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[Cites 24, Cited by 1]

Patna High Court

Pashupati Kumar @ Pashupati Kumar Paras vs State Of Bihar And Anr on 13 May, 2019

Equivalent citations: AIRONLINE 2019 PAT 493

Author: Ahsanuddin Amanullah

Bench: Ahsanuddin Amanullah

          IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                   CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.9927 of 2015
         Arising Out of PS. Case No.-459 Year-2010 Thana- KHAGARIA District- Khagaria
     ======================================================
     Pashupati Kumar @ Pashupati Kumar Paras S/o Late Jamun Das Resident of
     village - Belahi Sharbani, P.S. Alauli, Distt. - Khagaria

                                                                      ... ... Petitioner/s
                                           Versus
1.   The State of Bihar
2.   The C.O. (Circle Officer), Khagaria, Distt- Khagaria

                                            ... ... Opposite Party/s
     ======================================================
     Appearance :
     For the Petitioner/s    :       Mr. Din Bandhu Mishra, Advocate
     For the State           :       Mr. Jharkhandi Upadhyay with
                                     Mr. Ram Bachan Singh APP
     ======================================================
     CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE AHSANUDDIN AMANULLAH
                         ORAL JUDGMENT
      Date : 13-05-2019

                  Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and learned APP

     for the State.

                  2. The petitioner has moved the Court under Section 482

     of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (hereinafter referred to as

     the 'Code') for the following relief:

                    "That, this is a application for quashing the
                   cognizance order dated 05/03/2011 which is taken by
                   the C.J.M, Khagaria in Khagaria (Chitragupta Nagar
                   P.S. Case No-459/10, G.R.N 1625/10 which is pending
                   before Sri Anjani Kumar gond, Magistrate Khagaria."

                  3. The allegation against the petitioner in the complaint

     by the Anchal Adhikari (Circle Officer), Khagaria to the Officer

     Incharge, Chitragupta Nagar, Khagaria P.S., is that while filling up

     the nomination form for contesting from 148, Alauli Vidhan Sabha
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       seat, on 12.10.2010 at 1:10 P.M, the crowd of his supporters and

       slogan raising was violative of the Model Code of Conduct and

       Section 144 of the Code.

                    4. Learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that an

       order under Section 144 of the Code can be passed only by the Sub

       Divisional Magistrate and not a person below that rank and, thus,

       the law requires that the complaint against the violators has to be

       filed either by that officer, i.e., Sub Divisional Magistrate or his

       superior but a person subordinate to the authority which had issued

       the prohibitory order cannot maintain such complaint. For such

       proposition, learned counsel relied upon a decision of a Bench of

       this Court in Surendra Prasad Yadav v. State of Bihar reported

       as 2007 (4) PLJR 533, the relevant being at paragraph no. 7.

       Learned counsel submitted that even otherwise, the violation of a

       prohibitory order for making out offence under Section 188 of the

       Indian Penal Code, disobedience must either cause or have

       tendency to cause obstruction, annoyance or injury and there has

       to be factual proof thereof. Learned counsel relied upon a

       judgment of a Bench of this Court in Pratik Sinha vs. State of

       Bihar reported as 2016 (4) PLJR 274, the relevant being at

       paragraphs no. 39 to 41. It was submitted that in the instant case,

       the Court had held that there was no allegation that disobedience
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       of prohibitory order had tendency to cause obstruction, annoyance

       or injury and risk of obstruction, annoyance or injury to any person

       lawfully employed as also that without a written complaint of the

       public servant concerned, no prosecution can be launched.

                    5. Learned APP, in view of the decisions relied upon by

       learned counsel for the petitioner, was not in a position to

       controvert the legal and factual position.

                    6. Having considered the facts and circumstances of the

       case and submissions of learned counsel for the parties, the Court

       finds that a case for interference has been made out.

