High Court Of Madhya Pradesh
H. R. Krishnan, J.
KANHAIYALAL - Appellant
Versus
DEVI SINGH - Respondents
Criminal Revn. 121 Of 1960
Decided On : 12/24/1960
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE - SECTIONS 107 AND 145 - MIXING UP OF SECTIONS IN A SINGLE PROCEEDING - IRREGULARITY - NO PREJUDICE OR MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE - PROCEEDINGS NOT TO BE QUASHED.
Fact of the Case:
A dispute concerning agricultural land led to a proceeding under Sections 107 and 145 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The magistrate mixed up both sections in a single proceeding, finding the applicants in revision to have forcibly dispossessed the non-applicant within two months of the preliminary order. The magistrate made a final order under Section 145 in favor of the non-applicant and bound the applicants under Section 107 to keep the peace.
Finding of the Court:
The court found that mixing Sections 107 and 145 in a single proceeding was an irregularity, but it did not result in prejudice or miscarriage of justice. The court also found that the magistrate's failure to mention Sections 112, 113, and 118 in the notices and orders did not have any practical consequences as the parties understood the proceedings clearly. Additionally, the court held that the magistrate's issuance of summons to witnesses other than those who filed affidavits was not a breach of a mandatory provision.
Issues: 1. Whether mixing Sections 107 and 145 of the CrPC in a single proceeding is an irregularity. 2. Whether the magistrate's failure to mention Sections 112, 113, and 118 in the notices and orders rendered the proceedings illegal. 3. Whether the magistrate's issuance of summons to witnesses other than those who filed affidavits was a breach of a mandatory provision.
Ratio Decidendi: 1. Mixing Sections 107 and 145 of the CrPC in a single proceeding is an irregularity, but it does not necessarily lead to prejudice or miscarriage of justice. The test is whether the parties were confused or whether there was a miscarriage of justice. 2. The magistrate's failure to mention Sections 112, 113, and 118 in the notices and orders did not have any practical consequences as the parties understood the proceedings clearly. 3. The magistrate's issuance of summons to witnesses other than those who filed affidavits was not a breach of a mandatory provision. Sub-section (9) of Section 145 of the CrPC is wide and enables a party to move the magistrate to issue summons for the attendance of any witness.
Final Decision: The court dismissed the application in revision, holding that the irregularity of combining the two sections in one proceeding did not call for the quashing of the proceedings.
( 1 ) THIS case arises out of a report by the learned Sessions Judge Dewas, in an application in revision by the losing party in a proceeding under the Code of Criminal Procedure, the nature of which is to be set out presently. This involves the consideration of the scope of the respective Sections 107 and 145 of the Code and the effect of mixing them up in a single proceeding.
( 2 ) THERE was a dispute concerning some agricultural land, the identity of which was admitted by the parties. The applicants in revision were found by the learned First Class Magistrate not to have been in possession originally, but to have forcibly dispossessed the non-applicant within two months of the preliminary order of the learned magistrate. Till then, it was found that the non-applicant in revision was in possession. Accordingly, the magistrate made a final order under Section 145 in favour of the non-applicant directing the applicants to give up possession and not to disturb him, and further bound down under Section 107 Criminal Procedure Code, the members of the applicant's party to keep the peace, and called upon them to execute the appropriate bonds with sureties. In the preliminary order itself, both Sections 145 and 107 Criminal Procedure Code were mentioned and so also were they mentioned in the notice on the applicants' party calling upon them, on the one hand, to produce their documents and bring their evidence on the factum of their possession on the land and simultaneously to show cause why they should not be bound down under Section 107 with such and such sureties formaintaining the peace for a period of one year under Section 107. There were no separate proceedings but a single proceeding under both sections which is unusual enough. Both parties came, filed written-statements, adduced oral evidence; entered into argument and the like, but neither party objected to this mix up. After the final order, the losing party -- that is, the present applicants -- went up in revision to the Sessions Judge and pointed out that it was wrong to have composite proceedings under both the sections and as such, the entire proceeding should be quashed, and the findings of the magistrate about possession under Section 145 and his order under Section 118 should be set aside. The learned Sessions Judge accepted this position and has accordingly made a report recommending that the order should be set aside. Besides this main ground, he has also pointed out that oral evidence should not have been allowed because the parties did not file any affidavits. There is also an indication that on the merits the learned Sessions Judge was not satisfied on the finding in favour of the non-applicants' possession but that relates to facts and cannot, in any event, be gone into in revision.
( 3 ) IT is obvious that the scopes of the two Sections 107 and 145 Criminal Procedure Code, are different and it is not proper for a magistrate to mix them up in the same proceedings. Certainly, there is no legal ban against the magistrate proceeding simultaneously under both the sections against any party or parties, but the occasion would be unusual and, in any event, it would be proper to keep the two proceedings quite separate. The only common element in both the proceedings is that a breach of peace is likely, and it has to be forestalled and prevented by the Magistrate; but even in cases where the breach of peace is likely in course of a dispute regarding immovable property, the analogy stops there. When there is no immovable property involved, it is obvious that Section 145 does not come in, and it would be for the magistrate to consider whether action under Section 107 is indicated. But where there is a dispute concerning immovable property, it is the magistrate's discretion to decide whether he should at the first instance proceed only under Section 145, or he should simultaneously proceed in different proceedings under both the sections, or he should d
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