DHARMESHBHAI VASUDEVBHAI & ORS. v. STATE OF GUJARAT & ORS

Citation: [2009] 7 S.C.R. 475

Court: Supreme Court of India

Bench: S.B. SINHA, CYRIAC JOSEPH

Case summary

DHARMESHBHAI VASUDEVBHAI & ORS. v. STATE OF GUJARAT & ORS.pdf

Judgment text

[2009] 7 S. C. R. 475 DHARMESHBHAI VASUDEVBHAI & ORS. V. STATE OF GUJARAT & ORS. Criminal Appeal No. 914 of 2009 MAY 5, 2009 (S. B. SINHA AND CYRIAC JOSEPH, JJ) CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE, 1973: 1 s. 156(3) - Magistrate recalling his order for investigation passed uls 156(3) - Held: Ordinarily, Magistrate has no power to recall his order - When an order is passed under s. 156(3), > investigation must be carried out - Interference by Magistrate .. ~; with exercise of statutory power of investigation by police is not envisaged under the Code.

Constitution of India, 1950: "/ Articles 227 and 235 - Superintendence by High Court over Judicial Magistrates - Held: High Court was not correct in refusing to consider the contention that Magistrate had no iurisdiction to recall the order for investigation passed by him uls 156(3) CrPC - Apart from exercising supervisory iurisdiction under Articles 227 and 235, High Court has a duty to exercise continuous superintendence over Judicial ~ Magistrates in terms of s. 483 CrPC - Orders of High Court and Judicial Magistrate set aside - Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 - s. 483 - Administration ofjustice. The City Co-operative Bank filed a complaint petition in the court of the Judicial Magis~rate alleging commission of offences punishable u/ss 406, 420, 423, 465, 477, 468, 471, 120-8, 124 r/w 34 IPC by the respondents - accused. The Magistrate by order dated 11. 6. 2004 directed u/s 156(3) .. CrPC the complaint to be registered and sent to the Police Station concerned for investigation.

However, subsequently, on complainant's application informing the court . ' [2009] 7 S. C. R. that a compromise had been arrived at between the parties; ·the Magistrate ordered to withdraw the inquiry. The appellants, who were depositors in the Bank, filed writ petitions challenging the orders of the Judicial ' Magistrate. The High Court having dismissed the writ 8 petitions, the depositors filed the appeals. Allowing the appeals, the Court ! " HELD: 1. 1 When an order is passed under sub-s. (3) " of s. 156 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the investigation must be carried out. Only when the investi- , ' gating officer arrives at a finding that the alleged offence has not been committed by the accused, he may submit ... a final report. On the other hand, upon investigation if it is found thata prima facie case has been made out, a chargesheet must be filed. [para 8] [481-B-C] t- 'r 1.

2 Interference with the exercise of statutory power of investigation by police, far less direction for withdrawal of any investigation which is sought to be carried out, is not envisaged under the Code. Magistrate's power in this regard is limited. Even otherwise, he does not have any inherent power. Ordinarily, he has no power to recall his order. [para 9] [481-C-D] S. N. Sharma v. Bipen Kumar Tiwari & Ors. (1970) 1 SCC " 653 and Devarapal/i Lakshminarayana Reddy & Ors. vs. V. Narayana Reddy & Ors. (1976) 3 SCC 252 - relied on. 1. 3 In the instant case, the Magistrate directed carrying out the investigation by investigating officer and submit a l'eport. If the investigation was to be carried out in terms of s. 156(3) of the Code, the same could not have been equated with an enquiry as the two expressions have differently been defined in ss. 2(g) and 2(h) of the + Code. In any event, the Magistrate did not have any jurisdiction to recall the said order.

