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Shri Udaya Ravi S/O Ningappa vs The State Of Karnataka
2023 Latest Caselaw 11122 Kant

Citation : 2023 Latest Caselaw 11122 Kant
Judgement Date : 20 December, 2023

Karnataka High Court

Shri Udaya Ravi S/O Ningappa vs The State Of Karnataka on 20 December, 2023

Author: M. Nagaprasanna

Bench: M. Nagaprasanna

                          1



  IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA DHARWAD BENCH

        DATED THIS THE 20TH DAY OF DECEMBER, 2023

                         BEFORE

        THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE M. NAGAPRASANNA

        WRIT PETITION No.104906 OF 2023 (GM-RES)

BETWEEN:

SHRI UDAYA RAVI
S/O NINGAPPA
AGED ABOUT 41 YEARS
OCC: PRESENTLY WORKING AS INSPECTOR
KARNATAKA STATE INTELLIGENCE
BENGALURU
R/O GANGAVATHI - 583 227.
KOPPAL DISTRICT.
                                            ... PETITIONER

(BY SRI SANDESH J.CHOUTA, SENIOR ADVOCATE FOR
    SRI NEELENDRA D.GUNDE, ADVOCATE)

AND:

1 . THE STATE OF KARNATAKA
    S.P.ACB/NOW S.P.LOKAYUKTA
    REPRESENTED BY SPECIAL COUNSEL
    HIGH COURT BUILDING
    DHARWAD - 580 009.

2 . THE STATE OF KARNATAKA
    KOPPAL, LOKAYUKTA POLICE STATION
    REPRESENTED BY SPECIAL COUNSEL
                                 2



    HIGH COURT BUILDING
    DHARWAD - 580 009.
                                                  ... RESPONDENTS

(BY SRI SANTOSH MALAGOUDAR, SPL. PP)

     THIS WRIT PETITION IS FILED UNDER ARTICLES 226 AND
227 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA PRAYING TO ISSUE
APPROPRIATE WRIT, ORDER OR DIRECTION IN THE NATURE OF
CERTIORARI QUASHING THE COMPLAINT DATED. 8.6.2022
(ANNEXURE-A) AND FIRST INFORMATION REPORT (ANNEXURE-B)
REGISTERED BY THE RESPONDENT POLICE IN CRIME NO. 6/2022
FOR OFFENCE PUNISHABLE UNDER SECTION 13(1) (B) R/W 13(2)
UNDER PREVENTION OF CORRUPTION ACT 1988, DATED.
16.06.2022 AND ALL FURTHER PROCEEDINGS THERETO.

     THIS WRIT PETITION HAVING BEEN HEARD AND RESERVED
FOR ORDERS ON 01.12.2023, COMING ON FOR PRONOUNCEMENT
THIS DAY, THE COURT MADE THE FOLLOWING:-


                               ORDER

The petitioner is before this Court calling in question

registration of a crime in Crime No.6 of 2022 registered for offences

punishable under Section 13(1)(b) and 13(2) of the Prevention of

Corruption Act, 1988 ('the Act' for short).

2. Heard Sri Sandesh J.Chouta, learned senior counsel

appearing for the petitioner and Sri Santosh Malagoudar, learned

Special Public Prosecutor for the respondents.

3. The facts, in brief, adumbrated are as follows:-

Petitioner gets into the services of the State Government as

Police Sub-Inspector. He is presently in the cadre of Police

Inspector. The petitioner while working as Police Inspector claims to

have generated lot of enmity by challenging the transfer order

dated 29-04-2022 from the post of Police Inspector of Gangavathi

Rural Police Station to the Karnataka State Intelligence Wing,

Bengaluru before the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal at Belagavi

in Application No.10642 of 2022 in which he succeeds. This is

claimed to have gone bad with the administration. A crime comes

to be registered against the petitioner in Crime No.6 of 2022 for

offences punishable under Section 13(1)(b) and 13(2) of the Act.

The reason is amassing of wealth disproportionate to his known

sources of income. Registration of crime is what has driven the

petitioner to this Court. Since the petitioner has not sought any

interim order of stay, the learned counsel appearing for the

Lokayukta was heard on the main matter itself.

