Pradeep Gandhi vs State (Nct Of Delhi) & Anr
2016 Latest Caselaw 1136 Del

*   IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI
+   CRL.M.C. 3898/2015
                                  Date of Decision : February 12th, 2016
    PRADEEP GANDHI                                       ..... Petitioner
                Through                 Mr.Dinesh Kumar, Adv.

                         versus

    STATE (NCT OF DELHI) & ANR               ..... Respondents
                  Through   Mr.Arun K. Sharma, APP for the
                            State.
                            Mr.Anil Dagar, Adv. with R-2 in
                            person.
        CORAM:
           HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE P.S.TEJI

    P.S.TEJI, J.

1. The present petition under Section 482 Cr.P.C. has been filed

by the petitioner, namely, Mr. Pradeep Gandhi for quashing of FIR

No.321/2010 dated 08.11.2010, under Sections 354/323 IPC

registered at Police Station Paschim Vihar on the basis of the

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) arrived at between the

petitioner and the respondent no. 2, namely, Ms. Teena Arora on

18.04.2015.

2. Learned Additional Public Prosecutor for respondent-State

submitted that the respondent no. 2, present in the Court has been

identified to be the first-informant/complainant in the FIR in question

by her counsel.

3. The factual matrix of the present case is that the FIR in question

was lodged by the complainant on the allegation that when she visited

her brothers home, a man named Pradeep Gandhi entered into the

house and asked about the work done by them to stop the seepage on

the back wall of their house. He then started abusing the complainant

and hit her with his hand on her chest and caught her shirt and pulled

her towards himself. He then asked to her to either vacate the house or

he will defame her in the entire colony. He then tore her shirt. In the

meanwhile, the brothers of the complainant came and started fighting

with each other. After the quarrel, when the complainant was about to

make a call at 100 number, the accused pushed her. She found out that

her gold chain weighing 1.5 tolas which she was wearing around her

neck is missing. The accused then ran away from there.

Thereafter, the complainant lodged the FIR in question against

the petitioner/accused. After the investigation, charge sheet was filed

against the petitioner-herein. Later on, the parties arrived at an

amicable settlement.

4. Respondent No.2 present in the Court, submitted that the

dispute between the parties has been amicably resolved with the

intervention of society members. As per the MOU, both the parties

agreed that respondent no.2 shall cooperate with the petitioner in

getting FIR bearing No. 373/2010 and the FIR in question quashed by

giving the statement and appearing as and when required before this

Court. It is agreed between the parties that there are no more

grievances left against each other in respect of the FIR in question.

Respondent no. 2 affirmed the contents of the aforesaid settlement

and of her affidavit dated 14.09.2015. In the affidavit, the respondent

no.2 has stated that she has no objection if the FIR in question is

quashed. All the disputes and differences have been resolved through

mutual consent. Now no dispute with petitioner survives and so, the

proceedings arising out of the FIR in question be brought to an end.

Statement of the respondent no.2 has been recorded in this regard in

which she stated that she has entered into a compromise with the

petitioner and has settled all the disputes with him. She further stated

that she has no objection if the FIR in question is quashed.

5. In Gian Singh v. State of Punjab (2012) 10 SCC 303 Apex

Court has recognized the need of amicable resolution of disputes in

cases like the instant one, by observing as under:-

"61. 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 proceedings or continuation of criminal proceedings would tantamount to abuse of process of law despite settlement and compromise between the victim and the 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 the affirmative, the High Court shall be well within its jurisdiction to quash the criminal proceedings."

6. The aforesaid dictum stands reiterated by the Apex Court in a

recent judgment in Narinder Singh v. State of Punjab (2014) 6 SCC

466. The relevant observations of the Apex Court in Narinder Singh

(Supra) are as under:-

"29. In view of the aforesaid discussion, we sum up and lay down the following principles by which the High Court would be guided in giving adequate treatment to the settlement between the parties and exercising its power under Section 482 of the Code while accepting the settlement and quashing the proceedings or refusing to accept the settlement with direction to continue with the criminal proceedings:

29.1 Power conferred under Section 482 of the Code is to be distinguished from the power which lies in the Court to compound the offences under Section 320 of the Code. No doubt, under Section 482 of the Code, the High Court has inherent power to quash the criminal proceedings even in those cases which are not compoundable, where the parties have settled the

matter between themselves. However, this power is to be exercised sparingly and with caution.