                    7. As has rightly been submitted by learned counsel for

       the petitioner, on the short legal point of lack of competency of the

       Anchal Adhikari to lodge the case, in view of the decisions of the

       Court in Surendra Prasad Yadav (supra) and Pratik Sinha

       (supra), the present complaint against the petitioner itself was not

       maintainable in the eyes of law.

                    8. Another glaring legal infirmity in the prosecution

       lodged against the petitioner is the fact that provisions of Section

       195(1) of the Code have not been adhered to and, thus, the

       investigation conducted by the police is also without jurisdiction.

                    9. A co-ordinate Bench of this Court in Parveen

       Amanullah vs. The State of Bihar reported as 2017 (3) PLJR
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       101, by judgment dated 19.10.2016, under similar circumstances

       has quashed the order by which cognizance has been taken under

       Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code. The Court deems it apt to

       quote paragraphs no. 17 to 40 of the said judgment which read as

       under:

                    "17.        At this stage, it would also be pertinent to

       take note of Section 195(1) of the Cr.P.C., which bars the court to

       take cognizance of the offence punishable under Section 188 of

       the IPC or abatement of criminal conspiracy to commit such an

       offence unless there is a complaint in writing by a public servant

       concerned or public servant to whom he is administratively

       subordinate for contempt of his lawful order. It reads as under :


                  "195. Prosecution for contempt of lawful authority
                  of public servants, for offences against public
                  justice and for offences relating to documents given
                  in evidence -

                  (1) No Court shall take cognizance--
                  (a) (i) of any offence punishable under sections 172
                  to 188 (both inclusive)of the Indian Penal Code (45
                  of 1860), or
                  (ii) of any abetment of, attempt to commit, such
                  offence, or
                  (iii) of any criminal conspiracy to commit, such
                  offence, except on the complaint in writing of the
                  public servant concerned or of some other public
                  servant to whom he is administratively subordinate;
                  (b) (i) of any offence punishable under any of the
                  following section of the Indian Penal Code (45 of
                  1860), namely, sections 193 to 196 (both inclusive),
                  199, 200, 205 to 211 (both inclusive) and 228, when
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                  such offence is alleged to have been committed in, or
                  in relation to, any proceeding in any Court, or
                  (ii) of any offence described in section 463, or
                  punishable under section 471, section 475 or section
                  476, of the said Code, when such offence is alleged to
                  have been committed in respect of a document
                  produced or given in evidence in a proceeding in any
                  Court, or
                  (iii) of any criminal conspiracy to commit, or attempt
                  to commit, or the abetment of, any offence specified
                  in sub-clause (i) or sub-clause (ii), except on the
                  complaint in writing of that Court, or of some other
                  Court to which that Court is subordinate."

  18.             From a close reading of sub-section (1) of Section 195 of

  the Cr.P.C., it would be abundantly clear that the criminal courts are

  mandated not to take cognizance of any offence under Sections 172 to

  188 of the IPC except on the "complaint" in writing of the public

  servant or of some other public servant to whom he is

  administratively subordinate.

  19. The word "complaint" used in Section 195(1)(a)(iii) of the

  Cr.P.C. has been defined under Section 2(d) of the Cr.P.C., which

  reads as under :

                  "2(d) "complaint" means any allegation made orally
                  or in writing to a Magistrate, with a view to his
                  taking action under this Code, that some person,
                  whether known or unknown, has committed an
                  offence, but does not include a police report."

  20.                   Thus, from a reading of the definition of the word

  "Complaint", it would be crystal clear that the complaint does not

  include a police report.
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  21.          In M.S. Ahlawat Vs. State of of Haryana & Anr. [(2000) 1

  SCC 278], the Supreme Court considered the provisions prescribed

  under Section 195 of the Cr.P.C. at length and observed in paragraph

  5 as under :


                  "5. ...Provisions of Section 195 CrPC are mandatory
                  and no court has jurisdiction to take cognizance of
                  any of the offences mentioned therein unless there is
                  a complaint in writing as required under that
                  section."