4. The learned senior counsel representing the petitioner

would vehemently contend that the source report that is drawn qua

the petitioner for conduct of a search in his house is so faulty that

things that are inherently improbable formed the source report and

on the source report it is alleged that the competent authority

delegates it to some other authority who in turn recommends

registration of crime and the crime is registered. For all this, he

would submit that it is contrary to the Act with particular reference

to Section 17 of the Act. He would submit that since the foundation

itself is faulty, further proceedings should not be permitted to

continue, for which he takes this Court to the source report to

contend that the properties of the petitioner acquired prior to his

marriage and properties acquired by his wife long before marriage

are made part of the source report. He would submit that this

circumstance is enough to quash the proceedings.

5. Per-contra, the learned Special Public Prosecutor appearing

for the Lokayukta would vehemently oppose the petition contending

that the petitioner got engaged for the marriage in the year 2009

but the marriage was in the year 2011 and all the properties that

the wife has acquired were between 2009 and 2011. He would,

therefore, contend that all the properties belong to the petitioner

and it is a matter of trial for the petitioner to come out clean.

6. I have given my anxious consideration to the submissions

made by the respective learned counsel and have perused the

material on record.

7. The afore-narrated facts lie in a narrow compass and it is a

matter of record. Since the allegations are for offences punishable

under Section 13(1)(b) and 13(2) of Act, I deem it appropriate to

notice the said provisions which read as follows:

"13. Criminal misconduct by a public servant.--

(1) A public servant is said to commit the offence of criminal misconduct,--

... ... ... ...

(b) if he intentionally enriches himself illicitly during the period of his office.

Explanation 1.--A person shall be presumed to have intentionally enriched himself illicitly if he or any person on his behalf, is in possession of or has, at any time during the period of his office, been in possession of pecuniary resources or property disproportionate to his known sources of income which the public servant cannot satisfactorily account for.

Explanation 2.--The expression "known sources of income" means income received from any lawful sources.]

(2) Any public servant who commits criminal misconduct shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall be not less than four years but which may extend to ten years and shall also be liable to fine."

For an offence under Section 13(1)(b) which deals with amassing of

wealth disproportionate to the known source of income, it requires

a source of information which would prima facie determine a known

source of income. The prima facie determination would be in terms

of a source report. The source report is drawn on 08-06-2022 by

the Inspector of Police. The subject source report insofar as clauses

(a) and (b) read as follows:

"A) ೕ ಉದಯರ ೕಸ ಇನ ೆಕ ರವರು ZÉಕ ಅವ ಪ ವ (ಅಂದ ೆ :01-09-2005 ರವ ೆ) ತಮ" #ಾಗೂ ತಮ" ಕುಟುಂಬದ ಸದಸ)ರು, ಪ ಚಯಸ+ರ #ೆಸ ನ , ಅ- .ದ .+ರ ಮತು/ ಚ ಾ./ಗಳ ವರ:

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A3    ಾಯಚೂರು             -8ೆ,ಯ     ೕಮH ಸ :ಾ        2011   1,31,000=00

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                                         -
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Clause (a) deals with assets of the petitioner qua his salary and

acquisition. Clause (b) deals with properties of his wife and

relatives. Clause (a) takes the check period from 01-09-2005 up to

the date of considering the source report i.e., 08-06-2022 and he is

said to have possessed `3,72,000/- only. Therefore, no proceeding

could have been initiated against the petitioner qua clause (a) - his

income as it was not disproportionate.

8. The income of the wife of the petitioner is in clause (b).

The check period in clause (b) is the same as in clause (a) i.e.,

01-09-2005 to 08-06-2022. The petitioner gets married in the year

2011. The properties that the wife has acquired prior to her

marriage and her family members, are shown to be from the

income of the petitioner in the name of the wife. The total assets of

the wife is assessed at `1,24,25,000/-. Put together, the

disproportionate asset is to the tune of `1,09,50,000/-. No cash

was found at the time of search. What has become of this source

report is the offence under Section 13(1)(b) of the Act. The

petitioner's check period between 01-09-2005 to 8-06-2022 cannot

be found fault with. But, it is ununderstandable as to how the

check period remains the same to the wife as well, as the marriage

happens in the year 2011 and several properties acquired by the

members of the family or wife's family are shown to be the income

of the petitioner which is disproportionate to the known source of

income. It is this faulty check report concerning the wife of the

petitioner or the properties standing in the name of the family

members of wife that has led the petitioner into the web of crime.

