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IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU
DATED THIS THE 01ST DAY OF JUNE, 2022
BEFORE
THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE M. NAGAPRASANNA
WRIT PETITION No.5609 OF 2022 (GM-RES)
BETWEEN:
SRI VISHWAS V.,
S/O VENKATARAMA REDDY
AGED ABOUT 30 YEARS
R/AT NO.36, MESTRAPPA BUILDING
2ND CROSS, HBR LAYOUT
HENNUR MAIN ROAD
BENGALURU 3 560 043.
... PETITIONER
(BY SRI P.N.NANJA REDDY, ADVOCATE)
AND:
1.
THE STATE OF KARNATAKA
REPTD. BY ITS STATION HOUSE OFFICER
NANDINI LAYOUT POLICE
BENGALURU 3 560 096.
2.
HARI OM GAUTHAM
S/O BUDHILAL
AGED ABOUT 20 YEARS
R/AT NO.74, C/O RAMREDDY BUILDING
NEAR MARATHALLI BRIDGE
BENGALURU 3 560 037.
... RESPONDENTS
(BY SRI K.S.ABHIJITH, HCGP FOR R1;
SRI NISHAD, ADVOCATE FOR R2)
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THIS WRIT PETITION IS FILED UNDER ARTICLES 226 AND
227 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA READ WITH SECTION 482 OF
CR.P.C., PRAYING TO QUASH THE ENTIRE PROCEEDINGS IN
C.C.NO.28916/2021 ON THE FILE OF THE CHIEF METROPOLITAN
MAGISTRATE, BENGALURU AT ANNEXURE-D AS THE SAME ARE
ILLEGAL, ARBITRARY AND IN VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 21 OF THE
CONSTITUTION OF INDIA AND THE RIGHT TO LIBERTY HAS BEEN
INFRINGED AND ETC.,
THIS WRIT PETITION COMING ON FOR ADMISSION THIS DAY,
THE COURT MADE THE FOLLOWING:
The petitioner is before this Court calling in question
proceedings in C.C.No.28916 of 2021 pending before the Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate, Bangalore arising out of Crime No.249
of 2020 registered for offences punishable under Section 304A
r/w Section 34 of the IPC.
2. Heard Sri P.N.Nanja Reddy, learned counsel for the
petitioner, Sri K.S.Abhijith, learned High Court Government
Pleader for respondent No.1 and Sri Nishad, learned counsel for
respondent No.2.
3. Brief facts leading to the filing of the present petition, as
borne out from the pleadings are as follows:-
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The petitioner is an Architect Engineer by profession and is
the
co-founder
of
Crest
Architects,
Bangalore.
One
Chandrashekar, owner of a residential site situated at 20th Main,
4th Block bearing No.403 of Nandini Layout approaches the
petitioner to design his house. Upon inspecting the property
personally, the petitioner took the dimensions of the property
and owner9s requirements for drawing up a design. The owner of
the site agreed to the terms of the petitioner and entered into an
agreement to design his house on 25-09-2019. In terms of the
agreement, the petitioner fulfilled the requirement of the owner
as per law. The construction of the building and the plan of
action for such construction was entrusted to a contractor by
the site owner. The petitioner had only drawn up the design and
had also visited the site on several occasions to see whether the
construction was coming up according to the design. The visits,
according to the petitioner were once in a month.
4. On 10-10-2020 an employee by name Mukesh who was
working under the contractor died due to electrocution while
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undertaking construction in the site. It is averred by the
petitioner in the petition that he came to know about the
incident so happened on 10-10-2020 only when he attended
house warming ceremony of the house on an invitation by the
owner in the month of February 2021. On 17-02-2022 the
petitioner comes to know of a crime registered against him by
the Police in Crime No.249 of 2020. The petitioner was accused
No.2 and the owner of the building Mr. Chandrashekar was
accused No.3. The allegation in the crime was concerning the
incident that happened on 10-10-2020 i.e., the death of the
employee Mr. Mukesh due to electrocution. After registration of
the crime, the Police conducted investigation and filed a charge
sheet only against the petitioner dropping the owner who was
accused No.3 for offences punishable under Section 304A r/w
34 of the IPC. It is at that juncture the petitioner has knocked
the doors of this Court in the subject petition calling in question
the entire proceedings in C.C.No.28916 of 2021.
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5. The learned counsel appearing for the petitioner would
vehemently argue and contend that the allegation for offence
punishable under Section 304A IPC cannot be laid against the
petitioner, as the petitioner was only an Architect who designed
the house and it was for the contractor or the owner of the
property to have taken such caution to prevent such mishap
viz., death of the employee. The owner of the property is let off
while filing the charge sheet against the petitioner who is the
Architect and has nothing to do with the mishap. He would seek
quashment of the proceedings.
6. On the other hand, the learned counsel appearing for
the 2nd respondent/complainant who is the relative of the
employee would seek to justify the action of the police in filing
the charge sheet against the petitioner, as according to him the
design provided by the petitioner was the cause for the death of
the worker and would submit that since charge sheet is filed, it
is for the petitioner to come out clean.
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7. The learned High Court Government Pleader would also
toe the lines of the 2nd respondent.
8. I have given my anxious consideration to the
submissions made by the respective learned counsel and
perused the material on record.
9. The afore-mentioned facts are not in dispute. On
10.1
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