IN THE HIGH COURT OF RAJASTHAN AT JAIPUR BENCH
Mahendra Kumar Goyal, J.
Sumit Maheshwari - Appellants
Vs.
State of Rajasthan and Ors. - Respondent
S.B. Criminal Misc. Petition No. 6717 of 2018
Decided On : 11-02-2021
Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 - Section 482 - Indian Penal Code, 1860 - Section 420 – Loan - Offence of cheating – Quash of FIR – Petitioner contended that a loan was advanced to him by the complainant on interest @ 12% per annum and instant FIR was lodged only after four years therefrom to recover the loan amount when suit for recovery of loan amount became barred by limitation. He submitted that since transaction in question reveals, at the best, breach of promise by the petitioner, FIR in question, which does not disclose commission of offence of cheating, deserves to be quashed – Held, there is specific allegation against the petitioner of taking amount of Rs. 10,00,000/- from the complainant under the pretext of loan by deceitful means with promise to repay after three years with fraudulent intention not to repay the same from the very inception, discloses commission of cognizable offence and prima facie satisfies the ingredients necessary to constitute offence under Section 420 I.P.C. and cannot be quashed - Since FIR in question discloses ingredients necessary to constitute offence under Section 420 I.P.C. prima facie, this Court is not inclined to quash the same - Criminal miscellaneous petition is dismissed.
JUDGMENT :
Mahendra Kumar Goyal, J.
1. This criminal miscellaneous petition under Section 482 Cr.P.C. has been filed for quashing the FIR No. 392/2018 dated 03.07.2018 registered at Police Station Chomu, District Jaipur (West) under Section 420 I.P.C.
2. Drawing attention of this Court towards the contents of FIR in question, learned counsel for the petitioner contended that a loan of Rs. 10,00,000/- was advanced to him by the complainant on interest @ 12% per annum and the instant FIR was lodged only after four years therefrom to recover the loan amount when the suit for recovery of the loan amount became barred by limitation. He submitted that since the transaction in question reveals, at the best, breach of promise by the petitioner, the FIR in question, which does not disclose commission of offence of cheating, deserves to be quashed. He relied on the judgment of Hon'ble Apex Court of India in case of Sushil Sethi & Anr vs. The State of Arunachal Pradesh & Ors.: Criminal Appeal No. 125/2020 (Arising from SLP(CrL.) No. 590/2019), decided on 31.01.2020 and a co-ordinate Bench judgment of this Court in case of Pradip Mundhra vs. State of Rajasthan & Anr.: 2008 (1) Cr.L.R. (Raj.) 855 : 2009 (1) RLW 115, in support of his submissions. Learned Public Prosecutor assisted by learned counsel for the complainant opposing the prayed submitted that a bare reading of the FIR discloses commission of offence of cheating and hence, it cannot be quashed by this Court under its extraordinary jurisdiction vide Section 482 Cr.P.C. They submitted that the complainant did not lodge the FIR against the petitioner immediately inasmuch as the petitioner has promised to repay the amount after three years. They submitted that there is specific allegation in the FIR that the amount was taken by the petitioner from the complainant with dishonest and fraudulent intention from the very inception satisfying the ingredients necessary to constitute offence under Section 420 I.P.C. and hence, the petition deserves to be dismissed. They relied upon the judgment of Hon'ble Apex Court of India in case of Varalal Bharath Kumar and Anr. vs. State of Telangana and Anr.: 2018 CRI.L.J. 431 and judgment of Hon'ble Allahabad High Court in case of Vijay Prakash and Anr. vs. State of Uttar Pradesh and Ors.: 2000 Cri.L.J. 4157.
3. Heard the learned counsels for the parties and perused record.
4. It is well established principle of law that if the contents of FIR do not disclose commission of any offence, the same can be quashed by the High Court in exercise of its jurisdiction under Section 482 Cr.P.C. otherwise the investigation should not be scuttled at the threshold. The Hon'ble Apex Court has, in case of Dineshbhai Chandubhai Patel vs. State of Gujarat and Ors. and other connected cases reported in (2018) 3 SCC 104 : 2018 (2) RLW 1165 (SC), held as under:-
26. This Court in State of West Bengal & Ors. vs. Swapan Kumar Guha & Ors. (AIR 1982 SC 949) had the occasion to deal with this issue. Y.V. Chandrachud, the learned Chief Justice speaking for Three Judge Bench laid down the following principle:
"21. The condition precedent to the commencement of investigation under Section 157 of the Code is that the F.I.R. must disclose, prima facie, that a cognizable offence has been committed. It is wrong to suppose that the police have an unfettered discretion to commence investigation under Section 157 of the Code. Their right of inquiry is conditioned by the existence of reason to suspect the commission of a cognizable offence and they cannot, reasonably, have reason so to suspect unless the F.I.R., prima facie, discloses the commission of such offence. If that condition is satisfied, t
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