IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM PRESENT THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE C. JAYACHANDRAN FRIDAY, THE 14^TH DAY OF MARCH 2025 / 23RD PHALGUNA, 1946 CRL.MC NO. 10316 OF 2024 CRIME NO.465/2018 OF Kilikolloor Police Station, Kollam AGAINST THE ORDER/JUDGMENT DATED IN CC NO.1890 OF 2018 OF JUDICIAL MAGISTRATE OF FIRST CLASS -I, KOLLAM PETITIONER / ACCUSE D :

HARISH AGED 33 YEARS S/O.NAVAS, SHAN MANZIL, T.K.M.COLLEGE P.O, KARIMBALIMUKKU, MANGAD VILLAGE, KOLLAM DISTRICT, PIN - 691005 BY ADVS.

K.SIJU ANJANA KANNATH MARIYA JOSE RESPONDEN T S / S TATE & DEFACTO COMPLAINAN T :

1 STATE OF KERALA REPRESENTED BY PUBLIC PROSECUTOR,HIGH COURT OF KERALA, ERNAKULAM, PIN - 682031

2 STATION HOUSE OFFICER KILIKOLLOOR POLICE STATION, KOLLAM DISTRICT -, PIN - 691004

3 SHIHANA AGED 38 YEARS D/O.JAMEELA BEEVI, DARUL-ABRAR, PHARMACY JUNCTION, VETTIYARA CHERRY, NAVAIKULAM VILLAGE, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, PIN - 695603 BY ADV A.MUHAMMED RAFFI SRI. E.C. BINEESH (PP)

THIS CRIMINAL MISC. CASE HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON

14.03.2025, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY PASSED THE FOLLOWING:

C.JAYACHANDRAN, J.

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Crl.MC.No.10316 of 2024 ------------------------------------

Dated this the 14^th day of March, 2025

O R D E R

B.S.Joshi and Others v. State of Haryana and another [(2003) 4 SCC 675] held that the offence under Section 498A can be quashed by the High Court exercising its inherent power under Section 482 Cr.P.C (now Section 528 of BNSS, 2023), though such offence is not compoundable under Section 320. Relying on State of Karnataka v. L. Muniswamy [(1977) 2 SCC 699], a two Judges Bench in B.S. Joshi (Supra) held that ends of justice are higher than ends of mere law, though justice has got to be administered according to laws made by legislature. The fact that there is no reasonable likelihood of conviction, in the wake of settlement between the parties, was taken stock of. The following findings in B.S.Joshi (supra) are relevant and extracted here below:

“What would happen to the trial of the case where the wife does not support the imputations made in the FIR of the type in question. As earlier noticed, now she has filed an affidavit that the FIR was registered at her instance due to temperamental differences and implied imputations. There may be many reasons for not supporting the imputations. It may be either for the reason that she has resolved disputes with her husband and his other family members and as a result thereof she has again started living with her husband, with whom she earlier had differences or she has willingly parted company and is living happily on her own or has married someone else on the earlier marriage having been dissolved by divorce on consent of parties or fails to support the prosecution on some other similar grounds. In such eventuality, there would almost be no chance of conviction. Would it then be proper to decline to exercise power of quashing on the ground that it would be permitting the parties to compound non-compoundable offences? The answer clearly has to be in the "negative". It would, however, be a different matter if the High Court on facts declines the prayer for quashing for any valid reasons including lack of bona fides.”

2. The dictum laid down in B.S.Joshi (supra) was doubted along with that laid down in other cases and referred to and considered by a three Judges Bench of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Gian Singh v. State of Punjab and another [(2012) 10 SCC 303]. B.S.Joshi (supra), along with other cases, were confirmed by the Supreme Court. It is relevant to note that the subject matter in B.S.Joshi (supra) was specifically with reference to the offences under Section 498A and 406 of the Indian Penal Code. 3. In the facts at hand, petitioner is the sole accused in Crime No.465/2018 of Kilikolloor Police Station, Kollam, now pending as C.C.No.1890/2018 before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-I, Kollam. The offence alleged is under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code. The petitioner seek