High Court of Kerala
THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE THOTTATHIL B. RADHAKRISHNAN & THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE P. UBAID, JJ.
Joy
Versus
State of Kerala, represented The Public Prosecutor, High Court of Kerala
Crl. Rev. Pet. No. 1451 of 2010
Decided on: 24-01-2014
FACTS OF THE CSE
.Accused had convicted under section 324 and 326was confirmed by the sessions judge, hence revision petition filed.
FINDINGS.
Section 326 altered to 325 IPC and 324 IPC altered to 323.
P. Ubaid, J.
1. A judgment of conviction and sentence under Sections 324 and 326 IPC made by the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Thiruvalla, and confirmed in appeal by the Additional Sessions Judge, Pathanamthitta, is under challenge in this revision. On the allegation that the revision petitioner herein assaulted the defacto complainant Babu at about 8.30 pm on 23.10.1999, a crime was registered against the revision petitioner in the Perumpetty Police Station as Crime No.100/1999. After investigation the police submitted final report in the Court of the Judicial First Class Magistrate, Thiruvalla under Sections 324 and 326 of IPC. Pending investigation in the crime, the said Babu, who is the 2nd respondent herein, filed a suit against the revision petitioner before the Sub Court, Thiruvalla, for damages, in enforcement of his rights under the Law of Torts. By the time the criminal case came up for trial, the learned Sub Judge decreed the said suit in favour of the plaintiff, granting a compensation of Rs.2.03 lakhs. The said decree is under challenge before this Court in R.F.A.No.564 of 2009. The criminal case against the revision petitioner herein ended in conviction on trial. On conviction he was sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for one year under Section 324 IPC, and to undergo rigorous imprisonment for two years and also to pay a fine of Rs.2,000/- under Section 326 IPC. The revision petitioner failed in his appeal before the Sessions Court, Pathanamthitta, and now he has come before this Court in revision, challenging the legality and propriety of the conviction and sentence. Being a connected matter this revision petition was brought before this Bench for hearing and disposal.
2. Pending the two proceedings the revision petitioner and the 2nd respondent herein settled the whole dispute. On the submission that the disputes could be resolved by mediation, the parties were referred to mediation in R.F.A. No.564/2009. In the mediation process the parties amicably settled the whole dispute including the criminal case, and accordingly the revision petitioner herein agreed to pay a compensation of Rs.1,70,000/- in instalments. The mediation agreement signed by both the parties is before this Court in R.F.A No.564 of 2009. In view of amicable settlement in mediation the parties herein filed composition, with request for permission to compound the offences. Relying on the decisions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Y.Suresh Babu V. State of A.P reported in [(2005) 1 SCC 347], Gian Singh V. State of Punjab and Anr. reported in [2012 Crl.L.J. 4934] and Ashok Sadarangani V. Union of India [2012 (1) KLT Suppl. 65 (SC)], the learned counsel for the revision petitioner submitted that permission can be granted to compound the offence under Section 326 IPC, in view of the amicable settlement of the whole dispute in mediation.
3. On a perusal of the judgments of the Hon'ble Supreme Court cited before us, we find that composition of noncompoundable offences cannot be resorted to in every case or dispute settled between the parties. Though the Hon'ble Supreme Court granted permission to compound the offence under Section 326 IPC in Suresh Babu's (supra) case, the Hon'ble Supreme Court has directed such a course not to be treated as a precedent. In Ashok Sadarangani (supra) the Hon'ble Supreme Court held that continuance of a criminal proceeding after a compromise had been arrived at between the complainant and the accused would amount to abuse of process of court and an exercise in futility since the trial could be prolonged and ultimately may conclude in a decision which may not be of any consequence to any of the parties. But in the said case permission for composition was declined by the Hon'ble Supreme Court on the ground, that on examination of the materials in the said case, the Hon'ble Supreme Court found emphasis more on the criminal aspect than on the civil aspect. In Gian Singh's (supra) case the Hon'ble Sup
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