The High Court, therefore, was not correct in refusing to consider the . •' .. -..... -~ STATE OF GUJARAT & ORS. contention that the Magistrate had no jurisdiction in-that behalf. The High Court, apart from exercising its super- . visory jurisdiction under Articles 227 and 235 of the Constitution of India, has a duty to exercise continuous superintendence over the Judicial Magistrates in terms of s. 483 of the Code. When an order passed by a Magistrate which was wholly without jurisdiction was brought to the notice of the High Court, it could have interfered therewith even suo motu. [para 10] [483·G-H; 484-A~C] Ada/at Prasad v. Roop/al Jindal & Ors. (2004) 7 SCC 338; Everest Advertising (P) Ltd. v. StateGovernment of NCT of Delhi & Ors. (2007) 5 SCC 54; Dinesh Da/mia v. CBI (2007) 8 SCC 770 and S. Suresh Annappa Reddy (Dead) by LRs. ' (2004) 13 sec 424 - referred to. 1. 4 The orders of the High Court and the Judicial Magistrate cannot be sustained and are set aside.

It is, however, made clear that this Court has not entered into merits of the matter. It is furthermore made clear that in the event the accused persons intend to question the legality of the order dated 11. 6. 2004 passed by the Magistrate1-they will be at liberty to take recourse to the remedies available to them in law. [para 12] [485-F-G] Case Law Reference I,, (1970) 1 sec 653 relied on para 9 (1976) 3 sec 252 relied on para 9 (2004) 1 sec 338 referred to para 11 2001) 5 sec 54 referred to para 11 (2007) 8 sec 110 referred to para 11 (2004) 13 sec 424 referred to para 11 CRIMINALAPPELLATEJURISDICTION: CriminalAppeal No. 914 of 2009 From the Judgement and Order dated 08. 07. 2005 of the Hon'ble High Court of Gujarat atAhmedabad in Special Criminal Application No. 674 of 2005. WITH Criminal Appeal Nos. 915 of 2009 Criminal Appeal Nos. 916 of 2009 Criminal Appeal Nos. 917 of 2009 Criminal Appeal Nos. 918 of 2009 U. U. Lalit Mushtaq Ahmad, Taruna Singh, with him forthe Appellant.

Hemantik Wahi, K. Enatolesema, Somanath, R. S. Suri, ,,. for the Respondent. The Judgement of the Court was delivered by 'r S. B. SINHA, J. 1. Leave granted. 2. These appeals arising out of a common judgment were taken up for hearing together. Appellants herein are depositors in City Cooperative Bank Ltd. (the Bank), a bank incorporated and registered under the ,/ Gujarat Co-operative Societies Act, 1962. 3. Some of the borrowers had mortgaged their properties with the bank. Alleging commission of offences under Sections 406, 420, 423, 465, 477, 468, 471, 120(B), 124 and 34 of the Indian penal Code and investigation against the accused persons- respondents herein, the bank filed a complaint petition before the Second Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, Surat praying for a direction upon the Rander Police Station to + register a complaint. By an order dated 11. 6.

2004, the learned Magistrate upon consideration of the said allegations directed as under : "The complaint is hereby ordered to be registered as the Inquiry Case and is ordered to be sent to Rander:Police Station under Section 156(3) for the Police Investigation. On being investigating the offeflce the Investigating Officer has to submit the report of Investigation ·c;n or before 12. 7. 2004 before this Court. " ·· 4. However, the complainant filed an application before 1 the learned Magistrate on or about 6. 7. 2004 informing the learned Court that a compromise had been entered into by and between the accused and the· bank pursuant whereto and in furtherance whereof, an order was passed, directing: "As the compromise has been taken place between the complainant and the accused which is being proclaimed by Ex. 4, the complainant don't want to proceed further with the complaint, the order is being passed to withdraw 0 the inquiry. It is to be informed to the concerned Police Station.

" 5. Questioning the legality and validity thereof, the appellants filed Writ Petitions before the High Court. The main judgment was passed in the case of Writ Petition No. 3771 of 2005. Before the High Court, a contention was raised that once a complaint is sent for registration of the first information report and investigation on the allegations contained therein, the learned Magistrate had no jurisdiction to recall the order. Reliance in this behalf, inter alia, was placed on the . decision of this Court in Subramanium Sethuraman v. State of Maharashtra & Anr. [2004 (7) SCALE 733]. The High Court, however, upon taking note of the fact that at the relevant point of time, an administrator had been ; functioning under the direct control and supervision of the District Registrar, Co-operative Societies, in absence of any allegation that he had exercised his power mala fide, declined to interfere with the said order dated 6. 7.

