RAJENDRA KUMAR VERMA
Prem Kumar – Appellant
Versus
Rajnish – Respondent
Based on the provided legal document, the key points are as follows:
The petitioner filed a petition under Section 482 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.P.C.) challenging the orders passed by the trial court, which had rejected applications under Section 91 of Cr.P.C. for the production of documents. The petitioner sought to produce income tax returns, balance sheets, bills, challans, and receipts to establish his innocence and demonstrate the transaction details with the complainant (!) .
The facts of the case involve the respondent filing a complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act against the petitioner, alleging issuance of a cheque that was dishonored due to insufficient funds. The petitioner was accused of issuing the cheque in relation to a business transaction involving purchase of materials and services (!) .
The petitioner argued that the documents sought are necessary to establish the truth of the transaction, to confront witnesses, and to ensure a fair trial, which is a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. The petitioner emphasized that the stage of the case was not appropriate for rejecting such applications and that these documents are crucial for a complete and fair defense (!) (!) .
The respondent contended that the presumption under Section 139 of the Negotiable Instruments Act shifts the burden onto the accused to prove that the cheque was not issued for any debt or liability. They argued that the trial court rightly dismissed the applications, as the initial presumption favors the complainant, and the petitioner has not sufficiently demonstrated the necessity of the documents at this stage (!) .
The court observed that while the application under Section 91 of Cr.P.C. is generally not maintainable at the stage of framing charges, the petitioner has the right to seek production of documents later in the trial to prove innocence. The court noted the importance of ensuring a fair trial and that the documents in question are relevant for confronting witnesses and establishing the facts of the case (!) (!) .
The court emphasized that the right to a fair trial is a fundamental aspect of justice and that the trial court erred in rejecting the applications without considering the necessity and desirability of the documents. Consequently, the orders dated 8.6.2019 and 6.7.2019 were set aside, and the matter was remitted back to the trial court for further proceedings, specifically to summon the documents while providing the petitioner an opportunity to confront the complaint with those documents (!) (!) .
The petition was allowed, and the case was disposed of with directions to the trial court to follow up accordingly, ensuring the petitioner’s right to produce relevant documents and to confront the witnesses for a fair trial (!) .
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ORDER
1. The petitioner has filed the present petition under section 482 of Cr.P.C being aggrieved by the order dated 8.6.2019 and 6.7.2019 passed by JMFC, Dewas in Criminal Case No.329/2018 whereby the learned trial Court has rejected the applications moved by the petitioner under section 91 of Cr.P.C.
2. Facts of the case in short are that the respondent has filed a private complaint under section 138 of N.I. Act against the petitioner on 1.5.2018 being proprietor of M/s RR Stone. As per the complaint the petitioner being a colonizer had purchased material from the complainant and also hired the services of the JCB Machine, Dumper etc. pursuant to which the petitioner has issued a Cheuqe No.035942 dated 25.3.2018 for payment of Rs.30,00,000/- in favour of the complainant. On being presented, the cheque was dishonored due to ‘insufficient funds’. Thereafter, a complaint was made on behalf of the complainant and also served a legal notice on 4.4.2018 to the petitioner and since no payment was made by the petitioner, the complaint has been filed by the respondent for recovery of the said amount.
3. Based upon the said complaint, the learned trial Court took cognizance against the petit
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