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2014 Supreme(All) 484

ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT
BEFORE : VIRENDRA VIKRAM SINGH, J.
KAMLESH KUMAR ....Applicant
Versus
STATE OF U.P. AND ANOTHER .....Opposite Parties
(Criminal Misc. Application No. 6127 of 2014, decided on 27th February, 2014)

Advocates:
Counsel :
Mangala Prasad Rai for the Applicant; A.G.A. for the Opposite Parties.

Headnote:(A) Criminal Procedure Code, 1973—Sections 311 and 482—(Indian) Penal Code, 1860—Sections 419, 420, 467 and 468—Document—Summoning of—Relating to selection of applicant as also General Secretary of U.P. Olympic Association—While passing impugned order trial Court has categorically observed that recording of such evidence is necessary to just decision of case—No interference. [Paras 2 and 7]

       (B) Criminal Procedure Code, 1973—Section 311—Object—Summoning of documents—There may not be failure of justice on account of mistake of either party in bringing valuable evidence on record—Or leaving ambiguity in statements of witnesses examined from either side. [Para 6]

       

JUDGMENT

Hon’ble Virendra Vikram Singh, J.—The applicant has approached this Court by way of moving application under Section 482 Cr.P.C. with the relief to quash the impugned order dated 6.2.2014 passed by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate VI, Varanasi, in Criminal Case No. 1454 of 2012 (State v. Kamlesh Kumar) arising out from Case Crime No. 334 of 2007, under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468 I.P.C. Police Station Shivpur, District Varanasi.

Heard learned counsel for the applicant and learned AGA for the State.

By the impugned order, the trial Court while exercising powers under Section 311 Cr.P. C. has summoned the documents relating to the selection of the applicant, as also Anandeshwar Pandey, General Secretary of the U.P. Olympic Association.

The accusation of the applicant in brief is that he obtained a job against fake and forged certificates about his participation in the high level games.

2. The argument of the learned counsel for the applicant is that the witnesses and the documents which have been summoned by the Court in exercise of powers under Section 311 Cr.P.C. are infact the evidence of the prosecution and the summoning of these documents and witnesses is infact a process to fill up the lacuna of the prosecution which cannot be the scope of Section 311 Cr.P.C.

3. The contention of the applicant definitely carries weight. In the case of Natasa Singh v. CBI, Criminal Appeal No. 709 of 2013 decided on 8.5.2013, it has been held that “an application under Section 311 Code of Criminal Procedure must not be allowed only to fill up a lacuna in the case of the prosecution, or of the defence or to disadvantage of the accused, or to cause serious prejudice to the defence of the accused, or to give an unfair advantage to the opposite party.”

4. It is true that the trial Courts are not supposed to fill up the lacuna of the prosecution. At this juncture it is proper to quote the provision of Section 311 Cr.P.C., which reads as follows :

311. Power to summon material witness, or examine person present: Any Court may, at any stage of any inquiry, trial or other proceeding under this Code, summon any person as a witness, or examine any person in attendance, though not summoned as a witness, or recall and re-examine any person already examined; and the Court shall summon and examine or recall and re-examine any such person if his evidence appears to it to be essential to the just decision of the case.

Bare perusal of Section 311 Cr.P.C. shows that it is divided in two paras. First part enables the Court to summon or recall any witness whereas the other part makes it obligatory on the Court to summon a witness which is necessary for the just decision of the case.

5. It is true that the Court shall not fill up the lacuna of the prosecution or the defence but it cannot be denied that whenever any witness shall be summoned by the Court under the provision of Section 311 Cr.P.C., it has to be against the prosecution or the defence. The legal analogy that the Courts are not supposed to fill up the lacuna or the accused by way of exercising powers under Section 311 Cr.P.C., in no way, can be interpreted that the Courts shall not summon any witness or the evidence which is against the prosecution or the accused. If this interpretation is given to the legal acceptance, the Court apprehends that the wide powers provided to the trial Court under Section 311 Cr.P.C. shall loose all its importance for the simple reason that whenever any witness is summoned by the Court under Section 311 Cr.P.C., it will either favour the prosecution or the accused. This fact of Section 311 Cr.P.C. has been considered in the case of Iddar and others v. Aabida and another, AIR 2007 SC 3029 and has been relied upon in the judgment of Rajaram Prasad Yadav v. State of Bihar and another, AIR 2013 SCC 3081. In para 11 of the judgment, the Apex Court has held as follows :

11. “The object underlying Section 311 of the Code is that there may not be failure of just










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