2004, stating : "It appears that the petitioners were not in the picture, - either at the time when the complaint was filed and/or at the time when the learned Magistrate passed the order for in"'. estigation under Section 156(3) of Cr. P. C. or at the time when the settlement purshis was filed and the learned Magistrate passed the offer of recalling the inquiry in the month of July 2004. As such in normal circumstances, the petitioners who are depositors of the bank can be said as third party to the programmes of the complaint and subsequent there to in case of S. M. S. Jayaraj (Supra), the case before the Apex Court was pertaining to the grant of licence for liquor and, therefore, while considering the question of locus standi it was observed that the appellant before the Apex Co. urt was the person, who was having the business in the area can have locus.

In any case, it was not matter for considering the question of locus standi in criminal prosecution and, therefore, the said decision is of no help to the petitioners. " 6. Mr. U. U. Lalit, learned senior counsel appearing on behalf of the appellant, would submit that the High Court committed a serious error in passing the impugned order insofar as it failed to take into consideration that the learned Magistrate could not have recalled his earlier order passed in terms of subsection (3) of Section 156 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. 7. Mr. R. S. Suri, learned counsel appearing on behalf of the respondent, on the other hand, supported the impugned judgment. 8. It is well settled that any person may set the criminal law in motion subject of course to the statutory interdicts. When an offence is committed, a first information report can be lodged under Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (for short, 'the Code').

A complaint petition may also be filed in terms of , Section 200 thereof. However, in the event for some reasons or the other, the first information report is not recorded in terms of sub-section (1) of Section 156 of the Code, the magistrate is empowered under sub-section (3) of Section 156 thereof to order an investigation into the allegations contained in the complaint petition. Thus, power to direct investigation may arise in two different situations- (1) when a first information report is refused to be lodged; or (2) when the statutory power- of· investigation for some reason or the other is not condueted. When an order. is -passed under sub-section (3) of Section 156 of the Code, an investigation must be carried out.

Only when the investigating officer arrives at a finding that the alleged offence has not been committed by the accused, he may submit a final form; On the other hand, upon investigation if it is found that a prima facie case has been made out, a charge-sheet must be filed. 9. Interference in the exercise of the statutory power of investigation by the Police by the Magistrate far less direction for withdrawal of any investigation which is sought to be carried out is not envisaged under the Code of Criminal Procedure. · 'f The Magistrate's power in this regard is limited. Even otherwise, he does not have any inherent power. Ordinarily, he has no power to recall his order. This aspect of the matter has been considered by this Court in S. N. Sharma v. Bipen Kumar Tiwari & Ors. [(1970) 1 SCC 653], wherein the law has been stated as under : "6.

Without the use of the expression "if he thinks fit", the second alternative could have been held to be independent of the first; but the use of this expression, in our opinion, makes it plain that the power conferred by the second clause of this section is only an alternative to the power given by the first clause and can, therefore, be exercised only in those cases in which the first clause is applicable. 7. It may also be further noticed that, even in sub-section~ (3) of Section 156, the only power given to the_Magistrate, · who can take cognizance . of an offence under Section 190, is to order an investigation; there is no mention of any power to stop an investigation by the police.

The scheme of these sections, thus, clearly is that the power _of the police to investigate any cognizable offence is uncontrolled by the Magistrate, and it is only in cases where the police decide not to investigate the case that the Magistrate can intervene and either direct an investigation, or, in the alternative, himself proceed or depute a Magistrate subordinate to him to proceed to enquire into the case. The power of the police to investigate has been made independent of any control by the Magistrate. " Interpreting the aforementioned provisions vis-a-vis the 1. ack of inherent power in the Magistrate in terms of Section 561- A of the Old Criminal procedure Code (equivalent to Section 482 of the new Code of Criminal procedure), it was held : "10. This interpretation, to some extent, supports the view that the scheme of the Criminal Procedure Code is that the power of the police to investigate a cognizable offence D. is not to be interfered with by the judiciary.

Their Lordships of the Privy C y the learned Magistrate dated 11. 6. 2004, they will be at liberty to take recourse to the remedies available to them in law. 13. The appeals are allowed accordingly. R. P. Appeals allowed.