IN THE HIGH COURT OF ALLAHABAD
B. L. Yadav
PRATAP SINGH SHISHODIA - Appellant
Versus
STATE - Respondents
Criminal Revision 2075 Of 1984
Decided On : 05/04/1987
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE - SECTION 244 AND 245 - DISCHARGE OF ACCUSED - PROCEDURE - INTERPRETATION OF STATUTORY PROVISIONS - MANDATORY OR DIRECTORY - SCOPE OF SECTION 245(2) - GROUNDLESS CHARGE - MEANING AND APPLICATION.
Fact of the Case:
The case involved a complaint against Rajendra Kumar Tyagi for offenses under Sections 409, 420, and 468 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including criminal breach of trust, cheating, and forgery. The Magistrate, after recording the statements of three prosecution witnesses, passed an order purporting to discharge the accused under Section 245(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), holding that the charge was groundless.
Finding of the Court:
The High Court held that the Magistrate erred in passing the order of discharge without taking all the evidence as required under Section 244 of the CrPC. The Court observed that the word "shall" in Section 244(1) indicates that the procedure prescribed therein is mandatory and that the Magistrate was bound to proceed with the hearing and record all the evidence produced by the prosecution.
Issues: 1. Whether the Magistrate acted in accordance with the procedure prescribed under Sections 244 and 245 of the CrPC. 2. Whether the Magistrate was justified in passing an order of discharge under Section 245(2) of the CrPC without taking all the evidence.
Ratio Decidendi: 1. The Court held that the provisions of Section 244(1) of the CrPC are mandatory and impose an obligation on the Magistrate to proceed with the hearing and record all the evidence produced by the prosecution. 2. The Court interpreted the term "groundless" in Section 245(2) of the CrPC to mean "without any basis or foundation" and held that the Magistrate could only pass an order of discharge under this provision if there was no evidence at all to support the charge against the accused.
Final Decision: The High Court allowed the revision petition, set aside the impugned orders of discharge, and remanded the case back to the Magistrate with a direction to record the statements of the remaining prosecution witnesses and take other evidence. The Court also directed the Sessions Judge to entrust the case to a different Magistrate for further proceedings.
( 1 ) BY this revision under Section 397/401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1974, (for short the Code), the order dated 27/8/1984 and the order dated 6/9/1984, purporting to be orders of discharge passed under Section 245 of the Code, are sought to be quashed.
( 2 ) THE case has got a chequered history. One Devi Shankar Sharma, the District Harijan and Social Welfare Officer, Meerut, filed a written report against Rajendra Kumar Tyagi, opposite party No. 1, dated 18/20. 12. 1976 for the offence under Sections 409/420/468, I. P. C. The police of Baghpat, Distt. Meerut, in Crime No. 248/76, investigated the matter and submitted a final report. But one Pratap Singh Shishodia, the present applicant, filed a complaint before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, stating that the final report has incorrectly been submitted. On that complaint the chief Judicial Magistrate rejected the final report by order dated 20-11-1978 and passed an order for issuing process against opposite party No. 2 Rajendra Kumar Tyagi. Against the order dated 20-11-1978 of issuing process, Rajendra Kumar Tyagi filed a revision before the Sessions Judge Meerut which was dismissed by the VII Addi. Sessions Judge, Meerut, by his judgment an order dated 6- 2-1979. It was further directed in that order that if the offence was going unpunished, then after taking the statement of witnesses, if there appears sufficient evidence, the process may be issued. On that the statement of Pratap Singh Shishodia and his witnesses was recorded and on 12-9-1979 the process was issued against opposite party No. 2 for the offence under Sections 409/420/468, I. P. C. Against the order dated 12-9-1979 another revision was filed by Rajendra Kumar Tyagi (Revision No. 313 of 1979 ). This revision was also dismissed by the VI Additional District and Sessions Judge, Meerut, by the order dated 18-12-1979 and the order dated 12-9-1979 issuing process against Rajendra Kumar Tyagi was maintained. There after the statement of witnesses, i. e. P. W. 1 Devi Shankar Sharma, P. W. 2 Pratap Singh Shishodia and P. W. 3 Gopi Chand were recorded under Sections 244 of the Code. It appears that without waiting for such evidence as could have been produced in support of the prosecution, Sri ic. Sharma, Munsif Magistrate I, Baghpat, adopted a very unique procedure totally inconsistent with the provisions of Sections 244 and 245 of the Code and in his detailed impugned order dated 27/8/1984, expressed doubt in a numher of Paragraphs as to whether the offence under Section 409/420/468 was made out and whether the accused, opposite party No. 2 Rajendra Kumar Tyagi was entitled to be discharged under Section 245 of the Code. But in the last but one Paragraph of his order dt. 27/8/1984 he recorded a finding that as the Enquiry Officer (in the departmental proceedings) was also appointed to enquire into the allegations of misappropriation of the public fund by opposite party No. 2 Rajendra Kumar Tyagi, it appears that he (opposite party No. 2) has misused the public fund and hence there was more possibility of some offence being made out against him. In the last Paragraph of his order he stated that a list of 45 witnesses has been given by the complainant, and if he wants that this complaint may proceed in that event within ten days he must furnish a list of these witnesses whom he wants to produce to prove the guilt against opposite party No. 2.
( 3 ) AS in the impugned order dated 27-8-1984 in so many Paragraphs the learned Munsif has expressed doubt as to whether the offence under sections 409/420/468, I. P. C. was made out and whether the opposite party no. 2 was entitled to be discharged under Section 245 of the Code, hence an application dated 6-9-1984 was made by the complainant that he wants to file a revision before the Sessions Judge against the order dated 27-8-1984 and hence three months time may be allowed. That application was, however, rejected and opposite party No. 2 Rajendra Ku
Login now and unlock free premium legal research
Login to SupremeToday AI and access free legal analysis, AI highlights, and smart tools.
Login
now!
India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!
Copyright © 2023 Vikas Info Solution Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved.