Thankachan vs State Of Kerala

Citation : 2022 Latest Caselaw 8874 Ker
Judgement Date : 7 July, 2022

Kerala High Court
Thankachan vs State Of Kerala on 7 July, 2022
                IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM

                                 PRESENT

           THE HONOURABLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE MR.S.MANIKUMAR

                                   &

                THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SHAJI P.CHALY

         THURSDAY, THE 7TH DAY OF JULY 2022 / 16TH ASHADHA, 1944

                        WP(C) NO. 21915 OF 2022

PETITIONER/S:

           THANKACHAN
           AGED 52 YEARS
           S/O. LATE DEVASSIA @ SEBASTIAN, MUNJANATT VEEDU, NOOLPUZHA
           P.O., KUPPADI VILLAGE, SULTHANBATHERY, WAYANAD, PIN - 673 592.
           BY ADV BIJU ABRAHAM


RESPONDENT/S:

     1     STATE OF KERALA
           REPRESENTED BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SECRETARIAT,
           THIRUVANANTHAPURAM , PIN - 695 001.
     2     UNION OF INDIA
           REPRESENTED BY SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT, MINISTRY OF LAW &
           JUSTICE (DEPARTMENT OF LEGAL AFFAIRS) SHASTRI BHAWAN, NEW
           DELHI-1.
     3     SURENDRAN, AGED 58 YEARS,
           S/O. LATE RARUKUTTY, AVETHAN HOUSE, NAGARAMCHALIL,
           NOOLPUZHA P.O., (FORMER NOOLPUZHA GRAMA PANCHAYAT VICE
           PRESIDENT), KUPPADI VILLAGE, SULTHAN BATHERY TALUK, WAYANAD
           , PIN - 673 592.
     4     K.T. KURIAKOSE
           AGED 60 YEARS
           S/O. THOMAS, VALLUVADI P.O., (FORMER STANDING COMMITTEE
           CHAIRMAN, NOOLPUZHA GRAMA PANCHAYAT,), NOOLPUZHA VILLAGE,
           SULTHAN BATHERY TALUK, WAYANAD. , PIN - 673 592.
     5     K.M. POLOUSE
           AGED 64 YEARS
           S/O. MATHAI, (FORMER MEMBER NOOLPUZHA GRAMA PANCHAYAT),
           VALLUVADI P.O, NOOLPUZHA VILLAGE, SULTHAN BATHERY TALUK,
           WAYANAD, PIN - 673 592.
     6     M.A. DINESHAN
           AGED 58 YEARS
           S/O. LATE APPU, (FORMER MEMBER NOOLPUZHA GRAMA
           PANCHAYAT), NOOLPUZHA P.O., NOOLPUZHA VILLAGE, SULTHAN
           BATHERY TALUK, WAYANAD, PIN - 673 592.
 W.P.(C) No. 21915/2022              :2:




     7      K. SHOBHAN KUMAR
            AGED 64 YEARS
            S/O. PRABHAKARAN, AGED 64 YEARS, NOOLPUZHA VILLAGE,
            NAIKETTY P.O., SULTHAN BATHERY TALUK, WAYANAD, PIN - 673 592.
     8      T.MUHAMMED,
            AGED 53 YEARS
            S/O. ABDU RAHIMANKUTTY HAJI, AGED 53 YEARS, ELLICHUVAD,
            NOOLPUZHA VILLAGE, NAIKETTY P.O., SULTHAN BATHERY,
             PIN - 673 592.
     9      V.M. JOSEPH
            AGED 68 YEARS
            S/O. LATE MATHAI, AGED 68 YEARS, VELLAMATATHIL HOUSE,
            NAGARAMCHAL, NOOLPUZHA P.O., KUPPADI VILLAGE, SULTHAN
            BATHERY - 673 592.


            SRI. TEKCHAND, SR GOVERNMENT PLADER



      THIS WRIT PETITION (CIVIL) HAVING COME UP FOR ADMISSION ON

      07.07.2022, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING:
 W.P.(C) No. 21915/2022                :3:




              S. MANIKUMAR, CJ & SHAJI P. CHALY, J.
           ---------------------------------------------------------
                        W.P.(C) No. 21915 of 2022
            ---------------------------------------------------------
               Dated this the 7th day of July, 2022.

                           JUDGMENT

S. MANIKUMAR,CJ.

The petitioner has filed the instant writ petition as a Public Interest Litigation seeking the following relief:

A writ of mandamus or any other appropriate writ, order or direction declaring that there is no difference between a victim under the police case and a complainant as a victim in a private complaint under the eye of law in filing an appeal under the proviso to Section 372 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

2. Mr. Biju Abraham, learned counsel for the petitioner, brought to our notice that Ext. P6 order dated 05.02.2022 in Crl. M.P. No. 67 of 2021 in Crl. Appeal No. 58 of 2020 on the files of the Sessions Court, Kalpetta and Ext. P7 judgment in Crl. Appeal No. 58 of 2020, have already been challenged by the writ petitioner under Article 482 of Cr.P.C by filing Crl. M.C. No. 3111 of 2022. Grounds of challenge made in the aforesaid case are similar to the one raised in the instant writ petition.

W.P.(C) No. 21915/2022 :4:

3. When this Court made a query as to whether filing of the instant writ petition styled as a Public Interest Litigation is maintainable, when the writ petitioner, as a person aggrieved has already filed Crl. M. C No. 3111 of 2022 and whether can there be a parallel proceedings on the same grounds, learned counsel for the petitioner seeks permission to withdraw the instant writ petition.

Placing on record the said submission, instant writ petition is dismissed as withdrawn. However, we make it clear that the dismissal of the writ petition will not affect the right of the writ petitioner to vindicate his grievances in Crl. M. C. No. 3111 of 2022 in accordance with law.

sd/-

S. MANIKUMAR, CHIEF JUSTICE.

sd/-

SHAJI P. CHALY, JUDGE.

Rv