BASUDEV HAZRA versus MATIAR RAHAMAN MANDAL

BASUDEV HAZRA

MATIAR RAHAMAN MANDAL

January 21, 1971

[P. JAGANMOHAN REDDY AND I. D. DuA, JJ.]

Bengal Ferries Act; 1886, s. 24--Scope of-If lessee in respect of tofls cmt be penalised even where he levies toll when person does not usev ferry but river-bed-Or when he levies charge in excess of prescribed rate.

The appellant was leaseholder in respect of tolls of public feay crossing the river Damodar. The respondent filed complaint against him alleging that the appellant used to realise illegally 20 np per cart from the ·cultivators who used to drive their carts across the dry bed of the river. After hearing .of the respondent's complaint on November 29, 1964 the appellant realised double the amount of toll from the respondent. The appella::it was therea'fter convicted for offences under sections 23 and 24 of the Bengal Ferries Act, 1885. In revision, the Additional Ses..ions Judge recommended acquittal of the appellant in respect of his conviction under both the provisions. As to the conviction under s: 24, according to the Additional Sessions Judge, the collection of money from the people using the river bed and not the ferry might amount to extortion under the Indian Penal Code but it would not attract the provisions of s. 24. Al-though the High Court accepted the recommend.ation with respect to the acquittal under s. 23, it rejected the reference in respect of the conviction under s. 24.

In the appeal to this Court by special leave, it was contended that the realisation of 40 np per cart from those who did not use the ferry could not as matter of law fall within the mischief of s. 24. ·

HELD : dismissing the appeal.

Section 24 of the Bengal Ferries Act does not speak of taking toll in excess of the lawful limit only from those persons who use the ferry. This Act was enacted for regulating ferries but that does not mean that an ille-gai demand under the pretext of claim by way of toll under \his Act, when it is not legally claimable, was not intended by the legislature to be pre>-hibited and made punishable by the language of s. 24. Demanding or receiving more than lawful dues and unduly delaying persons, ·animals, vehicles or things in crossing the river are both rendered ,penal and punish-able. Whether the person from whom the amount is demanded or received is under no obligation to pay anything by way of toll while crossing the river bed or is bound by law only to pay 20 ps per cart as toll would thus be immaterial when payment is demanded or received on the pretext that it is due as toll when it is· legally not so due. [181 C-Fl

To exclude cases like the present from the operatioµ of s. 24 would unduly restrict its effectiveness aq!f would indeed facilitate. illegal recoveries prohibited by it. To~ that extent it would defeat the ob1ect and purpose which this section is intended to achieve. [182 Al

CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Criminal Appeal No.

171 of 1968.

Appeal by special leave from the judgment and order dated September 13, 1967 of the Calcutta High Court in Criminal Refere,nce No. 36 of. 1967.

D. N. Mukherjee, for the appellant.

The respondent did not appear.

The Judgment of the Court was delivered by

Dua, J. The appellant, Basudev Hazra, was leaseholder in respect of tolls of the public ferry at Sadar Ghat on the outskirts of Burdwan town for crossing the river Daroodar. This lease was for period of three years (August 14, 1963 to August 13, 1966): Ex. 2. On November 30, 1964 Matiar Rahman Manda! filed complaint against the appellant in the court of the Sadar Sub-Divi-sional Officer (Judicial), Burdwan alleging that the appellant used to realise illegally 20 nP. per cart from the cultivators who used to drive their carts across the dry bed of the river. The matter was reported to the S.D.0. who directed an enquiry. This infuriated the appellant. On November 29, 1964 the appellant realised double the amount of toll and on protesl and refusal by the complainant he was threatened with violence by the appellant.

The Magistrate trying the appellant for offences under ss. 23 and 24 of the Bengal Ferries Act, I of 1885 convincted him of both the olfences. The appellant was sentenced to fine of Rs. I 0/- under s. 23 and to fine of Rs. 20/- under s. 24 : in de-fault of payment of fine in the former- case he was to undergo sim-ple imprisonment for ten days and in the lattei: for 20 days.

On the appellant challenging his conviction on revision in the Court of the Sessioos Judge, the Additional Sessions Judge, Burd-F wan made roference to the High Court recommending the appel-lant's acquittal. It was observed by the Additional Sessions Judge in his reference that accordiing to the appellant's defence the com-plainant's party were in fact usin~ the landing stage and the path constructed and repaired by him and, therefore, they were liable to pay the usual toll tax_. After reproducing s. 24 he adaect :

" ... the complainant's case as it appears from the petition of complaint and also from the evidence of the rhree witnesses examined on the point, is that they do not take advantage of any of the facilities provided by the lessee and that the lessee demanded toll from them even though they were using their own path. The de-fence as I have a~ady stated, was that the pathway and the landing stage belonged to the lessee and that, thero-fore, he was entitled to collect toll. Forgetting the de~ fence for the moment, it seems to me that no conviction

11/s 24 can be sustained on the case of the complainant as it is."

According to him the collection of mol).ey from the people using their own pathway might amount to extortion but it would not attract s. 24. We need not refer to the recommendation with res-pect to the appellant's conviction under s. 23 as this was accepted by the High Court and there is no appeal against acquittal under that section.

