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2021 Supreme(All) 79

IN THE HIGH COURT OF ALLAHABAD
YOGENDRA KUMAR SRIVASTAVA, J.
Ajmer – Appellant
Versus
State of U.P. – Respondent
Application U/S 482 No.19804 of 2020
Decided on : 02-02-2021

Advocates:
Advocate Appeared:
For the Appellant : Atul Tej Kulshrestha

Headnote:

Section 482 Cr.P.C. - Quashing of order refusing to summon witnesses - Section 311 Cr.P.C. - Medical reports - Scope and exercise of power to summon witnesses - Mohanlal Shamji Soni v Union of India and another, 1991 SCC (Cri) 595; U.T. of Dadra and Nagar Haveli v Fatehsinh Mohansinh Chauhan, (2006) 7 SCC 529; Natasha Singh v CBI, (2013) 5 SCC 741; Rajaram Prasad Yadav v State of Bihar and another, (2013) 14 SCC 461

Fact of the Case:

The applicant sought to quash the order refusing to summon certain doctors as witnesses to prove medical reports in a criminal case. The court considered the exercise of power under Section 311 Cr.P.C. and the nature and scope of summoning witnesses.

Finding of the Court:

The court found that the discretion to summon witnesses under Section 311 Cr.P.C. is wide and should be exercised judiciously to meet the ends of justice. It held that the subsequent treatment of the injured at a different hospital would not be of material consequence to the trial, and declined the request to summon other doctors.

Issues: The main issue was the exercise of the court's discretion under Section 311 Cr.P.C. to summon witnesses and the scope of summoning witnesses to prove medical reports in a criminal case.

Ratio Decidendi: The court's decision was based on the principles outlined in various cases, emphasizing the need to summon witnesses only if their evidence is essential to the just decision of the case, and to ensure fairness and proper opportunities for all parties involved.

Final Decision: The court dismissed the application, finding no material error or illegality in the exercise of discretion by the lower court in refusing to summon certain doctors as witnesses.

JUDGMENT :

1. Heard Sri Atul Tej Kulshrestha, learned counsel for the applicant and Sri Ratnendu Kumar Singh, learned Additional Government Advocate appearing for the State – opposite party.

2. The present application under Section 482 Cr.P.C. has been filed seeking to quash the order dated 11.09.2020 passed by the learned Additional Sessions Judge, Court No.11, Muzaffarnagar in S.T. No.575 of 2015 (State Vs. Jai Singh and others), under Section 307 I.P.C., P.S. Bhopa, District Muzaffarnagar to the extent that the request for summoning Dr. Sandeep Bansal, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Dilshad Garden, Delhi and the doctors at Anand Hospital, Meerut and AIIMS Hospital, New Delhi as witnesses to prove the medical reports prepared by them, has been refused.

3. In response to an objection taken by the learned Additional Government Advocate with regard to the entertainability of the present application the learned counsel for the applicant submits that the order passed by the learned Additional Sessions Judge under Section 311 Cr.P.C. is of an interlocutory nature and accordingly the remedy of revision against the said order is barred in terms of Section 397(2) Cr.P.C. To support his contention reliance has been placed on the decision in Seturaman v Rajamanickam, (2009) 5 SCC 153, wherein it has been held that the orders issued by the trial court on an application filed under Section 311 Cr.P.C. are interlocutory in nature and a revision against such order is barred under Section 397(2) Cr.P.C. The relevant observations made in the decision are as follows:

    “5. Secondly, what was not realised was that the orders passed by the trial court refusing to call the documents and rejecting the application under Section 311 CrPC, were interlocutory orders and as such, the revision against those orders was clearly barred under Section 397(2) CrPC. The trial court, in its common order, had clearly mentioned that the cheque was admittedly signed by the respondent-accused and the only defence that was raised, was that his signed cheques were lost and that the appellant complainant had falsely used one such cheque. The trial court also recorded a finding that the documents were not necessary. This order did not, in any, manner, decide anything finally. Therefore, both the orders i.e. one on the application under Section 91 CrPC for production of documents and other on the application under Section 311 CrPC for recalling the witness, were the orders of interlocutory nature, in which case, under Section 397(2), revision was clearly not maintainable. Under such circumstances, the learned Judge could not have interfered in his revisional jurisdiction...”

4. Having regard to the aforesaid, the objection with regard to the entertainability of the petition cannot be sustained inasmuch as the remedy of revision is not available against the order passed under Section 311 Cr.P.C.

5. Even otherwise the availability of alternative remedy of revision under Section 397 Cr.P.C. by itself would not constitute a bar for entertaining an application under Section 482 Cr.P.C.,

6. As per the case set up by the applicant/informant, upon an F.I.R. lodged on 22.07.2014, registered as Case Crime No.176 of 2014, under Sections 147, 148, 149, 452, 307, 506 I.P.C., P.S. as held in Dhariwal Tobacco Products Ltd. Vs. State of Maharashtra, (2009) 2 SCC 370 and affirmed in Prabhu Chawla v State of Rajasthan and another, (2016) 16 SCC 30, Bhopal, District Muzaffarnagar, the case was investigated and Charge Sheet No.261 of 2014 was submitted on 16.10.2014.

7. An application (paper no.175 Kha) under Section 311 Cr.P.C. is stated to have been filed by the applicant/informant on 02.09.2020 before the learned Additional District and Sessions Judge, Court No.11, Muzaffarnagar wherein it was contended that certain medical reports had not been proved and for the said purpose the doctors may be summoned as witnesses.

8. Learned Additional Sessions Judge partly allowed the aforesaid application and s

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