2013 Supreme(Raj) 1262
RAJASTHAN HIGH COURT
Atul Kumar Jain, J.
Jugal Kishore and Anr. - Appellant
Versus
The State of Raj. and anr. - Respondent
S.B.Criminal Revision Petition No. 240 of 2013.
Decided On : 10-05-2013
For the Petitioners:Farzand Ali, Advocate.
For the State: Ashok Prajapat, Public Prosecutor.
The Magistrate cannot take cognizance against accused persons who are not arrayed as accused in the charge-sheet, and the Sessions Court has no power to summon additional accused under Section 193 Cr.P.C.
Headnote:
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE - SECTION 190(1)(B), 193, 319 - COGNIZANCE - SESSIONS CASE - MAGISTRATE CANNOT TAKE COGNIZANCE AGAINST ACCUSED PERSONS NOT ARRAYED AS ACCUSED IN CHARGE-SHEET - SESSIONS COURT HAS NO POWER TO SUMMON ADDITIONAL ACCUSED UNDER SECTION 193 CR.P.C. - INTERPRETATION REACHED IN RANJIT SINGH'S CASE (AIR 1998 SC 3148) WAS NOT CORRECT - LAW WAS CORRECTLY ENUNCIATED IN KISHUN SINGH'S CASE (1993(2) SCC 16) - MATTER PLACED BEFORE LARGER BENCH OF HON'BLE SUPREME COURT - PENDING BEFORE FIVE JUDGE BENCH - MAGISTRATE CANNOT TAKE COGNIZANCE AGAINST LEFT OUT ACCUSED PERSONS - ORDER QUASHED - COMMITTAL ORDER RESTORED - TRIAL TO BE EXPEDITED.
Fact of the Case:
Two accused persons (Jugal Kishore and Srikrishna) filed a revision petition challenging the order of the Sessions Judge, Jodhpur District, which set aside the committal order passed by the Magistrate and directed the Magistrate to hear the complainant before committing the case to the Sessions Court. The petitioners were not named in the charge-sheet filed by the police, but the complainant argued that they should have been heard before the committal order was passed.
Finding of the Court:
The court held that the Magistrate cannot take cognizance against accused persons who are not arrayed as accused in the charge-sheet, and the Sessions Court has no power to summon additional accused under Section 193 Cr.P.C. The court also held that the interpretation reached in Ranjit Singh's case (AIR 1998 SC 3148) was not correct and the law was correctly enunciated in Kishun Singh's case (1993(2) SCC 16). The court further held that the matter was placed before a larger bench of the Hon'ble Supreme Court and was pending before a five-judge bench.
Issues: 1. Whether the Magistrate can take cognizance against accused persons who are not arrayed as accused in the charge-sheet? 2. Whether the Sessions Court has the power to summon additional accused under Section 193 Cr.P.C.? 3. Whether the interpretation reached in Ranjit Singh's case (AIR 1998 SC 3148) was correct?
Ratio Decidendi: 1. The court relied on the rulings of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Kishori Singh v. State of Bihar, (2004) 13 SCC 11, Sanjay Gandhi v. Union of India, AIR 1978 SC 514, Shankar Ram v. The State of Raj., 2010(2) Cr.L.R.(Raj.) 1295, and Natthi Singh v. The State of Raj., 2007(1) Cr.L.R.(Raj.) 621 to hold that the Magistrate cannot take cognizance against accused persons who are not arrayed as accused in the charge-sheet. 2. The court relied on the rulings of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in M/s SWILL Ltd. v. Delhi, 2001 R.Cr.D 568(SC), and Raghubans Dubey v. State of Bihar, 1967(2) SCR 423 to hold that the Sessions Court has no power to summon additional accused under Section 193 Cr.P.C. 3. The court relied on the rulings of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Dharam Pal Singh v. State of Haryana & anr. (2006) 1 SCC (Cri.) 273, and Kishun Singh v. State of Bihar, 1993(2) SCC 16 to hold that the interpretation reached in Ranjit Singh's case (AIR 1998 SC 3148) was not correct and the law was correctly enunciated in Kishun Singh's case.
Final Decision: The court quashed the impugned order of the Sessions Judge and restored the committal order passed by the Magistrate. The court also directed the Magistrate to fix the date of appearance for the accused persons before the Sessions Judge and send the case back to the Sessions Judge.
(1) Kishori Singh v. State of Bihar, (2004) 13 SCC 11 ,
(2) Sanjay Gandhi v. Union of India, AIR 1978 SC 514 ,
(3) Shankar Ram v. The State of Raj., 2010(2) Cr.L.R.(Raj.) 1295,
(4) Natthi Singh v. The State of Raj., 2007(1) Cr.L.R.(Raj.) 621.
(5) Dhoori v. State of Raj., 1998 Cr.L.J. 3406(Raj.)
(1) M/s SWILL Ltd. v. Delhi , 2001 R.Cr.D 568(SC) ,
(2) Raghubans Dubey v. State of Bihar, 1967(2) SCR 423.
(1) Manharibhai Muljibhai Kakadia & anr. v. Shaileshbhai Mohanbhai Patel & ors, 2013 Cr.L.R. SC 253.
(2) Jagdish Chandra v. State of Raj, 2013(1) Cr.L.R.(Raj.) 479.
(1) Kishori Singh & ors. v. State of Bihar, AIR 2000 SC 3725. In this case, it was held that in Sessions case at a stage prior to one under Section 319 Cr.P.C., the Magistrate cannot issue process a