR OF TAKING COGNIZANCE UNDER SECTION 195 (1) (B) (II) GETS ATTRACTED AS SOON AS A DOCUMENT IS PRODUCED OR GIVEN IN EVIDENCE IN A PROCEEDING IN THE COURT AND AN ALLEGATION OF FORGERY IS MADE IN RESPECT OF SUCH DOCUMENT. THE PROTECTION FOR PRIVATE COMPLAINT TO THE PARTY PRODUCING OR GIVING IN EVIDENCE ANY DOCUMENT IN A PROCEEDING OF THE COURT HAS BEEN GIVEN WITH THE OBJECT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE JUDICIAL PROCESS WITHOUT ANY THREAT OF PROSECUTION EXCEPT ON A COMPLAINT BY THE COURT.

Issues: WHETHER THE COGNIZANCE TAKEN BY THE JUDICIAL MAGISTRATE FOR THE OFFENCES UNDER SECTIONS 467, 468 I. P. C. WAS BARRED BY SECTION 195 (1) (B) (II) CR. P. C.

Ratio Decidendi: THE COURT RELIED ON THE AMENDED PROVISIONS OF SECTION 195 (1) (B) (II) CR. P. C. WHICH BARS COGNIZANCE OF OFFENCES MENTIONED THEREIN UNLESS A COMPLAINT IS LODGED ON BEHALF OF THE COURT AS PER PROCEDURE PRESCRIBED UNDER SECTION 340 CR. P. C. THE COURT HELD THAT THE PURPOSE AND OBJECT OF CREATING THE BAR AGAINST COGNIZANCE ON PRIVATE COMPLAINT OF SUCH OFFENCES IS TO ENSURE THAT A PERSON WHO HAS PRODUCED THE DOCUMENT IN THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE COURT WHILE GIVING THE EVIDENCE IS NOT HARASSED BY VEXATIOUS OR BASELESS PROSECUTION.

Final Decision: THE PETITION WAS PARTLY ALLOWED. THE IMPUGNED ORDER DATED 11-10-85 PASSED BY THE LEARNED JUDICIAL MAGISTRATE, RATANGARH WAS PARTLY SET ASIDE AND THE PROCEEDINGS OF CR. ORIGINAL CASE NO. 284/84 ON THE BASIS OF THE CHARGE-SHEET SUBMITTED BY THE POLICE STATION, RATANGARH TO THE EXTENT OF TAKING COGNIZANCE UNDER SECTIONS 467, 468 I. P. C. WERE QUASHED, BUT THE COGNIZANCE TAKEN AND THE PROCEEDINGS FOR THE OFFENCES UNDER SECTIONS 420 AND 120-B I. P. C. WERE UPHELD.

Judgment

( 1 ) THIS petition arises out of the order dated 11-10-85 passed by the learned Judicial Magistrate, Ratangarh in Cr. Original Case No. 284/84 (State v. Narsing Das and Others) whereby the preliminary objection raised by the petitioner under Section 195 (b) (ii) of the Criminal Procedure Code was rejected and the case was ordered to be listed for hearing arguments for charge.

( 2 ) THE brief facts leading to this petition are that Police Station. Ratangarh submitted a charge sheet against the petitioners for the trial of the offences under Sections 467, 468, 420 and 120-B I. P. C. in the Court of Judicial Magistrate, Ratangarh. The learned Judicial Magistrate took cognizance on 14-11-84. The petitioners submitted an application on 8-5-85 and raised an objection that the Court could not take cognizance on a challan submitted by the police after investigation on a report by the complainant Ramavtar s/o Inder Chand Agarwal, R/o Ratangarh because the alleged forged document i. e. the affidavit was produced in the proceedings for hearing of bail petition in the High Court. Therefore, unless a complaint is presented by the High Court, cognizance of the alleged offence in other words the petitioners contended that the cognizance of the offence a alleged against them is barred by the provisions contained in Section 195 (b) (ii) Cr. P. C. Learned Judicial Magistrate heard the Add. Public Prosecutor and the learned counsel for the accused persons and recorded the impugned order in which it was held that the bar contained in Section 195 (b) (ii) is not applicable in the facts and circumstances of the case. The allegations against the petitioners, according to the F. I. R. lodged on 22-8-84, are that in pursuance of the conspiracy petitioner Nand Lal obtained signatures of Inder Chand son of Lal Chand Dhanuka resident of Ratangarh on two blank papers in the evening of 11-8-84 saying that the papers are to be submitted to the Income-tax Department. Thereafter the brother of Nand Lal petitioner Deoki Nandan said that the blank papers signed by him could not serve the purpose and therefore he was asked to sign a stamp paper. Shri Inder Chand signed the blank stamp paper of Rs. 5/- having full faith on the petitioners. They also took his signatures at two places in a register. Still further, the allegation is that the petitioners got forged an affidavit of Inder Chand complainant and in order to save their father Narsing Das and Shiv Ratan in a case initiated by Shri Devi Prasad. The complainant demanded the papers back and the petitioners admitted their mistake and promised to return the original stamp as well as two white papers. They also supplied a photostat copy of the affidavit. On this report the case was registered at Police Station, Ratangarh for the aforesaid offences was resulted in challan as stated above.

( 3 ) THE learned counsel for the petitioners contended that on bare reading of the First Information Report it is revealed that the alleged forged document i. e. the affidavit was made to be produced in the Court in order to save Narsing Das and Shiv Ratan. This alleged forged affidavit and certain other papers were produced in the High Court on 23-8-84 and a copy of the said documents was supplied to the learned Public Prosecutor on 21-8-84. After hearing the parties and on considering the documents the bail application was disposed of on 3-9-84. Therefore, the provisions of Section 195 Criminal Procedure Code are fully applicable in the present case. The learned Magistrate is not competent to take cognizance in the absence of proper complaint by the Court where the document was produced for consideration. The concerned Court can only decide whether any prosecution should be launched or not against the petitioners. On the other hand, the learned counsel for the complainant and the learned Public Prosecutor vehemently argued that the provisions of Section 195 Cr. P. C. are not attracted to the facts of this case beca







Click Here to Read the rest of this document

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
logo-black

An indispensable Tool for Legal Professionals, Endorsed by Various High Court and Judicial Officers

Please visit our Training & Support
Center or Contact Us for assistance

qr

Scan Me!

India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!

For Daily Legal Updates, Join us on :

whatsapp-icon Back to top