IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD
ASHUTOSH SRIVASTAVA, J.
Mayank Agrawal and another – Appellant
Versus
State of U.P. and another - Respondents
Criminal Misc. Application No. 1081 of 2007
Decided on : 02-12-2021
Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 - Section 482, 156(1), (2), (3), 202, 200, 404 – Indian Penal Code, 1860 - Section 378 and 379 - Quashing of entire proceedings - Application filed seeking quashing of entire proceedings of Complaint – Held, In Hira Lal v. State of U.P., parameters of interference with a criminal proceeding by High Court in exercise of its jurisdiction under Section 482 of Code are well known - One of grounds on which such interference is permissible is that allegations contained in complaint petition even if given face value and taken to be correct in their entirety, commission of an offence is not disclosed - High Court may also interfere where action on part of complainant is mala fide - Court is of considered opinion that continuation of criminal proceedings against applicants is an abuse of process of Court and ends of justice requires that said proceedings be quashed - Application allowed.
JUDGMENT :
Ashutosh Srivastava, J.
Heard the learned counsel for the applicants and the learned AGA for the State. No one has appeared on behalf of the opposite party No. 2.
2. The instant application under Section 482 Cr.P.C. has been filed seeking quashing of the entire proceedings of Complaint Case No. 32253 of 2005 (Gopal v. Mahesh Chandra Agarwal and another) under Section 379 IPC, pending before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Allahabad.
3. The aforesaid complaint case was registered pursuant to the order of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Allahabad vide order dated 5.12.2005 (Annexure-5 to the affidavit filed in support of the application under Section 482 Cr.P.C.). The opposite party No. 2 Gopal son of late Ram Jani on 29.11.2005 filed an application under Section 156 (3) Cr.P.C. impleading the applicants and alleging inter alia that he is employed as a ''Bandi Rakshak'' in Pratapgarh District Jail and his permanent address is 13/15 Clive Road, Allahabad. He has been residing at their address since his childhood and has undergone schooling from the said address. The Bungalow No. 13/15 Clive Road, Civil Lines, Allahabad belonged to an Englishman W.H. Tuck and his father and mother late Ram Jani and late Shanti Devi worked for him and resided in a quarter of the bungalow. One Ravi Kumar, nephew, who was a student of Allahabad University also used to reside with them. The application under Section 156 (3) Cr.P.C. further stated that he was employed at Pratapgarh District Jail, but used to visit Allahabad on holidays and reside in the quarter alongwith his family. A lot of household goods were kept in the quarter at Allahabad. On 20.10.2005 the nephew of the opposite party No. 2 was residing alone in the quarter and he locked the quarter and went to attend to his friend who was hospitalized and returned in the morning of 21.10.2005 at 7:00 a.m. only to find that the lock had been broken and his neighbours informed him that the applicants who were the owners of the bungalow had broken the lock and carried away all the household articles of the opposite party No. 2 and put their lock. A police report was tried to be lodged by the nephew, but the same was not registered whereafter information was sent by registered post to the police authorities, but the same also did not bear any fruits. Help was also sought from the Akhil Bhartiya Sri Balmiki Navyuvak Sangh which also did not bear any fruits and meanwhile the applicants demolished three rooms of the quarter. After not receiving any response from the authorities, the opposite party No. 2 is constrained to approach the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Allahabad by preferring the application under Section 156 (3) Cr.P.C.
4. The application under Section 156 (3) Cr.P.C. was taken up by the learned Chief Judicial Magistrate on 5.12.2005 and after recording the absence of the opposite party No. 2 opined that it was not a fit case to direct the police to register a case and investigate, but directed the case to proceed as a complaint case and fixed a date for recording of the statements of complainant (opposite party No. 2). Thereafter the statements of the complainant (opposite party No. 2) was got recorded under Section 200 Cr.P.C. and the statements of the witnesses Dinesh Kumar son of late Nankoo and Ravi Kumar son of Sri Kali Charan were got recorded under Section 202 Cr.P.C. and the learned C.J.M. vide order dated 25.8.2006 took cognizance of the complaint and summoned the applicants under Section 379 I.P.C.
Aggrieved the applicants have sought quashing of the entire proceedings of the complaint case.
5. It is vehemently contended on behalf of the applicants that the complaint has been filed on incorrect facts with mala fide intentions and oblique motive simply to harass and victimize them. The opposite party No. 2 has lodged the complaint consequent to the refusal of the applicants to give the outhouse to the nephew of the opposite party No. 2. He submits that the bungalow No. 13/15, Cliv
Dr. Raghubir Saran v. State of Bihar and another (AIR 1964 SC 1)
Janata Dal v. H.S. Chowdhary (1992 (4) SCC 305)
Manoj Mahavir Prasad Khaitan v. Ram Gopal Poddar and another
Mrs. Dhanalakshmi v. R. Prasanna Kumar and others (AIR 1990 SC 494)
Rashmi Kumar (Smt.) v. Mahesh Kumar Bhada (1997 (2) SCC 397)
Rajesh Bajaj v. State NCT of Delhi and others AIR 1999 SC 1216
Rupan Deol Bajaj (Mrs.) and another v. Kanwar Pal Singh Gill and another (1995 (6) SCC 194)
Raghubir Saran (Dr.) v. State of Bihar (AIR 1964 SC 1
R.P. Kapur v. State of Punjab (AIR 1960 SC 866)
State of Kerala and others v. O.C. Kuttan and others (1999 (2) SCC 651)
State of U.P. v. O.P. Sharma (1996 (7) SCC 705)
Satvinder Kaur v. State (Government of NCT of Delhi) and another (1999 (8) SCC 728)
State of Karnataka v. M. Devendrappa and another (2002 (3) SCC 89).
State of Haryana and others v. Bhajan Lal and others
State of Andhra Pradesh v. Golconda Linga Swamy and another
The Janata Dal etc. v. H.S. Chowdhary and others
Zandu Pharmaceutical Works Ltd. v. Mohd. Sharaful Haque
State of Bihar v. P.P. Sharma (AIR 1996 SC 309)
Rupan Deol Bajaj v. Kanwar Pal Singh Gill (1995 (6) SCC 194)
State of Kerala v. O.C. Kuttan (AIR 1999 SC 1044)
State of U.P. v. O.P. Sharma (1996 (7) SCC 705)
Point of Law : Powers possessed by the High Court under Section 482 of the Code are very wide and the very plenitude of the power requires great caution in its exercise. Court must be careful to see ....
The main legal point established in the judgment is the requirement for a prima facie case to be made out against the accused and the limitations on the court's power to appreciate evidence at the pr....
The evidence produced by the accused in his defense cannot be looked into by the court at the pre-trial stage. The court's power under Section 482 Cr.P.C. to quash criminal proceedings is to prevent ....
High Court is entitled to quash a proceeding if it comes to conclusion that allowing proceeding to continue would be abuse of process of Court or that ends of justice require that proceeding ought to....
High Court should persuade it to quash such criminal proceedings in exercise of power vested in it under Section 482 Cr.P.C. Such exercise of power, besides doing justice to accused, would save preci....
Point of law : Needless to point out that if the law provides a particular remedy to an accused, then it is always open for him to exhaust the same while approaching the concerned Court while filing ....
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