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2014 Supreme(Raj) 258

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE FOR RAJASTHAN AT JAIPUR BENCH, JAIPUR
MAHESH CHANDRA SHARMA, J.
MANJU SURANA
VS.
SPECIAL JUDGE, SESSIONS COURT (PREVENTION OF CORRUPTION ACT) NO.1 JAIPUR AND 8 OTHERS
Cr. Revision Petition No. 341 of 2014
Decided on: 30th April, 2014

Advocates:
Advocate Appeared:
Mrs. Sangeeta Sharma for the petitioner.

Headnote:

Indian Penal Code ,1860 - Sections 109, 406, 409, 426, 463, 465, 468, 471, 474 , 420, 467, 468, 471 , 120 B - Criminal Procedure Code,1973 - Section 397, 401, 190 , 200, 156(3) 326 and 475 - Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 - Section 8, 13(1)(c), 13(1)(d), 13(1)(e), 13(2) , 12, 31 and 19 - Companies Act, 1956 - Section 617 –Government employee – offence - Sanction for prosecution - Petitioner has argued that the impugned order of court below is patently illegal and erroneous - Court below has wrongly passed the order that prosecution is required against Government employees while in this case there are private individuals also as against whom the case cannot be kept pending awaiting grant of prosecution sanction and case should have been proceeded with against the private person - Court below has failed to appreciate that in the instant matter even FIR has not been lodged and as such investigation has also not commenced - Unless a case is made out on basis of the outcome of investigation no prosecution sanction can be required even against the Government officials - Court below has not taken into consideration that complainant has filed above complaint under section with a prayer to the A.C.D. Police Station Jaipur for investigation and unless investigation is done and only when some case is made out then only question of prosecution sanction arises - In these circumstances it was argued that the impugned order may be quashed and set aside and direct the court below to forward complaint to A.C.D. for conducting investigation - They were indicted on premise that they were public servants during relevant time and that each one has amassed wealth disproportionate to his/her known sources of income for which he/she is unable to account - But in all such case some of their kith and kin are also being arraigned as co-accused to face said offence read with Section of Indian Penal Code - Question before Supreme Court was whether they were liable to be prosecuted along with the public servants for offence under Section 109 of Penal Code read with Section 13(1)(e) of PC Act - It was contended that a non-public servant has no role in trial of the said offence – Held, Those sections were deleted from Penal Code contemporaneous with the enactment - It is appropriate to point out here that in the original old PC Act there was no provision analogous to Section 13(1)(e) but on recommendation of Santhanam Committee said Act was amended by incorporating Section 5(1)(e) in old PC Act - Parliament later proceeded to “consolidate and amend the law relating to prevention of corruption” and in the bill introduced for that purpose - There are also provisions in the Criminal Law Amendment Ordinance, 1944 to enable attachment of ill-gotten wealth obtained through corrupt means, including from transferees of such wealth - Bill seeks to incorporate all these provisions with modifications so as to make provisions more effective in combating corruption among public servants - Petitioner in criminal revision petition and the respondent No.9 being a private party Special Judge, Sessions Court (Prevention of Corruption Act)No.1 Jaipur Metropolitan has rightly consigned complaint to record in absence of prosecution sanction in view of law laid down by Apex Court in Anil Kumar v. M.K. Aiyappa, (2013) 10 SCC 705 and further in P. Nallammal v. State, (1999) 6 SCC 559 - Consigning of case to record is an interlocutory order and petitioner is not entitled to file a revision petition against an interlocutory order as section 19 (3) (c) of Prevention of Corruption Act, quoted above states that “no court shall stay proceedings under this Act on any other ground and no court shall exercise powers of revision in relation to any interlocutory order passed in any inquiry trial appeal or other proceedings - Revision petition being devoid of merit is rejected in limine.

Judgment

This criminal revision petition has been filed by the petitioner under section 397 Cr.P.C. read with section 401 Cr.P.C. against the order dated 4th Feb. 2014 passed by Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act Cases) No.1 Jaipur Metropolitan, Jaipur whereby it has consigned the file to record till the sanction for prosecution is received in complaint No. 9/14 Smt. Manju Surana vs. Sunil Arora and others.

2. Brief facts of this case are that on 9.11.2013, the complainant Manju Surana, who is petitioner herein filed a complaint in the court of Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Cases) No.1 Jaipur Metropolitan Jaipur for offence under sections 7, 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 read with section 120 B IPC against the respondents 2 to 9 herein. The complaint was with regard to (i) Barmer Lift Project, (ii) Barmer Lift Project, (iii) Pokaran Palsood Project, (iv) Manaklao – Dantiwara Project and (v) Ummed Sagar _ Dhawa Samdari Part III Project. It is alleged in the revision petition that the higher officials of the State had colluded with each other with a view to give undue benefit to P.S.L. Company to the tune of Rs. 646 crores and thereby causing loss to the exchequer of the State of Rajasthan. On 20.1.2014 the court below heard the arguments on the complaint. The aforesaid case came up for hearing before the court below on 4.2.2014 and the court below consigned the case to record on the ground that prosecution sanction has not been granted and only after submission of the prosecution sanction the case has been directed to be reopened. Aggrieved by the order dated 4.2.2014 the complainant has filed this revision petition with the following prayer :

“It is therefore most respectfully prayed that this Hon'ble Court may graciously be pleased to allow this revision petition and direct the learned lower court of Special Judge (prevention of Corruption Cases) No.1 Jaipur Maha Nagar, Jaipur to forward the complaint to A.C.D. Police Station, Jaipur for conducting investigation in the above matter being case No. 9 of 2014 without insisting on prosecution sanction at this stage.”

3. Mrs. Sangeeta Sharma, learned counsel appearing for the petitioner has argued that the impugned order of the court below is patently illegal and erroneous. The court below has wrongly passed the order that prosecution is required against the Government employees while in this case there are private individuals also as against whom the case cannot be kept pending awaiting grant of prosecution sanction and the case should have been proceeded with against the private person. The court below has failed to appreciate that in the instant matter even FIR has not been lodged and as such investigation has also not commenced. Unless a case is made out on the basis of the outcome of the investigation no prosecution sanction can be required even against the Government officials. The court below has not taken into consideration that the complainant has filed the above complaint under section 156(3) Cr.P.C. with a prayer to the A.C.D. Police Station Jaipur for investigation and unless the investigation is done and only when some case is made out then only the question of prosecution sanction arises. In these circumstances it was argued that the impugned order may be quashed and set aside and direct the court below to forward the complaint to A.C.D. for conducting investigation.

4. I have heard the learned counsel for the petitioner. The court below passed the following order on 4.2.2014:-

ifjokfn;k Jherh eatw lqjk.kk mifLFkr mlds vf/koDrk Jh fufru Hkkj)kt mifLFkrA

lquokbZ dh xr frfFk ij ifjokfn;k ds fo)ku vf/koDrk dks ifjokn ij lquk x;k Fkk vr% bl ifjizs{; esa ifjokni= dk iBu fd;k x;kA ifjokni= esa rFkkdfFkr vfHk;qDrx.k tks ukfer fd, x, gS os yksd lsod gS ;k jgs gS mu ij Hkz”Vkpkj fuokj.k vf/kfu;e] 1988 dh /kkjk 7] 13 o Hkkjrh; n.M lafgrk dh /kkjk 420] 467] 468] 471 ,oa 120ch ds vijk/k ds vfHkdfFkr vkjksiksa ds nks”kkjksi.k



















































































































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