  22.             One may also refer to some other judgments with regard

  to scope of Section 195 of the Cr.P.C.

  23.             In Daulat Ram v. State of Punjab [AIR 1962 SC 1206],

  the Supreme Court considered the nature of the provisions prescribed

  under Section 195 of the Cr.P.C.. In the said case, the facts of the case

  was that cognizance had been taken on the basis of police report

  submitted under Section 173(2) of the Cr.P.C. by the Magistrate and

  the appellant therein had been tried and convicted though the public

  servant concerned, the Tehsildar had not filed any complaint. While

  deciding the appeal, the Supreme Court held in paras 4 and 5 as

  under:

                  "4. ...The cognizance of the case was therefore
                  wrongly assumed by the court without the complaint
                  in writing of the public servant, namely, the Tahsildar
                  in this case. The trial was thus without jurisdiction ab
                  initio and the conviction cannot be maintained.

                  5. The appeal is, therefore, allowed and the
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                  conviction of the appellant and the sentence passed
                  on him are set aside."

  24.             In the State of U.P. Vs. Mata Bhikh & Ors. (Supra), the

  Supreme Court observed in paras 6 and 7 as under:

                  "6. The object of this section is to protect persons from
                  being vexatiously prosecuted upon inadequate materials
                  or insufficient grounds by person actuated by malice or
                  ill- will or frivolity of disposition at the instance of
                  private individuals for the offences specified therein. The
                  provisions of this section, no doubt, are mandatory and
                  the Court has no jurisdiction to take cognizance of any of
                  the offences mentioned therein unless there is a complaint
                  in writing of 'the public servant concerned' as required by
                  the section without which the trial under Section 188 of
                  the Indian Penal Code becomes void ab initio. See
                  Daulat Ram v. State of Punjab (AIR 1962 SC 1206)'. To
                  say in other words a written complaint by a public
                  servant concerned is sine qua non to initiate a criminal
                  proceeding under Section 188 of the IPC against those
                  who, with the knowledge that an order has been
                  promulgated by a public servant directing either 'to
                  abstain from a certain act, or to take certain order, with
                  certain property in his possession or under his
                  management' disobey that order. Nonetheless, when the
                  court in its discretion is disinclined to prosecute the
                  wrongdoers, no private complainant can be allowed to
                  initiate any criminal proceeding in his individual
                  capacity as it would be clear from the reading of the
                  section itself which is to the effect that no court can
                  take cognizance of any offence punishable under
                  Sections 172 to 188 of the IPC except on the written
                  complaint of 'the public servant concerned' or of some
                  other public servant to whom he (the public servant who
                  promulgated that order) is administratively subordinate.
                  7. A cursory reading of Section 195(1)(a) makes out
                  that in case a public servant concerned who has
                  promulgated an order which has not been obeyed or
                  which has been disobeyed, does not prefer to give a
                  complaint or refuses to give a complaint then it is
                  open to the superior public servant to whom the
                  officer who initially passed the order is administratively
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                  subordinate to prefer a complaint in respect of the
                  disobedience of the order promulgated by his
                  subordinate.     The     word     'subordinate' means
                  administratively subordinate i.e. some other public
                  servant who is his official superior and under whose
                  administrative control he works."
  25.             In C. Muniappan & Ors. (Supra), the Supreme Court

  observed in para 33 as under :

                  "33. Thus, in view of the above, the law can be
                  summarized to the effect that there must be a
                  complaint by the pubic servant whose lawful order
                  has not been complied with. The complaint must be
                  in writing. The provisions of Section 195 Cr.PC are
                  mandatory. Non-compliance of it would vitiate the
                  prosecution and all other consequential orders. The
                  Court cannot assume the cognizance of the case
                  without such complaint. In the absence of such a
                  complaint, the trial and conviction will be void ab
                  initio being without jurisdiction."

