AKHILESH PRASAD v. UNION TERRITORY OF MIZORAM

Citation: [1981] 2 S.C.R. 789

Court: Supreme Court of India

Bench: A.D. KOSHAL, A.P. SEN

Case summary

On the question of transfer the views of the learned Single Judge were: "The petitioner has not alleged any thing directly against the Court itself. Aggrieved by the commencement of proceedings against him in the Court of the Assistant District Magistrate, the appellant...

Judgment text

AKHILESH PRASAD v. UNION TERRITORY OF MIZORAM February 11, 1981 • [A. D. KosHAL AND A. N. SEN, JJ. J • Code of Criminal Procedure, section 197(2)-Whether Central Reserve Po! ice Force falls within the expression "Armed Forces of the Union" as used thereat- Section 3(I) of the Central Reserve Police Force Act and Entry 2 in List I of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution. Allowing the appeal, the Court HEID ' l : I. The Central Reserve Police Force squarely falls within the expression "Armed Forces of the Union" as used in sub""5ection (2) of section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. [794 F] 1 : 2. The expression must be given its ordinary meaning which would cer~ tainly not be limited to the inclusion of only the military, naval and air-forces of the Union as defined in clause (a) of sub-section (3) of section 132 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. [793 F-GJ I : 3.

Entry 2 in List I of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution clearly envisages armed forces other than the three well known forces of the State, namely, the naval, military and air-forces. [793 H, 794 A-BJ 1 : 4. Sub-section (I) of section 3 of the Centrai Reserve Police Force Act itself declares in no uncertain terms that the Central Reserve Police Force is an armed force of the Central Government which is the same thing as saying that it is a part of the "Armed Forces of the Union". [794 DJ 1 : 5. Just because the Central Reserve Police Force is a reserve force it doea not follow that it is not a regularly operating force. (794 E-F] 1. The question whether the offences alleged to have been committed by the appellant in the instant case, are or are not such as may be said to have been committed while he woo acting or purporting to act in the discharge of bis official dutly is to be left over. [794 GJ Pancham Lal v. Dadan Singh, [1979J Criminal Law Journal 1018; S. B. Saha v. M. S.

Kochar, [1980] 1 SCR 111-1979 Criminal Law Journal 1367, approved and followed. CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Criminal Appeal No. 439 • of 1980. \ Appeal by Special Leave from the Judgment and Order dated 20-2-1980 of the Gauhati High Court in Cr. Revision No. 173/78. Ii. K. Puri for the Appellant. N. Nettar and Miss A. Subhashini for the Respondent. P. A. Francis, K. S. Gurumurthy and R. N. Poddar for the Intervener. • The Judgment of the Court was delivered by • KosHAL, J.

This is an appeal by special leave against a judgment dated the 20th February, 1980, of a learned Single Judge of the Gauhati High Court dismissing an application made by the appellant under sections 482 and 407 of the Code of Criminal Procedure praying that the proceedings pending in the Court of the Assistant District Magistrate, Aizawl which have been initiated through a police report against the appellant with a prayer that he be punished for offences under sections 307, 326 and 324 of the Indian Penal Code alleged to have been committed by him on the 30th May, 1978, be quashed or, in the alternative, that the proceedings be transferred to a competent court beyond the territory of Mizoram. 2. The relevant facts are not in dispute and may be stated briefly.

On the 30th May, 1978, a case was registered at the Vairengte Police Station at the instance of one Thanugura alleging that men of the Central Reserve Police Force (hereinafter referred to as CRPF), of which the appellant is a member had fired shots at handyman Thara and a driver the two of whom received injuries in the arm and thigh respectively. After investigation the police submitted a report under section 173 of the Code of Criminal Procedure against the appellant to the Assistant District Magistrate Aizawl. 3. Aggrieved by the commencement of proceedings against him in the Court of the Assistant District Magistrate, the appellant sought redress from the High Court through the application which has been dismissed by the impugned order.

The prayer for quashing the proceedings contained in the application was based on various grounds only one of which has now been canvassed before us and tha,t is that the offences attributed to the appellant are alleged to have been committed by him while he was acting or purporting to act in the discharge r" of his official duty as a member of the Armed Forces of the Union and that in view of the provisions of sulrsection 2 of section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (hereinafter referred to as the Cr. P. C. ) no Court had the jurisdiction to take cognizance of those offences. The prayer made in the alternative was supported by various assertions indicative of surcharged atmosRhere in Mizoram which had resulted in the entire population becoming hostile to the appellant so that it would not at all be safe for him to attend the Court at Aizawl. ,, 4. The learned Single Judge noted the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 197 of Cr. P. C.

which runs thus : • "No Court shall take cognizance of any offence alleged to have been committed by any member of the Armed Forces of the Union while acting or purporting to act in the discharge of his official duty, except with the previous sanction of the Central G of the State, namely the naval, military and air forces. All tha'. remains to be done, therefore, is to find out answers to tbe following two questions : • (a) Is the C. R. P. F. a force? (b) If question (aJ is answered in the affirmative, • whether C. R. P. F. is an armed force? In our upinion the answer to both tbe questions must be given in the affirmative in view of the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 3 of the CRPF Act which unfortunately do not appear to have been brougbt to the notice of ! he learned Single Judge. That sub-section reads t! :;i;s : "There shcJi continue to be an armed force maintained by the Central Government and called the Central Reserve Police Force.

" 0 The sub-section itself declares in no uncertain terms that tbe CRPF is an armed force of the Central Government which is tbe same thing as saying tbat it is a part of the "Armed Forces of tbe Union". We may make it clear, however, that even if tbe provisions just above extracted were not available our answer to the two questions would still be in the affirmative. The reason given by tbe learned Single Judge for holding a contrary opinion, namely, that tbe force was "only a reserve force and not a regular force" by which expression he appears to mean that it was not a continually operating force does not commend our concurrence. Just because tbe CRPF is a reserve force it does not follow tbat it is not a regularly operating force and no provision of the CRPF Act has been pointed out to us such as may lend support to a contrary view. ' - 5. We hold ! bat tbe CRPF squarely falls within the expression "Armed Forces of the Union" as used in sub-section (2) of section 197 of the Cr. P.

C. 6. We leave open the question whether the offences alleged to have been committed by the appellant are or are not such as may be said to have been committed while he was acting or purporting f' to act in the discharge of his official duty. This course we follow in view of the exposition of law contained in that paragraph quoted by us from tbe impugned judgment which makes a reference to 1979 Criminal Law Journal, 1018 and 1979 Criminal Law Jonrnal 1367, ' t which exposition is not only correct according to learned counsel for all parties before us but al§. o has our full approval A 7. Learned counsel for the parties are also agreed that the case against the appellant be transferred to the Court of a Magistrate functioning at Gauhati. We consider the proposal to be conducive to a fair trial and, accepting it, transfer the proceeilings to the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Gauhati.

We further direct that the State of Assam and the CRPF shall afford full protection to the life • B and liberty of the appellant. S. R. Appeal allowed. '