The source report ought to have been drawn in a proper manner.

9. The source report can be projected to be anything, but

while directing registration of crime by the Superintendent of Police,

he sought to have applied his mind. The dates would go this way.

The source report is drawn on 08-06-2022. The competent

authority/Superintendent of Police does not scrutinize. He delegates

the authority of scrutiny to an Inspector on 09-06-2022. The

Inspector scrutinizes the source report and gives it back to the

competent authority, the Superintendent of Police on 14-06-2022

and the crime comes to be registered on 15-06-2022. All that the

Deputy Superintendent of Police would do is to endorse on the

source report to register the crime. It is this action that is found

fault with by the Apex Court while interpreting Section 17 of the

Act, which requires the competent authority alone to apply his mind

and register the crime.

10. It is the contention of the learned senior counsel that

source information report contains several glorified items which

cannot even touch upon the petitioner and salary of the petitioner is

not taken to its complete value and so on and so forth, all to

buttress the submission that the source information report does

bear no application of mind as it is prepared in a jiffy. To consider

the submission of the learned senior counsel for the petitioner, it is

germane to notice Section 17 of the Act. Section 17 of the Act

reads as follows:

"17. Persons authorised to investigate.-- Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), no police officer below the rank,--

(a) in the case of the Delhi Special Police Establishment, of an Inspector of Police;

(b) in the metropolitan areas of Bombay, Calcutta, Madras and Ahmedabad and in any other metropolitan area notified as such under sub-

section (1) of Section 8 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), of an Assistant Commissioner of Police;

(c) elsewhere, of a Deputy Superintendent of Police or a police officer of equivalent rank,

shall investigate any offence punishable under this Act without the order of a Metropolitan Magistrate or a Magistrate of the First Class, as the case may be, or make any arrest therefor without a warrant:

PROVIDED that if a police officer not below the rank of an Inspector of Police is authorised by the State Government in this behalf by general or special order, he may also investigate any such offence without the order of a Metropolitan Magistrate or a Magistrate of the first class, as the case may be, or make arrest therefor without a warrant:

PROVIDED FURTHER that an offence referred to in clause

(b) of sub-section (1) of Section 13 shall not be investigated without the order of a police officer not below the rank of a Superintendent of Police."

(Emphasis supplied)

Section 17 begins with a non-obstante clause reading

notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal

Procedure, the Deputy Superintendent of police or a Police Officer

of an equivalent rank shall investigate any offence punishable under

the Act, provided that if a Police Officer not below the rank of an

Inspector of Police is authorized in this behalf he may register the

crime and investigate into the matter. Section 17 mandates

investigation by a person authorized in this behalf. The

investigation, in the case at hand, is conducted by the Inspector of

Police. Therefore, authorization should be from the hands of the

Deputy Superintendent of Police. The second proviso to Section 17

provides that an offence referred to in clause (b) of sub-section (1)

of Section 13 cannot be investigated without the order of a Police

Officer not below the rank of a Superintendent of Police.

Authorization by a Superintendent of Police in favour of an officer

should be to enable him to carry out investigation in terms of

Section 17 of the Act. This is the statutory prescription.