  26.             In Pratik Sinha Vs. State of Bihar & Ors. [2016 (4)

  PLJR 274], this Court has held in paras 39 to 41 as under :


                   "39. As noted above, in the present case, the
                   prohibitory order was passed by the Municipal
                   Commissioner, PMC in Vigilance Case No. 203-A of
                   2013, whereas the FIR has been instituted on the
                   basis of a written report submitted by one Kedar
                   Prasad, Tax Collector, Bankipore Circle of the
                   PMC, who is neither the public servant, who had
                   passed the prohibitory order nor the successor-in-
                   office to the public servant nor a public servant to
                   whom the public servant, who had passed the
                   prohibitory order is administratively subordinate.
                   The Municipal Commissioner, PMC is not a
                   subordinate officer to aforesaid Kedar Prasad.

                   40. In that view of the matter, no prosecution could
                   have been launched against the petitioner under
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                   Section 188 of the IPC on the basis of a written
                   report submitted by the informant of the present
                   case.

                   41. Furthermore, no FIR could have been registered
                   by the police for an offence punishable under Section
                   188 of the IPC. The legislative intention appears to
                   be clear from the language of Section 195(1) of the
                   CrPC, which clearly prescribes that where an
                   "offence" is committed under Section 188 of the
                   IPC, it would be obligatory that the public servant
                   before whom such an "offence" is committed, should
                   file a complaint before the jurisdictional Magistrate
                   either orally or in writing. Hence, registration of an
                   FIR for an offence under Section 188 IPC is not
                   permitted in law."

  27.             In an unreported judgment in Dharmesh Prasad Verma

  Vs. The State of Bihar (Cr.Misc. No. 41702 of 2015- disposed of on
     th
  10 May, 2016), this Court held in para 17 as under:

                   "17. The provision prescribed under Section 195 of
                  the CrPC has been carved out as an exception to the
                  general rule contained under Section 190 of the
                  CrPC that any person can set the law into motion by
                  making a complaint, as it prohibits the Court from
                  taking cognizance of certain offences until and unless
                  a complaint has been made by some particular
                  authority or person. The legislative intention appears
                  to be clear from the language of Section 195 of the
                  CrPC which clearly prescribes that where an offence
                  is committed under Section 188 IPC, it would be
                  obligatory that the public servant before whom such
                  an offence is committed, should file a complaint
                  before the jurisdictional Magistrate either orally or
                  in writing. Hence, it would not be within the domain
                  of the police to register a case for an offence alleged
                  under Section 188 of the IPC and investigate the
                  same, as registration of an FIR for an offence under
                  Section 188 IPC is not permitted by the CrPC."
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  28.               In yet another unreported judgment in Anirudh Prasad

  Yadav @ Sadhu Yadav Vs. The State of Bihar (Cr.Misc. No. 33259

                                    th
  of 2013 - disposed of on 4 August, 2016), this Court in paras 10 to

  12 held as under :


                  "10. Section 171-G IPC penalizes a person who
                  makes/publishes      any    statement,    which     he
                  knows/believes to be false, relating to the personal
                  character or conduct of any candidate, with intent to
                  affect the results of an election. Apparently, there is
                  no such allegation that the accused persons including
                  the petitioner made any statement, which they knew
                  to be false relating to the personal character and
                  conduct of any candidate with intent to affect the
                  result of an election. In that view of the matter, the
                  ingredients of the offence punishable under Section
                  171-G of the IPC are clearly not attracted in the
                  present case.

                  11. Similarly, section 171-H of the IPC penalizes a
                  person who incurs/authorizes any expenses in
                  connection with the purpose of promoting or
                  procuring the election of any candidate, without the
                  general or special authority in writing of such
                  candidate. There is no such allegation in the present
                  case and this Court is of the opinion that none of the
                  ingredients of the offence punishable under Section
                  171-H of the IPC are attracted in the present case.

