SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Audio Icon Pause Audio Icon
judgment-img

2016 Supreme(Mad) 4124

BEFORE THE MADURAI BENCH OF MADRAS HIGH COURT
P. KALAIYARASAN, J.
Subramanian Servai and Others - Appellant
Versus
Arumugam - Respondent
Criminal Original Petition (MD) No.452 of 2010 and M.P.(MD) Nos.1 and 2 of 2010
Decided on : 15-12-2016

Advocates:
Advocate Appeared:
For the Appellant : Mr.T.Lajapathi Roy
For the Respondent: Mr.K.Anbarasan, G.A.

Headnote:

Indian Penal Code, 1860 - Sections 447, 435 and 506(ii) - Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 - Section 200 , 156(3) and 482 - Defacto complainant – Criminal intimidation – Criminal trespass - Presented a complaint before Judicial Magistrate, alleging that at about 07.00 a.m., petitioners trespassed into defacto complainants land and cut down Acatia tree and also set fire to tree and thereafter threatened him with dire consequences - Complaint was forwarded to police - Sub Inspector of Police, Town, registered a case and after a detailed enquiry referred case as Mistake of Fact - Respondent/defacto complainant filed of and his wife also filed a writ petition in regarding same land dispute and all went against defacto complainant - In writ petition filed by wife, Honble Supreme Court dismissed it with cost - Petitioners are senior citizens and only with an intention to defame their good images in public, private complainant has been lodged - It is nothing but abuse of process of law and therefore, same is to be quashed – Held, documents filed in typed set of papers disclose that there was a dispute with respect to property between petitioners and defacto complainant - Second petitioner succeeded in suit - Civil litigation culminated with order of Honble Supreme Court in favour of second petitioner - Only after that, defacto complainant preferred a complaint before Judicial Magistrate and same was forwarded to police - As case was referred as Mistake of Fact by Inspector of Police, private complaint has been filed - Having been unsuccessful in the civil litigation, defacto complainant has preferred present complaint as against petitioners making allegation of trespass and Inspector of Police after investigation filed a report referring case as Mistake of Fact - Not satisfied with final report, present private complaint has been filed by respondent/defacto complainant knowing fully well that property mentioned in complaint absolutely belongs to second petitioner - It is nothing but abuse of process of law - Therefore, it is a fit case to invoke inherent jurisdiction of this Court - Criminal original petition is allowed - Consequently, connected miscellaneous petitions are closed.

ORDER :

1. This criminal original petition has been filed under Section 482 of Cr.P.C., praying to call for the records pertaining to C.C.No.218 of 2009 under Section 200 of Criminal Procedure Code on the file of the Judicial Magistrate, Thiruppathur and quash the same.

2. It is averred in the petition that there is a previous enmity between the petitioners and the defacto complainant pertaining to the land situated at Surve No.51/3 in N.Pudur Village. The defacto complainant presented a complaint before the Judicial Magistrate, Thiruppathur, alleging that on 25.03.2006 at about 07.00 a.m., the petitioners trespassed into the defacto complainant's land and cut down the Acatia tree and also set fire to the tree and thereafter, threatened him with dire consequences. The complaint was forwarded to the police. The Sub Inspector of Police, Thiruppathur Town, registered a case and after a detailed enquiry, referred the case as Mistake of Fact. Thereafter, the defacto complainant has preferred a private complaint in C.C.No.218 of 2009 on the file of the Judicial Magistrate, Thiruppathur, for the offences under Sections 447, 435 and 506(ii) of I.P.C. With respect to the property in question, civil litigation went up to Hon'ble Supreme Court and ended in favour of the second petitioner in 2002 itself. The respondent/defacto complainant filed C.R.P.No.419 of 2003 and W.P.No.3933 of 2008 and his wife also filed a writ petition in 2007 regarding the same land dispute and all went against the defacto complainant. In the writ petition filed by the wife, the Hon'ble Supreme Court dismissed it with cost of Rs.10,000/-. The petitioners are senior citizens and only with an intention to defame their good images in the public, the private complainant has been lodged. It is nothing but abuse of process of law and therefore, the same is to be quashed.

3. The learned counsel for the petitioners contends that the defacto complainant, having not succeeded in the civil suit, filed the present complaint only to take vengeance and the present private complainant, without filing any protest petition, is not maintainable. The second limb of argument is as to the maintainability of the private complaint in the absence of protest petition is not sustainable in view of the settled position of law that whether a report of the police opining that no offence appears to have been committed, the Judicial Magistrate, has an option to adopt one of three courses viz., (i) he may accept the report and drop the proceedings; or (ii) he may disagree with the report and taking the view that there is sufficient ground for proceeding further, take cognizance of the offence and issue process, or (iii) he may direct further investigation to be made by the police under Section 156(3) of Cr.P.C. Therefore, the above contention of the learned counsel for the petitioners is to be brushed aside.

4. Another limb of argument is that the defacto complainant, having failed in the civil suit, has presented the present defacto complainant only to take vengeance and to harass the petitioners. The documents filed in the typed set of papers disclose that there was a dispute with respect to the property between the petitioners and the defacto complainant. The second petitioner succeeded in the suit. The civil litigation culminated with the order of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in favour of the second petitioner in 2002. Only after that, the defacto complainant preferred a complaint before the Judicial Magistrate and the same was forwarded to the police. As the case was referred as Mistake of Fact by the Inspector of Police, the private complaint has been filed. As per the decision of the civil Court, the alleged property said to have been trespassed is the property of the second petitioner. Having been unsuccessful in the civil litigation, the defacto complainant has preferred the present complaint as against the petitioners, making allegation of trespass, and the Inspector of Police after investi



Click Here to Read the rest of this document

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
logo-black

An indispensable Tool for Legal Professionals, Endorsed by Various High Court and Judicial Officers

Please visit our Training & Support
Center or Contact Us for assistance

qr

Scan Me!

India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!

For Daily Legal Updates, Join us on :

whatsapp-icon Back to top