11. The power to grant such sanction for registration of crime

and investigation is conferred upon the Authority not below the

rank of Superintendent of Police. The registration of crime should

precede authorization from the Superintendent of Police. In the

case at hand, the registration of crime has happened on an

endorsement made on the source information report itself. There

can be no qualm about such endorsement being made as they are

generally made. Whether it is in compliance with Section 17 of the

Act is what is required to be noticed. Section 17 had fallen for

interpretation in the case of STATE OF HARYANA v. BHAJAN

LAL1. Certain paragraphs of the said judgment would throw light

on this aspect. The Apex Court was interpreting identical provision

under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947. The Apex Court holds

as follows:

1992 Supp (1) SCC 335.

"114. Section 5-A(1) of the Act with the relevant provisos reads thus:

5-A. Investigation into cases under this Act.-- (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (5 of 1898), no police officer below the rank, --

(a) in the case of the Delhi Special Police Establishment, of an Inspector of Police;

(b) in the presidency towns of Calcutta and Madras, of an Assistant Commissioner of Police;

(c) in the presidency town of Bombay, of a Superintendent of Police; and

(d) elsewhere, of a Deputy Superintendent of Police, shall investigate any offence punishable under Section 161, Section 165 or Section 165-A of the Penal Code, 1860 or under Section 5 of this Act without the order of a Presidency Magistrate or a Magistrate of the first class, as the case may be, or make any arrest therefor without a warrant:

Provided that if a police officer not below the rank of an Inspector of Police is authorised by the State Government in this behalf by general or special order, he may also investigate any such offence without the order of a Presidency Magistrate or a Magistrate of the first class, as the case may be, or make arrest therefor without a warrant:

Provided further that an offence referred to in clause (e) of sub-section (1) of Section 5 shall not be investigated without the order of a police officer not below the rank of a Superintendent of Police."

115. Section 5-A of the Act as it originally stood, was inserted by the Prevention of Corruption (Second Amendment) Act 59 of 1952 based on the recommendations of the committee

of Members of Parliament under the chairmanship of Dr Bakshi Tek Chand. The said section as it stands now was substituted by Act 40 of 1964, the main object of which is to protect the public servant against harassment and victimisation. (See State of M.P. v. Mubarak Ali [1959 Supp 2 SCR 201 : AIR 1959 SC 707:

1959 Cri LJ 921 : (1960) 1 LLJ 36] ). In A.C. Sharma v. Delhi Administration [(1973) 1 SCC 726 : 1973 SCC (Cri) 608 :

(1973) 3 SCR 477] , Dua, J. said that the scheme of this provision is for effectively achieving the object of successful investigation into the serious offences mentioned in Section 5 of the Act without unreasonably exposing the public servant concerned to frivolous and vexatious proceedings. A Constitution Bench of this Court in A.R. Antulay v. R.S. Nayak [(1984) 2 SCC 500 : 1984 SCC (Cri) 277 : (1984) 2 SCR 914, 941] at page 941 has observed that "Section 5-A is a safeguard against investigation of offences by public servants, by petty or lower rank police officers".

116. According to Section 5-A, notwithstanding anything contained in the Code, no police officer below the rank specified in clauses (a) to (d) of Section 5-A(1), shall investigate any offence punishable under Section 161, 165 or 165-A of the IPC or under Section 5 of the Act without the order of a Presidency Magistrate or a Magistrate of the first class as the case may be or make arrest therefor without a warrant. There are two provisos to that section. As per the first proviso, if a police officer not below the rank of an Inspector of Police is authorised by the State Government, either by general or special order, he may investigate any such offence without the order of a Magistrate or make arrest therefor without a warrant. According to the second proviso, an offence referred to in clause (e) of sub-section (1) of Section 5 shall not be investigated without the order of a police officer not below the rank of a Superintendent of Police.

117. It means that a police officer not below the rank of an Inspector of Police authorised by the State Government in terms of the first proviso can take up the investigation of an offence referred to in clause (e) of Section 5(1) only on a separate and independent order of a police officer not below the rank of a Superintendent of

Police. To say in other words, a strict compliance of the second proviso is an additional legal requirement to that of the first proviso for conferring a valid authority on a police officer not below the rank of an Inspector of Police to investigate an offence falling under clause (e) of Section 5(1) of the Act. This is clearly spelt out from the expression "further provided" occurring in the second proviso.

118. A conjoint reading of the main provision, Section 5-A(1) and the two provisos thereto, shows that the investigation by the designated police officer is the rule and the investigation by an officer of a lower rank is an exception.

