CRL.M.C./4817/2015 of RAVI SAHNI & ORS Vs THE STATE (GOVT OF NCT OF DELHI) & ANR

*IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI+CRL.M.C. 4817/2015

Date of Decision : February 12[th], 2016RAVI SAHNI & ORS..... Petitioner

Through:Mr.Vivek, Adv.

versus

THE STATE (GOVT OF NCT OF DELHI) & ANR

..... RespondentThrough:Mr.Satyanarayan Vashisht, APP.

CORAM:HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE P.S.TEJI

P.S.TEJI, J.

1.The present petition under Section 482 Cr.P.C. has been filedby the petitioner, namely, Sh. Amit Jain for quashing of FIRNo.62/2008dated11.03.2008,underSections197/196/419/420/468/471 IPC registered at Police Station SubziMandi on the basis of the settlement deed arrived at betweenpetitioners and the respondent no.2, namely, Smt. Suresh Kumari on18.11.2015.

2.Learned Additional Public Prosecutor for respondent-Statesubmitted that the respondent no.2, present in the Court has been

identified to be the complainant/first informant in the FIR in questionby SI, PS Tilak Nagar.

3.The factual matrix of this present case is that the marriagebetween the respondent no.2 and the petitioner no.4 was solemnizedon 18.10.1999. Since the day of marriage, the wife of the complainantused to pick quarrels with him daily. On 22.09.2013, the complainantwas present at his shop, where his wife along with her father, brotherand mother came to his shop and after entering into the shopforcefully, damaged the articles/ things of shop and all of them startedfighting with the complainant. The father-in-law of the complainantcaused him injuries with chowmein knife. The brother and the sisterof the complainant also reached there, on which the brother-in-law ofthe complainant injured the brother of the complainant on his handfrom the chowmein plate and his father-in-law hit the brother of thecomplainant with hard thing on which blood started out of hismouth. The wife and the mother-in-law of the complainant startedquarreling with the sister of the complainant and slapped her and alsobeat her up and gave her injuries.

Thereafter, the respondent no.2 lodged the FIR in question

against all the petitioners/accused persons. On the same day crossFIR bearing No. 0476/2013 under Sections 323/324/34 IPC, PS TilakNagar was registered against the respondent no.2 and his brother andsister. The petitioners are on police bail. On 14.10.2015, challan wasfiledagainstthepetitioners.Thereafter,thepartieswiththeintervention of relatives and common friends mutually resolved alltheir issues.

4.Respondent No.2, present in the Court, submitted that thedispute between the parties has been amicably resolved. As per thecompromise deed, the parties agreed that respondent no.2 shallcooperate with the petitioners in getting the FIR in question quashed.It is further agreed that the respondent no.2 shall not claim anycompensation from the petitioners. It has been also been agreed thatthe respondent no.2 shall withdraw his complaint, if any, made beforeany authority against the petitioners. Respondent No.2 affirms thecontents of the aforesaid settlement and of his affidavit dated18.11.2015 supporting this petition. In the affidavit, the respondentno.2 has stated that he has no objection if the FIR in question isquashed. All the disputes and differences have been resolved through

mutual consent. Now no dispute with petitioners survives and so, theproceedings arising out of the FIR in question be brought to an end.Statement of the respondent No.2 has been recorded in this regard inwhich he stated that he has entered into compromise with thepetitioners and has settled all the disputes with them.He furtherstated that he has no objection if the FIR in question is quashed.

5.In Gian Singh v. State of Punjab (2012) 10 SCC 303 Apex

Court has recognized the need of amicable resolution of disputes incases like the instant one, by observing as under:-

“61.In other words, the High Court must considerwhether it would be unfair or contrary to the interestof justice to continue with the criminal proceedingsorcontinuationofcriminalproceedingswouldtantamount to abuse of process of law despitesettlement and compromise between the victim andthe wrongdoer and whether to secure the ends ofjustice, it is appropriate that criminal case is put to anend and if the answer to the above question(s) is inthe affirmative, the High Court shall be well withinits jurisdiction to quash the criminal proceedings.”

6.The aforesaid dictum stands reiterated by the Apex Court in

recent judgment in Narinder Singh v. State of Punjab (2014) 6 SCC

466. The relevant observations of the Apex Court in Narinder Singh

(Supra) are as under:-

“29. In view of the aforesaid discussion, we sum upand lay down the following principles by which the

High Court would be guided in giving adequatetreatment to the settlement between the parties andexercising its power under Section 482 of the Codewhile accepting the settlement and quashing theproceedings or refusing to accept the settlement withdirection to continue with the criminal proceedings:

29.1 Power conferred under Section 482 of the Codeis to be distinguished from the power which lies inthe Court to compound the offences under Section320 of the Code. No doubt, under Section 482 of theCode, the High Court has inherent power to quash thecriminal proceedings even in those cases which arenot compoundable, where the parties have settled thematter between themselves. However, this power is tobe exercised sparingly and with caution.

