IN THE HIGH COURT OF ALLAHABAD
ANIL KUMAR OJHA, J.
Sher Ali - Applicant
Versus
State of U.P. and Another - Opposite Parties
Application U/s 482 No. 12850 of 2021
Decided On : 05-10-2021
Constitution of India, 1950 - Article 226/227 - Criminal Procedural Code, 1973 - Section 397(2), 482, 397 – Indian Penal Code, 1860 – 323, 504 and 506 - Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act), 1989 - Section 14A(1), 3(1)(D) - SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015 - Section 14a – Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt – Punishment for Criminal Intimidation - Whether an order challenged is interlocutory or not as for Section 397(2) of Code - Whether such order was passed during interim stage - Whether by upholding objections raised by a party, it would result in culminating proceedings, if so any order passed on such objections would not be merely interlocutory in nature as envisaged in Section 397(2) of Code.
Findings of the court :
Full Bench of Court in Re: Provision of Section 14a of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015 while answering question B has specifically stated-"we hold also in light of our finding that word "order" as occurring in sub-section (1) of Section 14A would also include intermediate orders - Intermediate order is passed by Special Court or an exclusive Special Court in case relating to an offence in S.C./S.T. Act, that will come in category of order as provided under Section 14A(1) of SC/ST Act against which only an appeal shall lie before High Court, both on facts and on law.
Result : Application U/s 482 Cr.P.C. disposed of
JUDGMENT :
1. Heard learned counsel for the applicant, learned A.G.A. for the State and perused the record.
2. This Application U/s 482 Cr.P.C. has been filed with a prayer to quash the entire criminal proceeding of Special S.T. No.187 of 2020 U/s 323, 504 and 506 I.P.C. and Section 3(1)(D), Dha SC/ST Act, P.S. Naini, District Prayagraj pending before learned Special Judge SC/ST Act, Allahabad (Prayagraj) arising out of Case Crime No. 0223 of 2020 U/s 323, 504, 506 I.P.C. and Section 3(1)(D), Dha SC/ST Act, P.S. Naini, District Prayagraj alongwith charge-sheet dated 09.07.2020 submitted by the police against the applicant for the offence as well as cognizance order dated 2.12.2020 passed by learned Special Judge SC/ST Act, Allahabad (Prayagraj).
3. In Girish Kumar Suneja v. CBI, (2017) 14 SCC 809, three Judge Bench of Hon'ble Apex Court has made following observations in para nos. 21, 22 and 23:
22. The view expressed in Amar Nath and Madhu Limaye was followed in K.K. Patel v. State of Gujarat wherein a revision petition was filed challenging the taking of cognizance and issuance of a process. It was said :
It is now well-nigh settled that in deciding whether an order challenged is interlocutory or not as for Section 397(2) of the Code, the sole test is not whether such order was passed during the interim stage (vide Amar Nath v. State of Haryana, Madhu Limaye v. State of Maharashtra, V.C. Shukla v. State through CBI and Rajendra Kumar Sitaram Pande v. Uttam. The feasible test is whether by upholding the objections raised by a party, it would result in culminating the proceedings, if so any order passed on such objections would not be merely interlocutory in nature as envisaged in Section 397(2) of the Code. In the present case, if the objection raised by the appellants were upheld by the Court the entire prosecution proceedings would have been terminated. Hence, as per the said standard, the order was revisable."
23. We may note that in different cases, different expressions are used for the same category of orders-sometimes it is called an intermediate order, sometimes a quasi-final order and sometimes it is called an order that is a matter of moment. Our preference is for the expression "intermediate order" since that brings out the nature of the order more explicitly."
4. From the perusal of the prayer made by applicant, it is clear that applicant has prayed to quash the cognizance order dated 2.12.2020 passed by learned Special Judge SC/ST Act, Allahabad (Prayagraj) which reads as follows:
vkt foospd {ks=kf/kdkjh djNu% Á;kxjkt vijk/k la[;k&223@2020] /kkjk&323] 504 o 506 Hkkjrh; n.M lafgrk ,oa /kkjk&8¼1½ Mh] ,p vuq0 tkfr@vuq0 tu0 vR;kpkj fu0 vf/k0] Fkkuk uSuh ls lEcf/kr leLr Ái= ,oa vkjksii= ds lkFk U;k;ky; esa mifLFkr gSA muds }kjk vfHk;qDr 'ksj vyh ds fo#) /kkjk&323] 504 o 506 Hkkjrh; n.M lafgrk ,oa /kkjk&3¼2½ Mh] ,p vuq0 tkfr@vu
Point of law : Insofar as the powers of the Court with respect to revisional jurisdiction is concerned, we find that the provisions of Section 397 Cr.P.C. stand impliedly excluded by virtue of the sp....
Point of law: Sc ST Act – Interlocutory order - Thus if any intermediate order is passed by Special Court or an exclusive Special Court in case relating to an offence in the S.C./S.T. Act, that will ....
The court clarified the nature of an intermediate order and emphasized the binding nature of legal propositions established by the Hon'ble Apex Court.
Appeal under Section 14-A of Schedule Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 is maintainable against orders passed by Special Court except against interlocutory orders.
The order of taking cognizance of offences and charge-sheet on a printed proforma without the application of judicial mind is illegal and liable to be quashed.
Cognizance taken without hearing the accused for added charges under IPC is unsustainable; rights to a fair process must be preserved.
The court emphasized that orders taken cognizance of serious offences must be reasoned to meet justice standards, underscoring constitutional rights involved.
The main legal point established in the judgment is the interpretation of the maintainability of revisional jurisdiction under Section 397(1) of CrPC and the limitations on invoking the inherent powe....
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