119. It has been ruled by this Court in several decisions that Section 5-A of the Act is mandatory and not directory and the investigation conducted in violation thereof bears the stamp of illegality but that illegality committed in the course of an investigation does not affect the competence and the jurisdiction of the court for trial and where the cognizance of the case has in fact been taken and the case is proceeded to termination, the invalidity of the preceding investigation does not vitiate the result unless miscarriage of justice has been caused thereby. See (1) H.N. Rishbud and Inder Singh v. State of Delhi [(1955) 1 SCR 1150 : AIR 1955 SC 196 : 1955 Cri LJ 526] ; (2) Major E.G. Barsay v. State of Bombay [(1962) 2 SCR 195 :

AIR 1961 SC 1762: (1961) 2 Cri LJ 828]; (3) Munna Lal v. State of Uttar Pradesh [(1964) 3 SCR 88 : AIR 1964 SC 28: (1964) 1 Cri LJ 11]; (4) S.N. Bose v. State of Bihar [(1968) 3 SCR 563 :

AIR 1968 SC 1292: 1968 Cri LJ 1484]; (5) Muni Lal v. Delhi Administration [(1971) 2 SCC 48: 1971 SCC (Cri) 407] and (6) Khandu Sonu Dhobi v. State of Maharashtra [(1972) 3 SCC 786 : 1972 SCC (Cri) 854: (1972) 3 SCR 510]. However, in Rishbud case [(1955) 1 SCR 1150 : AIR 1955 SC 196: 1955 Cri LJ 526] and Muni Lal case [(1971) 2 SCC 48: 1971 SCC (Cri) 407] , it has been ruled that if any breach of the said mandatory proviso relating to investigation is brought to the notice of the court at an early stage of the trial, the court will have to consider the nature and extent of the violation and pass appropriate orders as may be called for to rectify the illegality and cure the defects in the investigation.

120. Coming to the facts of the present case under consideration, the investigation did not proceed and could not be proceeded with, since the High Court by an interlocutory order restrained the investigation even at the initial stage, i.e. on the date when rule nisi was issued in the writ petition. Therefore, it is the appropriate stage for examination of the question as to whether the necessary requirements contemplated under Section 5-A(1) in permitting the Inspector of Police, are strictly complied with or not.

121. For the proper understanding of the reasoning which we would like to give touching the question of the validity of the authority of appellant 3, we would like to reproduce the Government Order dated July 26, 1975 which reads as follows:

"Haryana Government, Home Department, ORDER No. 4816-3H-75/22965 July 26, 1975

Conferred by the first proviso to sub-section (1) of Section 5-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, the Governor of Haryana hereby authorises all the Inspectors of Police under the administrative control of the Inspector General of Police, Haryana to investigate offences under Section 5 of the said Act.

S.D. Bhandari Secretary to Government, Haryana Home Department"

122. The subsequent Government Order dated April 19, 1988 is on the same lines of the above government order.

123. On the strength of the above government order of 1975, it has been rightly contended that appellant 3 (Inspector of Police), though not a designated officer has been legally authorised by the State Government in exercise of its powers under the first proviso of Section 5-A(1) to investigate the offences falling under Section 5 of the Act, namely, the offences enumerated in clauses (a) to (e) of Section 5(1) of the Act.

124. Now what remains for consideration is whether there is any valid order of the SP permitting appellant 3 to investigate the offence falling under clause (e) of sub-section

(1) of Section 5. As we have already mentioned in the earlier part of this judgment, the SP (appellant 2) has given the one word direction on November 21, 1987 'investigate'. The question is whether the one word direction 'investigate' would amount to an 'order' within the meaning of second proviso of Section 5 2DA(1)."