The High Court accepted the recommendation with respect to the conviction under s. 23 and acquitted the. appellant of that offence. In regard 'to the conviction under s. 24 the High Court observed that the trial Magistrate had found (i) that the appellant had .been realising toll charges in excess of the scheduled /rate of 20 ps. per cart and also realising such charges from persons who did not use the ferry an~ (ii) that though the complainant had not availed of the ferry and had taken the cart over the sandy bed of the river 40 ps. per cart were realised from him. These findings of fact were held not ope,n to re-examination on revision. The High Court added that realisation of 40 ps. fell within the mischief of s. 24 which forbids every lessee from realising more than lawful toll even in cases in which he is entitled to demand ferry charges. Repelling the argument that the present was case of extortion and itrdid not fall withi~ the purview of s. 24 the 8:igh Court, after refem to the c_omplamant's case, observed that 1t was case of illega' realisation of toll in excess, when the appellant was not entitled to realise it at all and not case of extortion under the_ Indian Penal Code. The amount had been illegally demanded as toll and that als_o in excess of permissible rate. The reference with rt>spect to s. 24 was, as observed earlier, rejected.

The appellant has secured special leave to appeal under Art. 136 of the Constitution and his counsel Mr. D. N. Mukherjee has stremmsly contended that the realisation of 40 ps. per cart from those who do not use the ferry can not as matter of law fall within the misdhief of s. 24 of the Bengal Ferries Act. His contention in essence is that unless someone actually uses ferry no charges realised from him for permitting him to cross the river, even if the demand is made by way of toll, can attract the provisions of s. 24. The contention though prima facie somewhat attractive does not stand scrutiny. Section 24 reads as under :

"Penalty for taking unauthorised tolls, and for caus-ing delay:

Every such lessee or other person as aforesaid asking or taking more than the lawful toll, or without due cause

delaying any person, animal, vehicle or other thing, shall be punished with tine which may extend to one hun-dred rupees."

It is obvious that this section does not speak. of taking toll in ex-cess of the lawful limit only from those persons who use the ferry. This Act was enacted f:Jr regulating ferries but that does not mean that an illegal demand. µnder the pretext of ch1im by way of toll under this Act when it is not legally claimable was not intended by the legislature to be prohibited and made punishable by the language of s. 24, Shri Mukherjee drew our attention to s. 5 of the Act in which "ferry'' is defined to include bridge of boats, pontoons or rafts, swing-bridge, flying bridge, temporary bridge and landing stage. According to him, t'his definition sug-gests that it is only when ferry is used and excessive charges rea-. lised that s. 24 would be attracted. l'he sublllission is difficult to accept. This definition which is not exh;mstive does not seem to us to control or otherwise to throw helpful light in the interpreta-tion of s. 24. This section seems to have been designed in effect to protect the persons crossing the river against harassment and abuse of the privileged position which the lessee or other person authorised to collect the tolls of public ferry occupies under the statute in the matter of control over the passage or pathway for crossing, fording or ferrying across the river. Demanding or re-ceiving more than lawful dues and unduly delaying persons, ani-E mals, vehicles or things in crossing the river are both rendered penal and punishable. Whether the person from whom the amount is demanded or received is under no obligation to pay anythiilg by way of toll while crossing the river bed or is bound by law only to pay 20 ps. per cart as toll would thus be immaterial when pay-ment is demanded or received on the pretext that it is due as toll when it is legally not so due. In either case s. 24 would seem to be altrackd : this construction would serve to suppress the mis-chief at which this section appears to be aimed. The question whether or not the appellant's case falls within !!he mischief of extortion as defined under the Indian Penal Code is not strictly relevant to the point arising in the controversy because if the ap-pellant's case is covered by s. 24 of the Act then he is liable to be punished thereunder. His liability to be prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code cannot by itself in law exclude the applicability of s. 24 to his case. The Additional Sessions Judge was, in our opinion. not quite right in observing that the defence that the ac-cused was entitled to claim the toll may be ignored, because de-fence of an accused {>Crson can legitimately he taken into consi-H deration while assessing the value of the evidence and judging the guilt or innocence of the accused. The Jppellanfs defence in this case would clearly tend to support the complainant's case that the amount received was demanded as toll which was an unlawful

[1971) 3 S.C.R.

.demand. To eX(:lude cases like the present from the operation of s. 24 would unduly restrict its effectiveness and would indeed faci-.litate illegal recoveries prohibited by it. . To that extent it would .defeat the object and purpose wllich this section is intended to achieve. When the appellant's counsel took us through !be evi-dence we found that the appellant had also delayed the prosection witnesses without due cause in crossing the river in violation of B. 24. It is, however, unnecessary to pursue this aspect. Finally it may b~ pointed out that Art. 136 of the Constitution does not confer right of appeal on part!y. It only confers discretionary power on this Court to be exercised sparingly to interfere in suit-able cases where grave miscarriage of justice has resulted from 'illegality or from misapprehension or mistake in reading evidence or frQm ignoring, excluding or illegally admitting material evidence. The present case suffers from no such infirmity.

The appeal accordingly fails and is dismissed.

R.K.P.S.

Appeal dismissed.