29.2. When the parties have reached the settlement and on that basis petition for quashing the criminal proceedings is filed, the guiding factor in such cases would be to secure:

(i) ends of justice, or

(ii) to prevent abuse of the process of any court. While exercising the power the High Court is to form an opinion on either of the aforesaid two objectives.

29.3. Such a power is not to be exercised in those prosecutions which involve heinous and serious offences of mental depravity or offences like murder, rape, dacoity, etc. Such offences are not private in nature and have a serious impact on society. Similarly, for the offences alleged to have been committed under special statute like the Prevention of Corruption Act or the offences committed by public servants while working in that capacity are not to be quashed merely on the basis of compromise between the victim and the offender.

29.4. On the other hand, those criminal cases having overwhelmingly and predominantly civil character, particularly those arising out of commercial transactions or arising out of matrimonial relationship or family disputes should be quashed when the parties have resolved their entire disputes among themselves.

7. The inherent powers of the High Court ought to be exercised to

prevent the abuse of process of law and to secure the ends of justice.

The respondent no. 2 agreed to the quashing of the FIR in question

and has stated that the matter has been settled out of her own free will.

As the matter has been settled and compromised amicably, so, there

would be an extraordinary delay in the process of law if the legal

proceedings between the parties are carried on. So, this Court is of

the considered opinion that this is a fit case to invoke the jurisdiction

under Section 482 Cr.P.C. to prevent the abuse of process of law and

to secure the ends of justice.

8. The incorporation of inherent power under Section 482 Cr.P.C.

is meant to deal with the situation in the absence of express provision

of law to secure the ends of justice such as, where the process is

abused or misused; where the ends of justice cannot be secured;

where the process of law is used for unjust or unlawful object; to

avoid the causing of harassment to any person by using the provision

of Cr.P.C. or to avoid the delay of the legal process in the delivery of

justice. Whereas, the inherent power is not to be exercised to

circumvent the express provisions of law.

9. It is settled law that the inherent power of the High Court under

Section 482 Cr.P.C. should be used sparingly. The Hon'ble Apex

Court in the case of State of Maharashtra through CBI v. Vikram

Anatrai Doshi and Ors. MANU/SC/0842/2014 and in the case of

Inder Singh Goswami v. State of Uttaranchal MANU/SC/0808/2009

has observed that powers under Section 482 Cr.P.C. must be

exercised sparingly, carefully and with great caution. Only when the

Court comes to the conclusion that there would be manifest injustice

or there would be abuse of the process of the Court if such power is

not exercised, Court would quash the proceedings.

10. It is a well settled law that where the High Court is convinced

that the offences are entirely personal in nature and therefore do not

affect public peace or tranquillity and where it feels that quashing of

such proceedings on account of compromise would bring about peace

and would secure ends of justice, it should not hesitate to quash them.

In such cases, pursuing prosecution would be waste of time and

energy. Non-compoundable offences are basically an obstruction in

entering into compromise. In certain cases, the main offence is

compoundable but the connected offences are not. In the case of B.S.

Joshi and others v. State of Haryana and another 2003 (4) SCC 675

the Hon'ble Apex Court observed that even though the provisions of

Section 320 Cr.P.C. would not apply to such offences which are not

compoundable, it did not limit or affect the powers under Section 482

Cr.P.C. The Hon'ble Apex Court laid down that if for the purpose of

securing the ends of justice, quashing of FIR becomes necessary,

section 320 Cr.P.C. would not be a bar to the exercise of power of

quashing. In the nutshell, the Hon'ble Apex Court justified the

exercise of powers under Section 482 Cr.P.C. to quash the

proceedings to secure the ends of justice in view of the special facts

and circumstances of the case, even where the offences were non-

compoundable.

In the light of the aforesaid, this Court is of the view that

notwithstanding the fact that the offence under Section 354 IPC is a

non-compoundable offence, there should be no impediment in

quashing the FIR under this section, if the Court is otherwise satisfied

that the facts and circumstances of the case so warrant.

11. In the facts and circumstances of this case and in view of

statement made by the respondent no. 2, the FIR in question warrants

to be put to an end and proceedings emanating thereupon need to be

quashed.

12. Accordingly, this petition is allowed and FIR No.321/2010

dated 08.11.2010, under Sections 354/323 IPC registered at Police

Station Paschim Vihar and the proceedings emanating therefrom are

quashed against the petitioner.

13. This petition is accordingly disposed of.

(P.S.TEJI) JUDGE FEBRUARY 12, 2016 dd