High Court of Judicature at Madras
THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE T. SUDANTHIRAM
K. Rani
Versus
V.S. Financiers rep. by its Partner, V. Ranganathan
Crl.R.C.Nos.761 & 762 of 2008 and M.P.No.1 of 2008
Decided on: 22-07-2008
Section 138 - Negotiable Instruments Act - Section 91 Cr.P.C., Section 311 Cr.P.C. - 119 Cr.P.C. - 1991 Crl.L.W.(Crl.) 42, 2001(2) MWN(Cr.) 265, 1991 LW(CRL) 475, 2000 CRI.L.J.624 - The court allowed the petition under Section 311 Cr.P.C. to recall a witness and summon a document under Section 91 Cr.P.C. to establish the existing liability of the accused in a case under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The court held that once the accused denies the liability and tries to rebut the presumption, the burden shifts to the complainant to establish the fact of existing liability, and therefore, the steps taken by the complainant to prove the liability cannot be prevented by equating to filling up lacuna in the prosecution case.
Fact of the Case:
The petitioner, an accused in a case under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, filed revision petitions against the order allowing the summoning of a document and the recall of a witness by the complainant.
Finding of the Court:
The court found that the steps taken by the complainant to prove the existing liability of the accused cannot be prevented, as the burden shifts to the complainant to establish the fact of existing liability once the accused denies the liability and tries to rebut the presumption.
Issues: The issues involved the summoning of a document and the recall of a witness to establish the existing liability of the accused in a case under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act.
Ratio Decidendi: Once the accused denies the liability and tries to rebut the presumption, the burden shifts to the complainant to establish the fact of existing liability.
Final Decision: The court dismissed both the criminal revisions and the connected miscellaneous petition.
The petitioner herein, who is an accused in C.C.No.207 of 2004 on the file of the learned Judicial Magistrate, Gudiyatham, had preferred these two revision petitions against the order passed by the learned Magistrate in Crl.M.P.Nos.3070 and 3000 of 2008, allowing the petitions filed by the complainant for summoning a document under Section 91 Cr.P.C. and to recall the witness under Section 311 Cr.P.C., respectively.
2. The complainant/respondent had filed a complaint against the accused/petitioner for AN offence under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. A petition under Section 311 Cr.P.C. was filed by the complainant/respondent to recall the witness P.Devarajan-Advocate, who stood as a witness in an agreement dated 4. 2004 executed by the husband of the accused. That document was already summoned under Section 91 Cr.P.C., and placed before the Court.
3. The other petition filed under Section 311 Cr.P.C. was for the purpose of summoning the pass book relating to the complainant/respondents account in the South Indian Bank Limited for the period from 16. 1990 to 24. 2001.
4. The learned counsel for the petitioner/accused submitted that the specific case of the complainant/respondent is that the accused/petitioners husband issued a cheque for a sum of Rs.3,00,000/- on 7. 2004, towards the dues to them. Now a new case has been put forth by the complainant/respondent and they are now making an attempt to mark a document, to which the accused is not a party, by examining the witness Devarajan-Advocate, and also by marking the document dated 7. 2004-agreement, said to have been entered into between the complainant/respondent and the husband of the accused, the prosecution is trying to fill up the lacuna, which is not permissible.
5. The learned counsel also relied on the decisions reported in 1991 Crl.L.W.(Crl.) 42GOVINDA REDDY VS. STATE; 2001(2) MWN(Cr.) 265-A.RADHAKRISHNAN VS. INCOME TAX OFFICER, CITY CIRCLE, MADRAS; 1991 LW(CRL) 475 – N.LAKSHMANAN VS. THE TAMIL NADU ELECTRICITY BOARD, TIRUTTANI, REP.BY ITS EXECUTIVE ENGINEER MR.M.KUPPUSWAMY AND 2000 CRI.L.J.624-M/S.DANDY KNIT GARMETS AND ANOTHER VS. M/S.SUBIKSHA SPINNERS(P) LTD. He would further submit that with regard to allowing the petition under Section 91 Cr.P.C. the pass book of the complainant/respondent relating to the period from 16. 1990 to 24. 2001 is irrelevant for the purpose of deciding the issue in this case.
.6. The learned counsel further submits that even according to the complainant/respondent the said document was available when P.W.3 the Manager of the Bank was examined, but at that time they have not chosen to mark the same. As such, the learned counsel submitted that now the complainant/respondent is making attempt to summon those documents only to fill up the lacuna in the prosecution case.
7. Mr.Ashok Kumar, learned Senior counsel appearing for the complainant/respondent submitted that only for the existing liability the cheque dated 7. 2004 was issued and since the accused/petitioner had challenged the liability, and as the document dated 7. 2004 had already been summoned under Section 91 Cr.P.C., in order to prove the document, examination of the witness Devarajan-Advocate is very much necessary. Even the production of pass book for the period from 16. 1990 to 24. 2001 is also only for the purpose of establishing the dates, on which the payments were made to the accused.
8. This Court considered the submissions made by the parties and perused the records.
9. Though it is mentioned in the petition under Section 311 Cr.P.C., that the document executed by the accused/petitioners husband on 7. 2004 was produced before the Court only on the basis of the petition filed by the accused under Section 91 Cr.P.C., the learned counsel for the petitioner herein has denied the said fact and it is submitted by him that the document was produced by the complainant/respondent himself.
10. This Court perused the copy of the evidence of P.W
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