                  12. Further, Section 188 of the IPC penalizes
                  disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a
                  public servant, its prerequisite being:-

                   (a) Lawful order promulgated by a public servant
                       empowered to promulgate it;
                   (b) Knowledge of the order;
                   (c) Disobedience of the order; and
                   (d) Result that is likely to follow such disobedience
                       i.e. obstruction, annoyance, injury or risk of the
                       same to a person lawfully employed or danger
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                         to human health, life or safety or riot affray."

  29.             This Court is mindful of the fact that the inherent

  powers under Section 482 of the Cr.P.C. to quash a criminal

  proceeding are to            be exercised          sparingly and with     great

  circumspection. It has to be exercised only in exceptional cases. For

  exercising powers under Section 482 of the Cr.P.C. this Court cannot

  enter into any finding of facts. At the same time, Section 482 of the

  Cr.P.C. casts a duty upon the High Court to remove injustice in

  appropriate cases.

  30.              Section 482 of the Cr.P.C. reads as under :

                  "482. Saving of inherent power of High Court.
                  Nothing in this Code shall be deemed to limit or
                  affect the inherent powers of the High Court to make
                  such orders as may be necessary to give effect to any
                  order under this Code, or to prevent abuse of the
                  process of any Court or otherwise to secure the ends
                  of justice."

  31.              From a reading of the above provision, it would be

  apparent that the inherent powers of the High Court are not limited to

  any provision of the Cr.P.C. and in appropriate cases this Court may

  make such orders as may be necessary to give effect to any order

  under this Code or to prevent abuse of the process of the Court or

  otherwise to secure the ends of justice.

  32.              In R.P. Kapoor Vs. State of Punjab [AIR 1960 SC

  866], the Supreme Court laid down certain provisions under which
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  the inherent powers under Section 482 of the Cr.P.C. are to be

  exercised. They are -

                   (1) Where institution/continuance of criminal
                  proceedings against an accused may amount to an
                  abuse of the process of the court or that the quashing
                  of the impugned proceeding would secure the ends of
                  justice;
                  (2) Where it manifestly appears that there is a legal
                  bar against the institution or continuance of the
                  proceeding, e.g. want of sanction;
                  (3) Where the allegations in the First Information
                  Report or complaint taken at their face value and
                  accepted in their entirety do not constitute the offence
                  alleged;
                  (4) Where the allegations constitute an offence
                  alleged, but there is either no legal evidence adduced
                  or evidence adduced clearly or manifestly fails to
                  prove the charge."

  33.           In the State of Karnataka Vs. L. Muniswamy & Ors.

  [(1977) 2 SCC 699], the Supreme Court held as under :

                  "In the exercise of this wholesome power, the High
                  Court is entitled to quash a proceeding if it comes to
                  the conclusion that allowing the proceeding to
                  continue would be an abuse of the process of the
                  Court or that the; ends of justice require that the
                  proceeding ought to be quashed. The saving of the
                  High Court's inherent powers, both in civil and
                  criminal matters, is designed to. achieve a salutary
                  public purpose which is that a court proceeding
                  ought not to be permitted to degenerate into weapon
                  of harassment or persecution. In a criminal case, the
                  veiled object behind a lame prosecution, the very
                  nature of the material on which the structure of the
                  prosecution rests and the like would justify the High
                  Court in quashing the proceeding in the interest of
                  justice. The ends of justice are higher than the, ends
                  of mere law though justice has got to be administered
                  according to laws made by the legislature. The
                  compelling necessity for making these observations is
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                  that without a proper realization of the object and
                  purpose of the provision which seeks to save the
                  inherent powers of the High Court to do justice
                  between the State and its subjects, it would be
                  impossible to appreciate the width and contours of
                  that salient jurisdiction."

