Sanchit Agarwal vs State Of U.P. Thru Prin Secy Home ...
2023 Latest Caselaw 16088 ALL

HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD, LUCKNOW BENCH
 
 

?Neutral Citation No. - 2023:AHC-LKO:35711-DB
 
Court No. - 10
 

 
Case :- CRIMINAL MISC. WRIT PETITION No. - 7422 of 2022
 

 
Petitioner :- Sanchit Agarwal
 
Respondent :- State Of U.P. Thru Prin Secy Home Civil Sectt Lko And Others
 
Counsel for Petitioner :- Ashok Kumar Singh,Ankit Verma
 
Counsel for Respondent :- G.A.,Anurag Shukla
 
Connected With:
 

 
Case :- CRIMINAL MISC. WRIT PETITION No. - 8029 of 2022
 

 
Petitioner :- Shiva Agarwal And 3 Others
 
Respondent :- State Of U.P. Thru. Prin. Secy. Home, Lko. And 3 Others
 
Counsel for Petitioner :- Radhika Singh,Shailen Varma
 
Counsel for Respondent :- G.A.,Anurag Shukla
 

 
Hon'ble Mrs. Sangeeta Chandra,J.

Hon'ble Narendra Kumar Johari,J.

1. This petition has been filed with a prayer to issue a writ, order or direction in the nature of Certiorari thereby quashing the impugned FIR dated 13.11.2021 registered as Case Crime No. 0098 of 2021 Under Sections 498A, 323, 504, 377, 313 IPC and 3 & 4 Dowry Prevention Act, Police Station- Mahila Thana, District- Lucknow and for a direction to the opposite parties not to proceed, prosecute or arrest the petitioners pursuant to the impugned FIR.

2. Brief facts of the case are that in connected petition petitioner no.1 Shiva Agarwal is father-in-law, petitioner no.2 Rekha Agarwal is mother-in-law, petitioner no.3 Shobhit Agarwal is brother-in-law (Dewar), petitioner no.4 Nikita Agarwal is sister-in-law (Devrani) and petitioner in this petition is husband of the respondent no. 4. The respondent no.4 has lodged an FIR on 13.11.2021 against her husband and other family members of her in-laws at P.S. Mahila Thana, District Lucknow under Sections 498A, 323, 504, 377, 313 IPC and 3 & 4 Dowry Prevention Act in Case Crime No. 0098 of 2021, stating therein that her marriage was solemnized with petitioner no.1 on 10.12.2019 according to the Hindu rites and rituals. After marriage, her in-laws started demanding of dowry and due to non fulfillment of the said demand, they started torturing and harassing her, etc.

3. It has been argued by the learned counsel for the petitioner that the marriage between respondent no.4 and petitioner was solemnized on 10.12.2019. He further argued that after marriage, some dispute arose between the petitioner and respondent no.4, on account of which, the impugned F.I.R. has been lodged by the respondent no.4 roping the entire family of her husband-petitioner, containing absolutely false, concocted, vague and sweeping allegations against them that they were demanding dowry from her and her parents and on account of non-fulfillment of the alleged demands of dowry, she was being tortured and maltreated by them in her matrimonial home.

4. Learned counsel for the petitioners has further submitted that in fact a matrimonial dispute arose between respondent no.4 and her in-laws and an FIR has been lodged by respondent no.4 with false and exaggerated allegations. In fact, all allegations mentioned in the FIR are vague and baseless. It has been further submitted that the petitioners are innocent and respondent no.4 has falsely implicated the petitioners.

5. Learned counsel for the petitioners has also submitted that during the pendency of the writ petition, good sense prevailed between the parties and by intervention of some respectable persons of the society and close relatives, they decided to resolve their dispute by way of mediation. Accordingly, on a prayer to send the matter before Mediation and Conciliation Centre, the Court vide its order dated 30.9.2022 sent the matter before Mediation and Conciliation Centre of this Court to explore the possibility of compromise. The process was initiated before Mediation Centre which terminated in positive conclusion. Accordingly, the Mediation Centre has sent its report dated 8.5.2023 to this Court stating that the parties have resolved their dispute by way of mutual settlement and the parties have started living together. Learned counsel for the petitioners states that since the dispute has been resolved amicably through mediation, therefore, the first information report in question is liable to be quashed, as the dispute between the parties was purely personal in nature, which has no adverse social effect.

6. Learned counsel for respondent no.4 conceded that the matter between the parties has amicably been settled and further parties have no grievance with each other, if, the relief is granted in favour of the petitioners, respondent No.4 will not have any objection.

7. Learned AGA did not dispute the argument advanced by learned counsel for the petitioners and submits that since the parties have settled their dispute by way of mediation, therefore, the impugned FIR may be quashed.

8. We have heard the learned counsel for the petitioner, learned AGA on behalf of the State-respondents and perused the record.

9. Both the parties have arrived at a compromise. In such a situation, the Court has inherent jurisdiction to pass a suitable order as may be necessary to prevent the abuse of process of law and to secure the ends of justice.

10. In the case of B.S. Joshi and others vs. State of Haryana and others 2003(4) SCC 675 the Hon'ble Supreme Court by discussing earlier decision has discussed the principles of ends of justice particularly in contexts with matrimonial dispute. Relevant paras of the judgment is reproduced below:-

"12) The special features in such matrimonial matters are evident. It becomes the duty of the Court to encourage genuine settlements of matrimonial disputes.

