IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE FOR RAJASTHAN AT JODHPUR
Pushpendra Singh Bhati, J.
Pappu Begum @ Pappu Kanwar W/o Sh. Ikramuddin - Petitioner
Versus
State of Rajasthan, Through PP and ors. – Respondents
S.B. Criminal Misc (Pet.) No. 3529 of 2019
Decided On : 17-08-2022
Indian Penal Code, 1860 – Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 141(G), 181 – Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 – Section 482 – Representation of People Act, 1951 – Section 125-A – Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property – Forgery of valuable security, will, etc – Forgery for purpose of cheating – Unlawful assembly – Saving of inherent powers of High Court – Counsel for petitioner states that present case is squarely covered by decision rendered by a coordinate Bench of this Court in S.B. Criminal Misc. Petition – Held, Learned Public Prosecutor agrees that petition is covered by precedent law (supra) – Upon such agreement by learned Public Prosecutor, present misc. petition is allowed in same terms and impugned orders passed by learned Sessions Judge, order passed by learned Chief Judicial Magistrate, quashed and set aside thereby discharging petitioner from offences for which learned trial court has ordered to frame charge – Ordered Accordingly.
ORDER :
1. This criminal misc. petition under Section 482 Cr.P.C. has been preferred against the order of framing of charge under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 141(G) & 181 IPC and Section 125-A of the Representation of People Act, 1951.
2. Counsel for the petitioner states that the present case is squarely covered by the decision rendered by a coordinate Bench of this Court in S.B. Criminal Misc. Petition No.661/2016; Prithvi Singh Vs. State of Rajasthan & Anr. decided on 31.05.2016.
3. The coordinate Bench of this Court on 31.05.2016 has passed the following order in Prithvi Singh (supra):-
The impugned FIR has been lodged on the basis of a complaint filed by the complainant mainly with the allegation that the petitioner while contesting election for the post of Sarpanch of Gram Panchayat, Dharvi Kalla in the General Election, 2015, submitted false declaration regarding his children in the nomination form. It is also contended that as per the provisions of Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, any person having more than two children after 27.11.1995 is not qualified to contest the election for the post of Member or Chairperson of a Panchayati Raj Institution and the petitioner was having more than two children after 27.11.1995, but with the intention to make him eligible to contest election made false declaration about number of his children and their date of birth, therefore, he has committed the offence of cheating and forgery.
The challenge to the impugned FIR is made by the petitioner mainly on the ground that from bare reading of the allegations contained in the impugned FIR, no case for commission of cognizable offence is made out and even if the allegations contained in the impugned FIR are taken as it is, then also the only offence, which can be made out against the petitioner is of furnishing false information/evidence before a public servant. It is contended that the offence of furnishing false information/evidence while contesting election is a non-cognizable offence and, therefore, as per sub-section (2) of section 155 CrPC, the police has no jurisdiction to investigate into the noncognizable offences without there being any order from the Magistrate concerned and as such the impugned FIR registered against the petitioner is liable to be quashed and set aside.
Per contra, the learned Public Prosecutor opposed the prayer of the petitioner while contending that since the allegations contained in the impugned FIR constitute an offence, the impugned FIR cannot be quashed.
Heard learned counsels for the rival parties and perused the impugned FIR.
The cheating is defined in section 415 of the Indian Penal Code, which reads as under :
“415. Cheating.—Whoever, by deceiving any person, fraudulently or dishonestly induces the person so deceived to deliver any property to any person, or to consent that any person shall retain any property, or intentionally induces the person so deceived to do or omit to do anything which he would not do or omit if he were not so deceived, and which act or omission causes or is likely to cause damage or harm to that person in body, mind, reputation or property, is said to “cheat”.
For the offence of cheating, there should be an averment in the complaint that the accused by using fraudulent means induces a person so cheated to deliver some valuable security etc.
From bare reading of the impugned FIR, it is clear that there is no averment to the effect that the accused by using fraudulent means induces the complainant or any person so cheated to deliver some valuable security etc. Hence, the offence punishable under section 420IPC cannot be said to be made out from allegations contained in the impugned FIR.
It is noticed that in the impugned FIR, there is no allegation to the ef
The main legal point established in the judgment is that if the allegations in the FIR do not constitute a cognizable offence, the FIR can be quashed.
The central legal point established in the judgment is the court's power to quash FIRs under Section 482 of Cr.P.C. and the categories of cases where this power could be exercised.
The main legal point established in the judgment is the exercise of power under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to prevent abuse of the process of any Court or to secure the ends of jus....
The main legal point established in the judgment is that if the allegations in the FIR do not constitute a cognizable offence and only constitute non-cognizable offences, the FIR can be quashed.
The main legal point established in the judgment is that the allegations in an FIR must disclose a cognizable offence, and the appropriate remedies should be pursued for challenging elections, with l....
A compromise does not permit quashing of FIRs for non-compoundable offences under IPC.
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