  34.             In    Madhaorao         J.    Scindhia Vs.   Sambhaji Rao

  [AIR 1988 SC 709], the Supreme Court held as under :

                  "The legal position is well-settled that when a
                  prosecution at the initial stage is asked to be
                  quashed, the test to be applied by the court is as to
                  whether the uncontroverted allegations as made
                  prima facie establish the offence. It is also for the
                  court to take into consideration any special features
                  which appear in a particular case to consider
                  whether it is expedient and in the interest of justice to
                  permit a prosecution to continue. This is so on the
                  basis that the court cannot be utilized for any oblique
                  purpose and where in the opinion of the court
                  chances of an ultimate conviction is bleak and,
                  therefore, no useful purpose is likely to be served by
                  allowing a criminal prosecution to continue, the
                  court may while taking into consideration the special
                  facts of a case also quash the proceeding even though
                  it may be at a preliminary stage.

  35.             In the State of Haryana & Others Vs. Bhajan Lal and

  Others [1992 Supp (1) SCC 335], the Supreme Court has dealt in

  detail the provisions of Section 482 of the Cr.P.C. and the power of

  the High Court to quash the criminal proceedings or the FIR. The

  Supreme Court summarized the legal position by laying down the

  following guidelines to be followed by the High Court in exercise of

  their inherent powers to quash the criminal proceeding :

                   "102. In the backdrop of the interpretation of the
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                   various relevant provisions of the Code under
                   Chapter XIV and of the principles of law enunciated
                   by this Court in a series of decisions relating to the
                   exercise of the extra-ordinary power under Article
                   226 or the inherent powers Under Section 482 of the
                   Code which we have extracted and reproduced
                   above, we give the following categories of cases by
                   way of illustration wherein such power could be
                   exercised either to prevent abuse of the process of
                   any Court or otherwise to secure the ends of justice,
                   though it may not be possible to lay down any
                   precise, clearly defined and sufficiently channelised
                   and inflexible guidelines or rigid formulae and to
                   give an exhaustive list of myriad kinds of cases
                   wherein such power should be exercised.

                           (1) Where the allegations made in the First
                           Information Report or the complaint, even if they
                           are taken at their face value and accepted in their
                           entirety do not prima-facie constitute any offence
                           or make out a case against the accused.

                           (2) Where the allegations in the First Information
                           Report and other materials, if any, accompanying
                           the F.I.R. do not disclose a cognizable offence,
                           justifying an investigation by police officers
                           Under Section 156(1) of the Code except under an
                           order of a Magistrate within the purview of
                           Section 155(2) of the Code.

                           (3) Where the uncontroverted allegations made in
                           the FIR or complaint and the evidence collected in
                           support of the same do not disclose the
                           commission of any offence and make out a case
                           against the accused.

                           (4) Where, the allegations in the F.I.R. do not
                           constitute a cognizable offence but constitute only
                           a non-cognizable offence, no investigation is
                           permitted by a police officer without an order
                           of a Magistrate as contemplated under Section
                           155(2) of the Code.

                           (5) Where the allegations made in the FIR or
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                           complaint are so absurd and inherently
                           improbable on the basis of which no prudent
                           person can ever reach a just conclusion that there
                           is sufficient ground for proceeding against
                           the accused.
                           (6) Where there is an express legal bar engrafted
                           in any of the provisions of the Code or the
                           concerned Act (under which a criminal
                           proceeding is instituted) to the institution and
                           continuance of the proceedings and/or where
                           there is a specific provision in the Code or the
                           concerned Act, providing efficacious redress for
                           the grievance of the aggrieved party.
                           (7) Where a criminal proceeding is manifestly
                           attended with mala fide and/or where the
                           proceeding is maliciously instituted with an
                           ulterior motive for wreaking vengeance on the
                           accused and with a view to spite him due to
                           private and personal grudge."

