Indian Kanoon - Search engine for Indian Law

Before coming to the finding as to whether materials are  there   to   frame   charge   or   not   against   these   two   petitioners,   provision   as  contained   in   Section   240   needs   to   be   taken   notice   of,   which   reads   as  follows:­ "If   upon   such   consideration,   examination,   if   any,   and   hearing, the Magistrate is of opinion that there is ground for   presuming that the accused has committed an offence triable   under this Chapter which such Magistrate is competent to try  and which, in his opinion, could be adequately punished by   hi, he shall frame in writing a charge against the accused."  Their   Lordships   in   a   case   of   "L.K.   Advani­versus­   Central Bureau of Investigation, reported in 1997 Cr. L.J. 2559" after  having regard to the provisions as contained in Section 240 did observe as  follows:­ "(52)  It   is   manifest   from   above   that   the   charges   can   be   framed against an accused person only in those discerning,   few cases where the Court comes to the conclusion that the   prosecution   has   shown   a   prima   facie   case   against   the   accused   and   there   is   evidence   before   the   Court   which   is   capable of being converted into legal evidence later on during   the subsequent proceedings after the framing of the charges.   The matter with regard to the framing of the charges came up   for consideration in a catena of authorities wherein time and   again   it   was   observed   that   the   prosecution   must   show   a   prima facie case against the accused in order to enable the   Court to frame a charge against him. If the evidence before  the   Court   is   of   such   type   which   if   un­rebutted   and   un­ challenged   by   way   of   cross­examination   would   not   be   sufficient enough to convict the accused ultimately then the   Court would not be justified in framing the charge against the   accused.   The   Court   at   that   stage   is   under   no   obligation   to   make   an   elaborate   enquiry   by   sifting   and   weighing   the  material   to   find   out   a   case   against   the   accused   beyond   a   reasonable doubt which it is required to do at the time of the   final hearing. The Judge at that preliminary stage is simply   required to find out that there was material which may lead   to the inference that the accused has committed an offence.  Thus   the   charge   can   be   framed   by   the   Court   against   an   accused   if   the   material   placed   before   it   raises   a   strong   suspicion that the accused has committed an offence. In other   words, the Court  would be justified in framing the charges   against an accused if the prosecution has sown the seed in   the   form   of   the   incriminating   material   which   has   got   the   potential to develop itself into a full­fledged tree of conviction  later on."