High Court Of Orissa
A. S. NAIDU
NLRUPAMA DEY - Appellant
Versus
CHAITANYA DALUA - Respondent
CRI. MISC. 5148 Of 1999
Decided On : 10/17/2003
Section 197 - Criminal Misc. Case - Section 197, Cr. P. C. - Summary of Acts and Sections: Section 197, Cr. P. C.
Fact of the Case:
The petitioner filed a complaint against two police officers alleging assault and damage to property. The lower courts dismissed the complaint under Section 203, Cr. P. C. for lack of sanction under Section 197, Cr. P. C. The petitioner challenged these orders in the higher court.
Finding of the Court:
The court found that the alleged acts by the police officers were in discharge of their official duty and required sanction under Section 197, Cr. P. C. The courts below rightly concluded that the prosecution should fail in the absence of such sanction.
Issues: The main issue was whether the acts of the police officers were directly concerned with their official duties and required sanction under Section 197, Cr. P. C.
Ratio Decidendi: The court applied the principle that Section 197, Cr. P. C. provides protection to public servants against frivolous prosecution for acts done in discharge of their official duty. It emphasized that the requirement for sanction depends on the facts and circumstances of each case.
Final Decision: The Criminal Misc. case was dismissed, upholding the lower courts' findings that the prosecution should fail in the absence of sanction under Section 197, Cr. P. C.
A. S. NAIDU, J.
( 1 ) THIS Criminal Misc. Case has been filed invoking inherent jurisdiction of this Court under Section 482, Cr. P. C. by the petitioner whose complaint petition, filed against two public servants, has been dismissed under Section 203, Cr. P. C. in absence of sanction as required under Section 197, Cr. P. C. 2. For appreciating the contentions, the necessary facts in gist may be stated as follows : the petitioner filed a complaint case in the court of the learned S. D. J. M. , Bhadrak against the opposite parties who are police officers alleging therein that on October 12, 1998 at about 9 P. M. the accused persons came on a motor cycle to her house during the absence Of her father, knocked at the door, forcibly entered into the house giving her a push and searched for her uncle makhanlal Das. It is alleged that when they failed to trace out said Makhanlal, opposite party No. 1 accused the petitioner in filthy language, caught hold of her left hand and tore the front-portion of her wearing dress. It is also alleged that opposite party No. 2 forcibly closed her mouth when she started to shout. However, hearing hue and cry, her mother along with her sisters reached the spot and on their protest, the accused persons damaged two earthen water-posts, kicked at the rice pot and left the spot threatening the petitioner to kill her if she would dispose the incident before anybody. The said complaint petition was registered as i. C. C. No. 429 of 1998. The learned S. D. J. M. after recording initial statement of the complainant inquired about the matter under s. 202, Cr. P. C. , recorded the statements of two witnesses and thereafter issued process against the opposite parties after taking cognizance of the offence under Ss. 427, 354, 294 and 448, I. P. C. The opposite parties appeared and filed a petition to
( 2 ) RECONSIDER the order directing issue of process and to recall the said order mainly on the ground that both the accused being public servants and the incident having occurred during the due discharge of their official duty in connection with Bhandaripokhari P. S. Case No. 363 of 1998 while they had gone to the house of the complainant in search of accused makhanlal Das who happens to be the material uncle of the complainant. The order taking cognizance of the alleged offences in absence of sanction as mandatorily required under Section 197, Cr. P. C. , is not just and proper.
( 3 ) THE learned S. D. J. M. by his order dated 22-4-1999 recalled the order taking cognizance and dismissed the complaint petition under Section 203, Cr. P. C. on the ground that no sanction under Section 197, cr. P. C. had been obtained by the complainant. The said order of the S. D. J. M. was challenged by the petitioner before the learned additional Sessions Judge, Bhadrak in Crl. Revision No. 38 of 1999. The revisional Court also confirmed the finding of the trial Court and dismissed the revision by its order dated 6-9-1999. The present petition has been filed invoking inherent jurisdiction of this Court challenging the aforesaid two orders.
( 4 ) LEARNED counsel for the petitioner at the very inception submitted that unless the orders impugned are set aside, great injustice would be done to the petitioner inasmuch as she has no other remedy. According to the learned counsel, the oders impugned amount to abuse of process of law and need to be interfered with in exercise of inherent powers conferred upon this Court under Section 482, Cr. P. C.
( 5 ) MR. Palit, learned counsel for the opposite parties at the other hand submitted that both the opposite parties are admittedly government employees being police offiers. They entered into the house of the petitioner in search of one Makhanlal Das, who is admittedly an accused in Bhandaripokhari P. S. Case No. 363 of 1998. They had reliable information that the said accused who was avoiding arrest, was harbouring in the house of the petitioner. Thus, all that they did, they had only ent
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