13) The observations made by this Court, though in a slightly different context, in G.V. Rao v. L.H.V. Prasad & Ors. [(2000) 3 SCC 693] are very apt for determining the approach required to be kept in view in matrimonial dispute by the courts, it was said that there has been an outburst of matrimonial disputes in recent times. Marriage is a sacred ceremony, the main purpose of which is to enable the young couple to settle down in life and live peacefully. But little matrimonial skirmishes suddenly erupt which often assume serious proportions resulting in commission of heinous crimes in which elders of the family are also involved with the result that those who could have counselled and brought about rapprochement are rendered helpless on their being arrayed as accused in the criminal case. There are many other reasons which need not be mentioned here for not encouraging matrimonial litigation so that the parties may ponder over their defaults and terminate their disputes amicably by mutual agreement instead of fighting it out in a court of law where it takes years and years to conclude and in that process the parties lose their "young" days in chasing their "cases" in different courts.

14) There is no doubt that the object of introducing Chapter XX-A containing Section 498A in the Indian Penal Code was to prevent the torture to a woman by her husband or by relatives of her husband. Section 498A was added with a view to punishing a husband and his relatives who harassor torture the wife to coerce her or her relatives to satisfy unlawful demands of dowry. The hyper-technical view would be counter productive and would act against interests of women and against the object for which this provision was added. There is every likelihood that non-exercise of inherent power to quash the proceedings to meet the ends of justice would prevent women from settling earlier. That is not the object of Chapter XXA of Indian Penal Code.

15) In view of the above discussion, we hold that the High Court in exercise of its inherent powers can quash criminal proceedings or FIR or complaint and Section 320 of the Code does not limit or affect the powers under Section 482 of the Code."

11. In the case of Najmul Hasan and others vs. State of U.P. and others [2018 (7) 245]; this Court has observed in paras 15 & 16 that:-

"15) Considering the compromise arrived at between the parties on 07.05.2018, as extracted above in paragraph 5 and the categorical stand of the opposite party No.3 before this Court, we are of the considered opinion that no useful purpose would be served in continuation of criminal proceedings in pursuance of the impugned First Information Report lodged by opposite party No.3. Accordingly, it would be appropriate, in the facts and circumstances of the case, to quash the impugned First Information Report as continuation of the proceedings of the First Information Report would be a futile exercise."

12. The Hon'ble Apex Court in the case of Gian Singh vs. State of Punjab, 2012(10) SCC 303 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."

13. In case of Jitendra Raghuvanshi and others vs. Babita Raghuvanshi and others [2013 (4) ADJ 40]; Hon'ble Supreme Court has again reiterated the findings as laid down in the case of B.S. Joshi (Supra).

14. In the case of Jayrajsinh Digvijaysinh Rana Vs. State of Gujarat and another [2012 CJ (SC) 896] in which the Apex Court has held in para 9 that if the cases are non compoundable under Section 320 Cr.P.C. even then the such a criminal matter can be quashed on the basis of mutual compromise where the chance of conviction is bleak. The relevant para 9 of the case is reproduced as under:

"9. On going through the factual details, earlier decision, various offences Under Section 320 of the Code and invocation of Section 482 of the Code, we fully concur with the said conclusion. In the case on hand, irrespective of the earlier dispute between Respondent No. 2-the complainant and the Appellant being Accused No. 3 as well as Accused Nos. 1 and 2 subsequently and after getting all the materials,relevant details etc., the present Appellant (Accused No. 3) sworn an affidavit with bona fide intention securing the right, title and interest in favour of Respondent No. 2herein-the Complainant. In such bona fide circumstances, the power Under Section482 may be exercised. Further, in view of the settlement arrived at between Respondent No. 2-the complainant and the Appellant (Accused No. 3), there is no chance of recording a conviction insofar as the present Appellant is concerned and the entire exercise of trial is destined to be an exercise in futility. Inasmuch as the matter has not reached the stage of trial, we are of the view that the High Court, by exercising the inherent power Under Section 482 of the Code even in offences which are not compoundable Under Section 320, may quash the prosecution. However, as observed in Shiji (supra), the power Under Section 482 has to be exercised sparingly and only in cases where the High Court is, for reasons to be recorded, of the clear view that continuance of the prosecution would be nothing but an abuse of the process of law. In other words, the exercise of power must be for securing the ends of justice and only in cases where refusal to exercise that power may result in the abuse of the process of law."

15. The Apex Court in the case of Shiji @ Pappu and Ors. Vs. Radhika and another [2011 CJ (SC) 239] has scrutinized the legal position in case of compromise in criminal cases in which the dispute was private in nature. In the matter of compromise continuation of proceeding will be sheer abuse of process of law and in this context the technicality should not be allowed to stand in the way of quashing criminal proceeding. Although the power should be used by the court sparingly.

16. Since, parties of the present case have amicably settled their disputes which arose due to matrimonial relation in such a situation it will be futile to engage them in further litigation. After getting relief from legal proceedings both the parties may live their life happy married life with each other.

17. In view of above, considering the submission of learned counsels of both the contesting parties and observations of Apex Court as well as of this Court, in the opinion of the Court, the High Court has ample power under its inherent jurisdiction to quash the first information report in which the parties have settled their disputes which are of private in nature and have no any grave impact on the society. The time of courts as well as investigating agencies are very precious which should not be wasted in any futile proceedings where the chance of conviction is bleak.

18. Accordingly, the writ petition is allowed. The impugned FIR 13.11.2021 registered as Case Crime No. 0098 of 2021 Under Sections 498A, 323, 504, 377, 313 IPC and 3 & 4 Dowry Prevention Act, Police Station- Mahila Thana, District- Lucknow is hereby quashed.

19. It is made clear that if an application is made by the learned counsel for the respondent before the Mediation and Conciliation Centre, the remaining amount of Rs. 75,000/-, which has been submitted for the mediation purpose, shall also be released in favour of the respondent no. 4.

Order Date :- 22.5.2023

AKK