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2017 Supreme(All) 494

IN THE HIGH COURT OF ALLAHABAD
Amar Singh Chauhan, J.
Dinesh Chandra Sinha - Applicant
Versus
State of U.P. And Another - Respondents
Criminal Misc. Application No. 26944 of 2009
Decided On : 09-03-2017

Advocates Appeared:
For the Applicant : Ajay Kumar Pandey, Dinesh Tiwari, Lav. Srivastava, Satish Trivedi
For the Opposite Party : A.K. Pandey, H.K. Singh, V.K. Shukla, Virendra Kr. Shukla

The central legal point established in the judgment is that the cognizance against the applicant, acting in his capacity as a Notary, appeared to be barred by Section 13 of the Notaries Act, 1952.

Headnote:

Inherent Jurisdiction - Quashing of Criminal Proceedings - Sections 419, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 IPC - Notaries Act, 1952

Fact of the Case:

The applicant, a practicing Advocate and Notary, sought to quash criminal proceedings initiated against him under sections 419, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 IPC, alleging his involvement in a forged Will. The applicant contended that the prosecution was misconceived and initiated in violation of law, as he had acted in his capacity as a Notary under the Notaries Act, 1952.

Finding of the Court:

The Court found that the prosecution against the applicant was unjustified and devoid of merit, as the cognizance against the applicant appeared to be barred by Section 13 of the Notaries Act, 1952. The impugned orders were quashed, and the Magistrate was directed to decide the matter afresh after applying judicial mind in accordance with the law.

Issues: The issues revolved around the legality of the criminal proceedings initiated against the applicant, his role as a Notary, and the applicability of Section 13 of the Notaries Act, 1952.

Ratio Decidendi: The Court emphasized that the cognizance against the applicant appeared to be barred by Section 13 of the Notaries Act, 1952, and that the Magistrate should have considered the prima facie case at the stage of framing the charges, rather than appreciating the evidence.

Final Decision: The application was allowed, and the impugned orders were quashed, with a direction to the Magistrate concerned to decide afresh the matter after applying judicial mind in accordance with the law.

JUDGMENT :

Amar singh chauhan, J.

The applicant Dinesh Chandra Sinha through the present application moved under section 482 Cr.P.C. has invoked the inherent jurisdiction of this Court with a prayer to quash the impugned order dated 07.10.2009, passed by Incharge Sessions Judge, Jaunpur as well as order dated 28.8.2009, passed by Judicial Magistrate 1st Jaunpur in Case Crime No. C-14 of 2005, under sections 419, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 IPC, Police Station Machhalishahar, District Jaunpur and further prayed to stay the aforesaid proceeding.

2. The facts which are requisite to be stated for adjudication of this application are that the opposite party no. 2 on 01.4.2005 filed an application under section 156(3) Cr.P.C. alleging herself to be widow of one Sri Ram Bind. On 30.12.1994, Sri Ram Bind executed a Will and the Will deed was registered in the name of the daughters of opposite party no. 2 namely Smt. Dupatti Devi and Usha Devi and on the basis of said registered Will the name of opposite party no. 2 was got mutated in revenue record. It is also alleged that after the death of husband of opposite party no. 2 on 27.6.1999, her nephew Vijay Lal son of Pati Ram made conspiracy and prepared a forged notary Will by forging thumb impression of her husband. Thus indulgence of the Court was sought for direction to the police for investigating the said offence which is said to have been committed by Vijay Lal and his associates namely Ashok Kumar and Rama Shankar Yadav. Submission of learned counsel is that applicant is not named in the application moved under section 156(3) Cr.P.C. which was allowed and case was registered as Crime No. C-14 of 2005, under sections 419, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 IPC at Police Station Machhalishahar, District Jaunpur on 10.8.2005. After concluding the investigation the Investigating Officer submitted final report against which protest petition was filed thereupon the further investigation was ordered. Ultimately, police submitted charge-sheet against three persons namely Vijay Lal, Rama Shankar and Ashok Kumar in the year 2007. Applicant was not charge-sheeted as such applicant was not affected by the aforesaid case in any manner whatsoever. However, to the utter surprise to the applicant, investigating agency, without collecting any further evidence or any evidence whatsoever either documentary or oral, submitted a supplementary charge-sheet naming applicant as accused in the above noted case. At this stage, it is relevant to point out that the applicant is a practicing Advocate and was enrolled as an Advocate by Bar Council in the year 1968. He is practicing at Machhalishahar in the revenue side where there has been Court of Sub-Divisional Magistrate and the Tehsildar. In the year 1989, applicant was appointed as Notary under the Notaries Act, 1952 and since then he has been regularly performing his duties as Notary. His name as Notary was thus duly entered into register maintained under the Notaries Act, 1952 entitling him to practise as Notary and perform his duties as such. The basic allegation against the applicant in the present case relates to his functioning as Notary whereby he had verified and certified execution of said instrument purporting to be Will of Sri Ram Bind. It appears that the aforesaid Will of Sri Ram Bind was presented before him as Notary and on the said document/instrument, one Kunwar Bharat Singh, Advocate of Machhalishahar had identified him. It is also categorically submitted that at the time when the aforesaid document was presented before the applicant for authentication, no photograph was affixed. Thus, applicant has acted only upon identification of thumb impression which was done by an Advocate of Machhalishahar, who was also known to the applicant. In fact, neither there is any allegation nor there is any evidence that the applicant being a Notary had any knowledge whatsoever to the effect that the said document is not a genuine document. The applicant was performing h






















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