  36.               Having seen the ambit and scope of Section 195(1) of

  the Cr.P.C. and the ratio laid down by the Supreme Court and this

  Court in the decisions, referred to hereinabove, this Court is of the

  opinion that the investigating authorities acted without jurisdiction in

  registering the FIR under Section 188 of the IPC on the basis of a

  letter written to them by the informant in the capacity of Revenue

  Karamchari. The investigation conducted by the police was also

  without jurisdiction. Sub-section (1) of Section 195 of the Cr.P.C.

  creates a further bar in so far as it also restricts the Magistrate from

  accepting written complaint from any person other than the public

  servant who issued the concerned order or of some other public

  servant to whom he is administratively subordinate.
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  37.             This Court is also of the view that the learned Magistrate

  has also failed to apply his judicial mind to the facts and law involved

  in the case while passing the impugned order. It is well settled that

  taking of cognizance and summoning the accused in a criminal case

  has a serious consequence on the liberty of the accused as pursuant to

  such an order the accused is compelled to face trial of a criminal

  offence.


  38.             The need for proper application of mind by the courts at

  the stage of summoning has been highlighted by the Supreme Court

  in Pepsi Foods Ltd. and Another Vs. Special Judicial Magistrate

  and Others[(1998) 5 SCC 749], in para 28 as under:-

                  "28. Summoning of an accused in a criminal case is
                  a serious matter. Criminal law cannot be set into
                  motion as a matter of course. It is not that the
                  complainant has to bring only two witnesses to
                  support his allegations in the complaint to have the
                  criminal law set into motion. The order of the
                  Magistrate summoning the accused must reflect that
                  he has applied his mind to the facts of the case and
                  the law applicable thereto. He has to examine the
                  nature of allegations made in the complaint and the
                  evidence both oral and documentary in support
                  thereof and would that be sufficient for the
                  complainant to succeed in bringing charge home to
                  the accused. It is not that the Magistrate is a silent
                  spectator at the time of recording of preliminary
                  evidence before summoning of the accused. The
                  Magistrate has to carefully scrutinize the evidence
                  brought on record and may even himself put
                  questions to the complainant and his witnesses to
                  elicit answers to find out the truthfulness of the
                  allegations or otherwise and then examine if any
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                  offence is prima facie committed by all or any of the
                  accused."

  39.             Once again in Fakhruddin Ahmad Vs. State of

  Uttaranchal and Another [(2008) 17 SCC 157], in para 17, the

  Supreme Court held as under:-

                  "17. Nevertheless, it is well settled that before a
                  Magistrate can be said to have taken cognizance of
                  an offence, it is imperative that he must have taken
                  notice of the accusations and applied his mind to the
                  allegations made in the complaint or in the police
                  report or the information received from a source
                  other than a police report, as the case may be, and
                  the material filed therewith. It needs little emphasis
                  that it is only when the Magistrate applies his mind
                  and is satisfied that the allegations, if proved, would
                  constitute an offence and decides to initiate
                  proceedings against the alleged offender, that it can
                  be positively stated that he has taken cognizance of
                  the offence. Cognizance is in regard to the offence
                  and not the offender."

  40.              Regard being had to the facts and the law involved in the

  present case and the ratio laid down by the Supreme Court in respect

  of exercise of power under Section 482 of the Cr.P.C. in the

  decisions, noted above, this Court is of the opinion that allowing the

  prosecution to continue any more would be nothing but an abuse of

  the process of the Court as apart from the fact that the complainant

  was not authorized to institute a case under Section 188 of the IPC,

  there was also an express legal bar against institution of FIR and

  summoning of an accused on the basis of police report. Furthermore,

  the allegations made in the FIR even if taken at their face value and
            Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.9927 of 2015 dt.13-05-2019
                                                      18/18




             accepted in their entirety, do not attract the ingredients of the offence

             alleged."


                            10. In the aforesaid background, the application is allowed.

             The entire criminal proceeding arising out of Khagaria (Chitragupta

             Nagar) P.S. Case No. 459 of 2010, G.R. No. 1625 of 2010, pending

             before the Court below at Khagaria, including the order dated

             05.03.2011

, by which cognizance has been taken, as far as it relates to the petitioner, stands quashed.

(Ahsanuddin Amanullah, J) Anjani/-

AFR/NAFR              AFR
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