29.2. When the parties have reached the settlementand on that basis petition for quashing the criminalproceedings is filed, the guiding factor in such caseswould be to secure:

(i) ends of justice, or

(ii) to prevent abuse of the process of any court.

While exercising the power the High Court is to forman opinion on either of the aforesaid two objectives.29.3. Such power is not to be exercised in thoseprosecutions which involve heinous and seriousoffences of mental depravity or offences like murder,rape, dacoity, etc. Such offences are not private innatureandhaveaseriousimpactonsociety.Similarly, for the offences alleged to have beencommitted under special statute like the Prevention ofCorruption Act or the offences committed by publicservants while working in that capacity are not to bequashed merely on the basis of compromise betweenthe victim and the offender.29.4. On the other hand, those criminal cases havingoverwhelmingly and predominantly civil character,particularlythosearisingoutofcommercialtransactions or arising out of matrimonial relationship

or family disputes should be quashed when the partieshave resolved their entire disputes among themselves.

The inherent powers of the High Court ought to be exercised to

prevent the abuse of process of law and to secure the ends of justice.The respondent no.2 agreed to the quashing of the FIR in question andhas stated that the matter has been settled out of his own free will. Asthe matter has been settled and compromised amicably, so, therewould be an extraordinary delay in the process of law if the legalproceedings between the parties are carried on. So, this Court is ofthe considered opinion that this is fit case to invoke the jurisdictionunder Section 482 Cr.P.C. to prevent the abuse of process of law andto secure the ends of justice.

8.The incorporation of inherent power under Section 482 Cr.P.C.is meant to deal with the situation in the absence of express provisionof law to secure the ends of justice such as, where the process isabused or misused; where the ends of justice cannot be secured;where the process of law is used for unjust or unlawful object; toavoid the causing of harassment to any person by using the provisionof Cr.P.C. or to avoid the delay of the legal process in the delivery ofjustice.Whereas, the inherent power is not to be exercised to

circumvent the express provisions of law.

9.It is settled law that the inherent power of the High Court underSection 482 Cr.P.C. should be used sparingly. The Hon’ble ApexCourt in the case of State of Maharashtra through CBI v. VikramAnatrai Doshi and Ors. MANU/SC/0842/2014 and in the case ofInder Singh Goswami v. State of Uttaranchal MANU/SC/0808/2009has observed that powers under Section 482 Cr.P.C. must beexercised sparingly, carefully and with great caution. Only when theCourt comes to the conclusion that there would be manifest injusticeor there would be abuse of the process of the Court if such power isnot exercised, Court would quash the proceedings.

10.It is well settled law that where the High Court is convincedthat the offences are entirely personal in nature and therefore do notaffect public peace or tranquillity and where it feels that quashing ofsuch proceedings on account of compromise would bring about peaceand would secure ends of justice, it should not hesitate to quash them.In such cases, pursuing prosecution would be waste of time andenergy. Non-compoundable offences are basically an obstruction inentering into compromise.In certain cases, the main offence is

compoundable but the connected offences are not. In the case of B.S.

Joshi and others v. State of Haryana and another 2003 (4) SCC 675the Hon’ble Apex Court observed that even though the provisions ofSection 320 Cr.P.C. would not apply to such offences which are notcompoundable, it did not limit or affect the powers under Section 482Cr.P.C. The Hon’ble Apex Court laid down that if for the purpose ofsecuring the ends of justice, quashing of FIR becomes necessary,section 320 Cr.P.C. would not be bar to the exercise of power ofquashing.In the nutshell, the Hon’ble Apex Court justified theexercise of powers underSection 482 Cr.P.C. to quash theproceedings to secure the ends of justice in view of the special factsand circumstances of the case, even where the offences were non-compoundable.

In the light of the aforesaid, this Court is of the view thatnotwithstanding the fact that the offence under Section 324 IPC is anon-compoundable offence, there should be no impediment inquashing the FIR under this section, if the Court is otherwise satisfiedthat the facts and circumstances of the case so warrant.

11.In the facts and circumstances of this case and in view of

statement made by the respondent No.2, the FIR in question warrantsto be put to an end and proceedings emanating thereupon need to bequashed.

12.Accordingly, this petition is allowed and FIR No.477/2013dated 22.09.2013, under Sections 323/324/427/34 IPC registered atPolice Station Tilak Nagar and the proceedings emanating therefromare quashed against the petitioners.

13.This petition is accordingly disposed of.

FEBRUARY 12, 2016dd

(P.S.TEJI)JUDGE