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2025 Supreme(All) 2456

IN THE HIGH COURT OF ALLAHABAD 
RAJNISH KUMAR, J.
Mohd. Kasim Usmani & Ors. - Petitioners
Versus
State of U.P. & Ors. - Respondents
Criminal Misc. Writ Petition No. 28135 of 2018
Decided On : 18-04-2025

Advocates Appeared:
For the Petitioner: Rajeiu Kumar Tripathi, Diwakar Singh Gautam, Rajeiu Kumar Tripathi.
For the Respondent:Govt. Advocate, Akhilesh Pratap Singh, Anurag Tiwari, Ashok Kumar Verma, Avadhesh Kumar Shukla, Gayasuddeen, Hari Bux Singh, Mahmood Alam, Mayank Dwivedi, Mohd. Shahanshah Newaz Khan.

Parallel proceedings under Section 145 Cr.P.C. are impermissible when a civil suit regarding the same property is pending, as the civil court's decisions on title and possession are binding.

Headnote:(A) Constitution of India - Article 227 - Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 - Section 145 - Quashing of proceedings under Section 145 Cr.P.C. - Petitioners claimed ownership and possession of property, asserting that proceedings were maintainable only when no civil suit was pending - Court found that the proceedings were initiated despite ongoing civil litigation, thereby violating the principles against multiplicity of litigation - Orders of the Magistrate and Revisional Court were set aside for lack of basis in law and failure to consider the existing civil suits. (Paras 1, 2, 20, 25)

(B) Legal Principles - The principle that parallel proceedings under Section 145 Cr.P.C. should not continue when a civil suit regarding the same property is pending was reaffirmed, emphasizing that the civil court's determination on title and possession is binding on the criminal court. (Paras 12, 24)

Facts of the case:
The petitioners contested the legality of proceedings initiated under Section 145 Cr.P.C. by the respondent, claiming possession of their ancestral property and asserting that the respondent's application was filed only after they initiated a civil suit for injunction. (Paras 3, 4)

Findings of Court:
The court concluded that the impugned orders were unsustainable due to the ongoing civil litigation and absence of emergency justification for the attachment order. (Paras 25, 26)

Issues: The main issues included the maintainability of the Section 145 application in light of pending civil suits and whether the Magistrate had sufficient grounds to declare an emergency. (Paras 10, 25)

Ratio Decidendi: The court held that the existence of ongoing civil suits precluded the Magistrate from exercising jurisdiction under Section 145, emphasizing the need for a clear emergency to justify such proceedings. (Paras 24, 25)

Result: The petition was allowed, and the impugned orders were set aside.

Table of Content
1. judicial proceedings initiated under article 227 against earlier judgments. (Para 1 , 2)
2. arguments regarding ownership, possession, and maintainability of proceedings. (Para 3 , 4 , 5 , 6)
3. court's review of procedural compliance and the implications of pending civil suits. (Para 10 , 11 , 20)
4. supreme court's stance on parallel proceedings under section 145 cr.p.c. (Para 22 , 23 , 24)
5. court's final ruling on the unsustainable nature of the impugned orders. (Para 25 , 26)

JUDGMENT :

Rajnish Kumar, J.

1. Heard, Shri Rajeiu Kumar Tripathi, learned counsel for the petitioners, Shri S.P. Tiwari, learned AGA for the State and Shri Mahmood Alam, learned counsel for the respondent no. 4.

2. This petition under Article 227 of the Constitution of India has been filed assailing the judgment and order dated 29.08.2018, passed in Criminal Revision No.141 of 2017 ( Mohd. Kasim Usmani and Others Vs. State of U.P. and Others ) by Third Additional Sessions Judge, Bahraich and the order dated 24.06.2017 passed in Case No.23 of 2015, under Section 145 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (here-in-after referred as Cr.P.C.) by the City Magistrate, Bahraich and to quash the proceedings of the said case.

3. Learned counsel for the petitioners submitted that the petitioners are the owner and in possession of the property in dispute since the time of their ancestors. Earlier, the names of predecessors of the petitioners were recorded in the records and now the petitioners' names are recorded. He further submitted that the proceedings under Section 145 Cr.P.C. are not maintainable as the dispute of title is also pending before the civil court in one of the suits filed by the respondent no.4 for declaration as well as cancellation of the sale deed. Another suit filed by the petitioners for injunction is also pending before the civil court. It was only after coming to know about the institution of the suit for permanent injunction filed by the predecessor-in-interest of the petitioners, application under Section 145 Cr.P.C. was filed before the Magistrate, which is apparent from the fact that the specific plea of knowledge of the suit taken in paragraph-21 of the petition has not been specifically denied and only a vague reply has been given in paragraph-33 of the counter affidavit. He further submitted that the respondent no.4 admitted the possession of the predecessor-in-interest of the petitioners in the application itself, therefore, the application was not maintainable. He further submitted that the impugned order dated 24.06.2017 could not have been passed by the learned Magistrate because there was no report of emergent need for passing the order on account of breach of public peace and tranquility. The impugned order dated 24.06.2017 was passed on a report dated 30.06.2015, whereas not even a single incident was reported after that and it also does not disclose of any emergent need.No any further report was also sought in this regard.

4. He further submitted that the petitioners had placed ample evidence on the record of the court below to show that the petitioners have been in possession for a long time and are also paying the taxes etc. The sale deed dated 25.09.1937 of a neighbour was also placed on record, in which in the boundaries, the house of the petitioners has been shown in the south with the name of grand father of the petitioners. He further submitted that learned revisional court also without considering the aforesaid and grounds raised in the revision, dismissed the revision. He further submitted that no interim injunction has been granted by the civil court in either of the suits and if there was any urgency, the application could have been moved in the suits filed before the civil court. He further submitted that the possession can not be taken away from the petitioners in such an illegal manner. Thus, the submission is that the impugned orders are not sustainable in the eyes of law and liable to be set-aside. He

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