Dishonour of Cheque – Voice Samples – Conversation on mobile phones were basis of business transactions – Direction issued to take the sample voice of the accused for comparison of voice with the voice recorded in the mobile phone of the complainant

Mr. Hari Pal Verma, J. (Oral) - The petitioner has filed the present petition filed under Section 482 Cr.P.C for quashing the order dated 5.8.2017 passed by the learned Additional Sessions Judge as well as order dated 8.6.2017 passed by Judicial Magistrate, Ist Class, Hisar whereby the application filed by the petitioner-complainant for issuance of a direction to the respondent to give his voice sample before the CFSL, Chandigarh so as to compare it with the voice recorded on the mobile phone of the petitioner was dismissed.

2. It is stated that the petitioner-complainant has filed a complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act,1881 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Act’) with an averment that the complainant has dumper trucks and deals in supply and carriage of the building material. Accordingly, the respondent/accused who is a contractor of roads of Villages Gorchi and Shamsukh, had taken the contract for the period w.e.f June, 2014 to September, 2014 for the purpose of construction of the road on that stretch. The respondent-accused availed carriage service for transporting building material through the vehicle of the complainant and had also purchased building material i.e. Red stone from the complainant during July, 2014 to September, 2014. Since there was no formal document executed between the parties regarding the agreement or order placed by the accused for supply of the building material, the petitioner and respondent accused used to converse on their mobile phones. The petitioner’s mobile No. is 8295958848 whereas the mobile number of the accused is 9896418111. For providing dumper service and the building material supplied by the complainant to the accused a considerable amount had become due. Therefore in order to discharge the outstanding liability for the materials supplied by the complainant, the respondent had issued two cheques i.e. Cheque No. 847087 dated 25.2.2016 for an amount of Rs. 2 lacs and cheque No. 015142 dated 25.2.2016 for an amount of Rs. 4 lacs. Both the cheques were drawn on Oriental Bank of Commerce, Police Lines, Area Hisar. The cheque as given by the accused was presented before the Bank but the same was dishonoured on account of insufficiency of funds which led to filing of the complaint under Section 138 of the Act.

3. Since there was no formal agreement executed between the parties, the petitioner had moved an application for issuance of a direction by the trial court to the accused to gave a sample of his voice before the CFSL, Chandigarh, so as to compare the conversation recorded by the complainant on his mobile phone with the voice of respondent-accused. However, the application was dismissed by the trial court with the observations that it cannot be relied upon that these CDs are a talk between the complainant and accused. Mere examination by the Director FSL and the report submitted by him does not mean that this conversation is related to the cheques with respect to which complainant has filed the complaint. The said order was challenged by way of revision petition before the learned Additional Sessions Judge, Hisar. However vide order dated 5.8.2017, same was dismissed.

4. Learned counsel for the petitioner has argued that in order to succeed in the complaint, it is necessary for the petitioner to examine the conversation between the parties i.e. voice of the petitioner viz-a-viz the respondent-accused. He has referred to the conversation between the parties (Annexure P-7).

5. It is further argued that the petitioner had extended his carriage service and had supplied building material to the respondent-accused and it is in response thereto the respondent had issued these cheques. Since there is no formal document between the parties regarding placing of order by the accused, in the absence of such a document, the conversation which had taken place between the parties is necessary to be proved. The same can be proved only by testing the voice of the accused