Gujarat High Court
Pinkeshbhai Sureshbhai Patel vs State Of Gujarat on 31 January, 2025
NEUTRAL CITATION
R/CR.MA/4209/2024 ORDER DATED: 31/01/2025
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IN THE HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT AT AHMEDABAD
R/CRIMINAL MISC.APPLICATION (FOR QUASHING & SET ASIDE
FIR/ORDER) NO. 4209 of 2024
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PINKESHBHAI SURESHBHAI PATEL
Versus
STATE OF GUJARAT & ANR.
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Appearance:
MR AMIT D SHAH(11232) for the Applicant(s) No. 1
MR. TIRTHRAJ PANDYA, APP for the Respondent(s) No. 1
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CORAM:HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SANDEEP N. BHATT
Date : 31/01/2025
ORAL ORDER
1. Learned advocate Ms. Megha Dave states that he has
instructions to appear for respondent-complainant. She is
permitted to file his Vakalatnama in the Registry within
three working days from today and the Registry shall accept
the same.
2. Learned advocates for the parties have drawn the
attention of this Court to the affidavit of the complainant.
The Respondent-complainant is present before the Court and
admits the correctness and genuineness of the affidavit filed
through the learned advocate. Learned advocate Ms. Megha
Dave identifies the respondent-complainant and confirms
correctness and genuineness of the affidavit.
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3. Rule returnable forthwith. Learned A.P.P. and learned
advocate Ms. Megha Dave waive service of Rule for
respondent Nos.1 and 2 respectively. Learned APP objects
quashment of present proceedings on the premise of
settlement.
4. With the consent of learned advocate for the applicants
and learned advocate for respondents, present petition is
taken up for final disposal today.
5. By way of the present petition under Articles 226 and
227 of the Constitution of India read with Section 528 of the
Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (`BNSS' for short),
the petitioner/s prays to quash and set aside the order dated
04.03.2023 passed in Criminal Case No.3109 of 2020 by the
learned 3
rd
Additional Chief Judicial Magisrate, Surat and
consequential/subsequent proceedings, if any, arising
therefrom.
6. Heard learned advocates.
7. Learned advocate for the petitioner/s has taken this
Court through the factual matrix arising out of the present
application.
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8. At the outset, it is submitted that the parties have
amicably resolved the dispute. In support of such submission
made at the bar by the learned advocates appearing for the
respective parties, they have placed on record affidavit of
settlement duly signed by the complainant.
9. Since now, the dispute with reference to the impugned
FIR is settled and resolved by and between parties, which is
confirmed by the original complainant through learned
advocate, in view of the judgment in the case of State of
Madhya Pradesh versus Laxmi Narayan reported in (2019) 5
SCC 688, more particularly, paragraph 15, this Court is of
the opinion that in the peculiar facts and circumstances of
the present case, when the parties have arrived at settlement
of dispute, the matter requires consideration for quashing of
criminal proceedings without entering into further
technicalities of the matter. Paragraph 15 reads as under:
"15. Considering the law on the point and the other
decisions of this Court on the point, referred to
hereinabove, it is observed and held as under:
15.1.That the power conferred under Section 482 of
the Code to quash the criminal proceedings for the
non-compoundable offences under Section 320 of the
Code can be exercised having overwhelmingly and
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predominantly the civil character, particularly those
arising out of commercial transactions or arising out
of matrimonial relationship or family disputes and
when the parties have resolved the entire dispute
amongst themselves;
15.2.Such power is not to be exercised in those
prosecutions which involved 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;
15.3.Similarly, such power is not to be exercised for
the offences under the special statutes 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;
15.4. Offences under Section 307 IPC and the Arms
Act, etc. would fall in the category of heinous and
serious offences and therefore are to be treated as
crime against the society and not against the
individual alone, and therefore, the criminal
proceedings for the offence under Section 307 IPC
and/or the Arms Act, etc. which have a serious
impact on the society cannot be quashed in exercise
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of powers under Section 482 of the Code, on the
ground that the parties have resolved their entire
dispute amongst themselves. However, the High
Court would not rest its decision merely because
there is a mention of Section 307 IPC in the FIR or
the charge is framed under this provision. It would
be open to the High Court to examine as to
whether incorporation of Section 307 IPC is there
for the sake of it or the prosecution has collected
sufficient evidence, which if proved, would lead to
framing the charge under Section 307 IPC. For this
purpose, it would be open to the High Court to go
by the nature of injury sustained, whether such
injury is inflicted on the vital/delicate parts of the
body, nature of weapons used, etc. However, such an
exercise by the High Court would be permissible
only after the evidence is collected after investigation
and the charge-sheet is filed/charge is framed and/or
during the trial. Such exercise is not permissible
when the matter is still under investigation.
Therefore, the ultimate conclusion in paras 29.6 and
29.7 of the decision of this Court in Narinder Singh
[Narinder Singh v. State of Punjab, (2014) 6 SCC
466 : (2014) 3 SCC (Cri) 54] should be read
harmoniously and to be read as a whole and in the
circumstances stated hereinabove;
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15.5 [Ed.: Para 15.5 corrected vide Official
Corrigendum No. F.3/Ed.B.J./22/2019 dated 3-4-2019.]
. While exercising the power under Section 482 of
the Code to quash the criminal proceedings in
respect of non-compoundable offences, which are
private in nature and do not have a serious impact
on society, on the ground that there is a settlement/
compromise between the victim and the offender, the
High Court is required to consider the antecedents
of the accused; the conduct of the accused, namely,
whether the accused was absconding and why he
was absconding, how he had managed with the
complainant to enter into a compromise, etc.",
10. Resultantly, this application is allowed. The order dated
04.03.2023 passed in Criminal Case No.3109 of 2020 by the
learned 3rd Additional Chief Judicial Magisrate, Surat and
consequential/subsequent proceedings, if any, arising therefrom
is hereby quashed and set aside.
11. Rule is made absolute to the aforesaid extent. Direct
service is permitted.
(SANDEEP N. BHATT,J)
DIWAKAR SHUKLA
