Allahabad High Court
Smt. Pratibha Singh vs State Of U.P. And Anr. on 26 July, 2022
Bench: Gautam Chowdhary
HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD
?Court No. - 83
Case :- CRIMINAL MISC. WRIT PETITION No. - 3619 of 2014
Petitioner :- Smt. Pratibha Singh
Respondent :- State Of U.P. And Anr.
Counsel for Petitioner :- Mahendra Nath Pandey
Counsel for Respondent :- Govt. Advocate,Brij Raj Singh
Hon'ble Gautam Chowdhary,J.
Heard learned counsel for the petitioner, Sri Brij Raj Singh, learned counsel for the opposite party no.2, learned A.G.A. for the State and perused the material on record.
By means of the instant petition, the petitioner has sought for issuance of writ of certiorari quashing the impugned order dated 23.08.2012 passed by learned Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mainpuri in Criminal Case No. 5265 of 2012 (Smt. Pratibha singh Vs. Awdesh Kumar) under Section 125 Cr.P.C. Police Station Kotwali, District Mainpuri, whereby application 12A filed by the respondent no.2 has been allowed.
By order dated 13.12.2015, the matter was referred to Mediation Centre of this court. Pursuant thereto parties appeared before the Mediation Centre and entered into a settlement dated 08.07.2015 copy of the report of Mediation Centre is on record. A perusal of the agreement reflects that the same bears the signatures of the parties, their respective counsel's and the dispute stands amicably settled in terms of the conditions specified therein.
It is contended that in view of the said compromise, the pending proceedings before the court below be quashed in the light of the Judgments of Apex Court in the case B.S. Joshi v. State of Haryana and others, 2003(4) SCC 675, and that of Gian Singh v. State of Punjab, 2012(10) SCC 303.
The Apex Court in the case of B.S Joshi (Supra) has held that in case the matrimonial dispute has come to an end, under a compromise/settlement, between the parties, then notwithstanding anything contained under Section 320 IPC there is no legal impediment for this court to quash the proceedings of Section 498-A I.P.C etc, which has matrimonial flavour under its inherent powers in view of the recorded settlement between the parties. The Apex Court in the case of Gian Singh (supra) has held in para-61 that;
"the power of the High Court in quashing a criminal proceeding or FIR or complaint in exercise of its inherent jurisdiction is distinct and different from the power given to a criminal court for compounding the offences Under Section 320 of the Code. Inherent power is of wide plenitude with no statutory limitation but it has to be exercised in accord with the guideline engrafted in such power viz; (i) to secure the ends of justice or (ii) to prevent abuse of the process of any Court. In what cases power to quash the criminal proceeding or complaint or F.I.R may be exercised where the offender and victim have settled their dispute would depend on the facts and circumstances of each case and no category can be prescribed. However, before exercise of such power, the High Court must have due regard to the nature and gravity of the crime. Heinous and serious offences of mental depravity or offences like murder, rape, dacoity, etc. cannot be fittingly quashed even though the victim or victim's family and the offender have settled the dispute. Such offences are not private in nature and have serious impact on society. Similarly, any compromise between the victim and offender in relation to the offences under special statutes like Prevention of Corruption Act or the offences committed by public servants while working in that capacity etc; cannot provide for any basis for quashing criminal proceedings involving such offences. But the criminal cases having overwhelmingly and pre-dominatingly civil favour stand on different footing for the purposes of quashing, particularly the offences arising from commercial, financial, mercantile, civil, partnership or such like transactions or the offences arising out of matrimony relating to dowry, etc. or the family disputes where the wrong is basically private or personal in nature and the parties have resolved their entire dispute. In this category of cases, High Court may quash criminal proceedings if in its view, because of the compromise between the offender and victim, the possibility of conviction is remote and bleak and continuation of criminal case would put accused to great oppression and prejudice and extreme injustice would be caused to him by not quashing the criminal case despite full and complete settlement and compromise with the victim. In other words, the High Court must consider whether it would be unfair or contrary to the interest of justice to continue with the criminal proceeding or continuation of the criminal proceeding would tantamount to abuse of process of law despite settlement and compromise between the victim and wrongdoer and whether to secure the ends of justice, it is appropriate that criminal case is put to an end and if the answer to the above question(s) is in affirmative, the High Court shall be well within its jurisdiction to quash the criminal proceeding."
There is no reason why the aforesaid proposition would not hold good in the instant case as the dispute was between the husband and wife neither involving any moral turpitude nor is heinous in nature, which has come to an end under an amicable settlement dated 08.07.2015 recorded before the Mediation Centre of this Court.
In this view of the matter, to permit the parties to face the wrath of prosecution in the face of compromise dated 08.07.2015 would be an abuse of the process of the court, as no evidence would be forthcoming to nail the parties. Thus the pending proceedings before the court below would be an abuse of the process of the court which is liable to be quashed.
The proceedings of Criminal Case No. 5265 of 2012 (Smt. Pratibha singh Vs. Awdesh Kumar) under Section 125 Cr.P.C. Police Station Kotwali, District Mainpuri pending before Court below, is hereby quashed.
The writ petition stands disposed of.
Order Date :- 26.7.2022
S.Ali
