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

2023 Supreme(Mad) 1903

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
V. SIVAGNANAM, J.
V.K. Venkatachalam – Appellant
Versus
Vijayamoorthy & Others – Respondents
Crl.R.C. No. 265 of 2023
Decided On : 22-06-2023

Advocates appeared:
For the Petitioner:V. Subramanian for S.P. Yuaraj, Advocates. For the Respondent:R1 & R2, N. Manoharan, Advocate. R3, R. Vinothraja, Govermant Advocate.

The alleged fraud committed in the Court made the private complaint not maintainable, and the absence of a criminal element in the accused's actions led to the dismissal of the criminal revision case.

Headnote:

Criminal Revision Case - Property Dispute - Section 156(3) Cr.P.C. - 397 r/w 401 of Code of Criminal Procedure - 340 Cr.P.C. - [156(3), 397, 401, 340]

Fact of the Case:

The petitioner filed a complaint alleging that the accused committed fraud by producing forged documents in a property dispute. The Judicial Magistrate dismissed the complaint, stating that the alleged fraud was committed in the Court and therefore, a private complaint is not maintainable. The petitioner challenged this decision in the criminal revision case.

Finding of the Court:

The Court found that the accused obtained a Lok Adalat Award based on fraudulent documents, but there was no evidence of forgery committed outside the Court. The Court also noted that the restoration of the civil suit in O.S.No.17 of 2020 indicated that there was no criminal element in the filing of the civil suit by the accused. Therefore, the criminal complaint filed by the petitioner was dismissed.

Issues: The main issue was whether the petitioner's complaint alleging fraud in a property dispute was maintainable as a private complaint.

Ratio Decidendi: The Court held that the alleged fraud committed in the Court made the private complaint not maintainable. Additionally, the restoration of the civil suit indicated no criminal element in the accused's actions.

Final Decision: The criminal revision case was dismissed, upholding the trial Court's decision to dismiss the petitioner's complaint.

JUDGMENT

(Prayer: Criminal Revision Case has been filed under Sections 397 r/w 401 of Code of Criminal Procedure to set aside the Crl.M.P.No.6102 of 2022 by the Judicial Magistrate Court No.1, Gobichettipalayam, Erode District dated 25.11.2022 in connection with the petitioner complaint dated 08.09.2022 on the file of the Sub Inspector of Police, Gobi Police Station, Gobichettipalayam and direct the 3rd respondent to register a complaint against the respondents.)

1. Challenging the impugned order dated 25.11.2022 passed in Crl.M.P.No.6102 of 2022 by the Judicial Magistrate Court No.1, Gobichettipalayam, Erode District, the present criminal revision case has been filed.

2. The fact of the case is that the petitioner filed a petition in Crl.M.P.No.6102 of 2022 under Section 156(3) Cr.P.C. for filing FIR and to file final report before the learned Judicial Magistrate No.I, Gobichettipalayam, Erode District. In the complaint, it is alleged that his father V.P.Kaliappan got property in g[/V/6/58. f/r/be/192-5. 192-8. 193-1. 193-2 in Modachoor Village, Gobi Taluk, by way of the settlement deed vide document No.1512 of 1973 and by way of sale deed vide document No.399 of 1980. With regard to a portion of property, his father executed a registered Will vide document No.16 of 1991 in favour of his mother Sembayaal on 15.03.1991 till her life time and after her life time, it will go to the petitioner and his brother. After the death of his father, the petitioner, his mother and his brother made a registered partition deed dated 14.10.2009 vide document No.2801 of 2009. Knowing this fact, the first and second respondents/accused, who are his sister and her son, made an unregistered gift settlement deed with the help of one advocate and based on that gift settlement deed, the first respondent filed a suit in O.S.No.17 of 2020 before the District Munsif Court, Gobichettipalayam, against the second respondent for declaration and injunction. Then referred the matter to Lok Adalat and colluded themselves, got a Lok Adalat Award No.43 of 2020 dated 08.02.2020, against which, the petitioner, his mother and his brother filed C.R.P.(NPD)No.65 of 2021 before this Court to set aside the Award of Lok Adalat. This Court by its order dated 20.07.2021 allowed the CRP and set aside the Lok Adalat Award No.43 of 2020 dated 08.02.2020 passed by the Taluk Legal Services Committee, Gobichettipalayam with reference to O.S.No.17 of 2020 and also set aside the documents created in pursuance of the Award. Since the first and second respondents/accused created forged documents in order to grab the land of the petitioner, the petitioner has filed the complaint. The learned Judicial Magistrate by its order dated 25.11.2022 in Crl.M.P.No.6102 of 2022 dismissed the complaint as it is not maintainable and also stated that the alleged fraud committed in the Court, hence, by invoking Section 340 Cr.P.C., action has to be taken, so, private complaint is not maintainable. Aggrieved by this, this criminal revision case has been filed.

3. The learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that the trial Court, without considering the real fact and circumstances, dismissed the complaint and passed the impugned order, which is contrary to law. He further submitted that the trial Court failed to appreciate that the accused committed fraud against the petitioner by producing forgery document before the Court and the documents have been forged out of the Court. Therefore, the petitioner has every right to give the complaint before the learned Judicial Magistrate, which is overlooked by the Court.

4. To support his argument, the learned counsel for the petitioner placed reliance on the judgements reported in (2005) 4 Supreme Court Cases 370, ( Iqbal Singh Marwah and another Vs. Meenakshi Marwah and another), (ii) (2017) 1 Supreme Court Cases 113 (Amarsang Nathaji Vs. Hardik Harshadbhai Patel) and (iii) (2019) 3 Supreme Court Cases 318 ( Narendra Kumar Srivastava Vs. State of Bihar and

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