1
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY,
NAGPUR BENCH : NAGPUR
Criminal Application No. 3463 of 2009
Applicant : Rajan son of Manoharlal Dhaddha, aged about 33
years, occ: Government Contractor, resident of
299, Nandanwan Layout, Nagpur
versus
Respondent : The State of Maharashtra, through P. S. O.
Saoner, District Nagpur Mr M. P. Khajanchi, Advocate and Mr R.M. Daga, Advocate with him for applicant.
Mr S. J. Jichkar, Addl. Public Prosecutor for respondent-State.
Coram : A. P. Bhangale, J Dated : 1st December 2011 ::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 17:58:25 ::: 2 Oral Judgment
1. By this application, petitioner prays for to quash FIR registered by respondent PSO, Police Station, Khamgaon in Crime No. 254/07 for the offences punishable under Sections 406, 409 and 109 of the Indian Penal Code read with Sections 3 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act.
2. Heard learned counsel for the parties. Perused the application and reply filed by respondent-State.
3. Applicant claims that he is a renowned and reputed Government contractor and transporter carrying on his business in the name of Shri Ganesh Carriers. He also claims that he is a registered Government contractor for transporting food-grains to all 14 tahsils of Nagpur district and has reputation in the Department as to his integrity and honesty with unblemished character. He was awarded contract since 1996 by the Government for transportation of food-grains. He also enjoys good social status. He is President of Mahavir Jain Yuvak Mandal, Nagpur; office bearer of several social organizations of national and international repute like Jain International Trade Organization, Mahavir International etc. It is the case of the applicant that he was sought to be prosecuted under Sections 406, 409, 109 of the Indian Penal Code read with Sections 3 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act by the police despite the fact that he has been awarded contract by the Government for transporting wheat, rice etc. as stipulated in ::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 17:58:25 ::: 3 writing in contract, from one place to another in the Nagpur district. It is submitted that the petitioner had entered into a written contract with the Government in the name and style as Shri Ganesh Carrier having office at Plot No. 299, Nandanwan Layout, Nagpur. This contract was for a period of one year from 10th April 2003 which was extended from time to time which is still existing. According to the applicant, he was under contractual obligations to transport food-grains from one place to another in accordance with the said written contract and for the rates as agreed per kilometer by means of trucks hired for that purpose.
4. As per the allegations of prosecution, Tahsildar, Saoner verified stock of wheat and rice in the Government godown in the month of October 2007 and it was found that some stock of wheat and rice was less in quantity.
He lodged report with Police Station, Saoner and after investigation, offences punishable under Sections 406, 409, 109 of the Indian Penal Code read with Sections 3 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act.
5. Learned counsel for the applicant contends that in fact, go-down manager by name Dattatraya Bandelwar was responsible for illegal disposal of wheat and rice. He submits that when as per record, entire 51 trucks reached the Government godown and there are written acknowledgments of due delivery of the quantity of food-grains loaded, there is no question of short supply of food-grains on the part of applicant. He further submits that on the ::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 17:58:25 ::: 4 basis of statement of co-accused (godown manager Dattatraya Bandelwar), present applicant has been prosecuted. Main limb of the argument is, the dispute is purely of a civil nature. Learned counsel has taken me through various clauses of Transport Agreement between the parties and in particular, clause 27 thereof. He contends that clause 27 provides that any dispute arising under the agreement or in relation to the agreement either during the continuance of the agreement or thereafter shall be referred to the Arbitrator or Commissioner of the Division. According to him, therefore, in the light of this specific clause, prosecution of the applicant is rendered bad in law.
6. Learned Additional Public Prosecutor, on the other hand, contends that there is ample material with the prosecution which shows prima facie involvement of the applicant for commission of offences registered against him and, therefore, application deserves to be dismissed.
7. I have gone through various acknowledgments filed on record and Transport Agreement. Learned APP does not dispute various clauses contained in the Transport Agreement. Clause 27 of the Agreement reads as under :
"27. Any dispute arising under this Agreement or in relation thereto including the interpretation of this agreement either during the continuance thereof or thereafter shall be referred to the arbitration of the Commissioner of the Division where the ::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 17:58:25 ::: 5 transport work is to be carried out or any other officer authorised by him in that behalf in writing within six months of the expiry of the agreement and every such reference will be governed by the provisions of the Arbitration Act, 1940 or any modification thereof for the time being in force. The decision of such arbitrator shall be final and binding on the parties to this agreement."
8. On perusal of the above clause, it is obvious that if according to the Department, there was short supply of food-grains, it could have definitely referred the dispute to the Arbitrator or the Commission for fixing liability, if any. In Bal Kishan Das v. P. C. Nayar reported in 1991 Supp (2) SCC 412 pressed into service by learned counsel for the applicant, criminal proceedings for the offence punishable under Section 406 of the Indian Penal Code were initiated against the applicant by Food Corporation of India for shortage of paddy and rice procured by him for FCI. Criminal prosecution was quashed by the Apex Court in the light of the fact that there was arbitration agreement between parties permitting shortage upto certain limit and for payment of penalty beyond that at the rates prescribed in the agreement.
9. Similarly, in Joseph Salvaraja v. State of Gujarat & ors reported in (2011) 3 SCC (Cri) 23, the Apex Court has observed thus :
"In our opinion, the matter appears to be purely civil in nature.
There appears to be no cheating or a dishonest inducement for ::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 17:58:25 ::: 6 the delivery of property or breach of trust by the appellant. The present FIR is an abuse of process of law. The purely civil dispute, is sought to be given a colour of a criminal offence to wreak vengeance against the appellant. It does not meet the strict standard of proof required to sustain a criminal accusation. In such type of cases, it is necessary to draw a distinction between civil wrong and criminal wrong as has been succinctloy held by this Court in Devendra v. State of UP, relevant part thereof is reproduced hereinbelow (SCC p. 505 para 27) "27..... A distinction must be made between a civil wrong and a criminal wrong. When dispute between the parties constite only a civil wrong and not a criminal wrong, the courts would not permit a person to be harassed although no case for taking cognizance of the offence has been made out".
In Joseph's case (supra), the Apex Court further observed that the appellant cannot be allowed to go through the rigmarole of a criminal prosecution for long number of years, even when admittedly a civil proceeding initiated against him is sub judice.
10. Looking to the settled legal position in this regard, there appears no chance of conviction. Although the proceedings may continue under criminal law against the present applicant complaint lodged against the ::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 17:58:25 ::: 7 applicant on its face value does not constitute offence even prima facie. The process of the Court is if allowed to continue in the form of criminal prosecution, would be nothing but clear abuse when allegations are inherently improbable and averments indicate the existence of civil dispute arising out of written contract. Apart from the above rulings, ratio laid down by the Apex Court in the case of State of Haryana & ors v. Bhajan Lal and ors reported in 1992 Supp (1) SCC 335 is also attracted to the present case. It is clear that the case in hand is such where the allegations made in the first information report or the complaint, even if they are taken at their face value and accepted in their entirety do not prima facie constitute any offence or make out a case against the applicant. No fruitful purpose will be served by allowing the prosecution to continue against the applicant.
11. In the result, FIR registered against the applicant vide Crime No. 254/2007 at Police Station, Saoner for the offences punishable under Sections 406, 409, 109 of the Indian Penal Code read with Sections 3 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act together with consequent charge-sheet is hereby quashed and set aside as against the present applicant.
A. P. BHANGALE, J joshi ::: Downloaded on - 09/06/2013 17:58:25 :::