(Emphasis supplied)

Based upon the aforesaid reasons so rendered by the Apex Court

both on law and facts obtaining before it, it is held as follows:

"131. From the above discussion, we hold that (1) as the salutary legal requirement of disclosing the reasons for according the permission is not complied with; (2) as the prosecution is not satisfactorily explaining the circumstances which impelled the SP to pass the order directing the SHO to investigate the case; (3) as the said direction manifestly seems to have been granted mechanically and in a very casual manner, regardless of the principles of law enunciated by this Court, probably due to blissful ignorance of the legal mandate and (4) as, above all, the SHO has got neither any order from the Magistrate to investigate the offences under Sections 161 and 165 IPC nor any order from the SP for investigation of the offence under Section 5(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act in the manner known to law, we have no other option, save to quash that order of direction, reading "investigate" which direction suffers from legal infirmity and also the investigation, if any, so far carried out. Nevertheless, our order of quashing the direction of the SP and the investigation thereupon will not in any way deter appellant 1, the State of Haryana to pursue the matter and direct an investigation afresh in pursuance of the FIR, the quashing of which we have set aside, if the State so desires, through a competent police officer, clothed with the legal authority in strict compliance with Section 5-A(1) of the Act."

(Emphasis supplied)

The FIR was quashed only on the ground that authorization to

investigate the case has been granted in a very casual manner

regardless of the principles of law enunciated by the Apex Court as

observed in the previous paragraph of the order. Quashing of the

FIR resulted in reserving liberty to the State to act through a

competent Police Officer clothed with legal Authority in strict

compliance with Section 5-A(1) of the 1947 Act which is akin to

Section 17 of the present Act. The Apex Court has further at

paragraphs 140 and 141 observes as follows:

"In summation

140. We set aside the judgment of the High Court quashing the first information report as not being legally and factually sustainable in law for the reasons aforementioned; but, however, we quash the commencement as well as the entire investigation, if any, so far done for the reasons given by us in the instant judgment on the ground that appellant 3 (SHO) is not clothed with valid legal authority to take up the investigation and proceed with the same within the meaning of Section 5-A(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act as indicated in this judgment. Further we set aside the order of the High Court awarding costs with a direction that the said costs is payable to respondent 1 (Shri Bhajan Lal) by respondent 2 (Dharam Pal).

141. In the result, the appeal is disposed of accordingly but at the same time giving liberty to the State Government to direct an investigation afresh, if it so desires, through a competent police officer empowered with valid legal authority in strict

compliance with Section 5 2DA(1) of the Act as indicated supra. No order as to costs."

(Emphasis supplied)

The Apex Court has set registration of crime itself aside, in a case

arising out of Prevention of Corruption Act, on the ground that the

authorization granted by the Officer did not bear application of mind

inter alia. This is further amplified by a subsequent judgment of the

Apex Court in the case of STATE INSPECTOR OF POLICE v.

SURYA SANKARAM KARRI2 wherein the Apex Court has held as

follows:

"13. Provisions of the 1988 Act, no doubt, like the 1947 Act seek to protect public servant from a vexatious prosecution. Section 17 provides for investigation by a person authorised in this behalf. The said provision contains a non obstante clause. It makes investigation only by police officers of the ranks specified therein to be imperative in character. The second proviso appended to Section 17 of the Act provides that an offence referred to in clause (e) of sub-section (1) of Section 13, shall not be investigated without the order of a police officer not below the rank of a Superintendent of Police. Authorisation by a Superintendent of Police in favour of an officer so as to enable him to carry out investigation in terms of Section 17 of the Act is a statutory one. The power to grant such sanction has been conferred upon the authorities not below the rank of a Superintendent of Police. The proviso uses a negative expression. It also uses the expression "shall". Ex facie it is mandatory in character. When the authority of a person to carry out

(2006) 7 SCC 172.

investigation is questioned on the ground that he did not fulfil the statutory requirements laid down therefor in terms of the second proviso, the burden, undoubtedly, was on the prosecution to prove the same. It has not been disputed before us that the investigating officer, PW 41, did not produce any record to show that he had been so authorised. Shri K. Biswal, the Investigating Officer, while examining himself as PW 41, admitted that he had not filed any authorisation letter stating:

"I have received the specific authorisation from SP, CBI, to register a case but I have not filed the said authorisation letter.""

(Emphasis supplied)

What would unmistakably emerge from both the judgments of the

Apex Court is that proviso to Section 17 becomes mandatory and

application of mind while drawing up source information report

again becomes mandatory.

12. In the light of admitted fact that the Superintendent of

Police delegated his authority for scrutinizing the document i.e., the

source report to his subordinate and has not independently applied

his mind, it runs foul of the judgment of the Apex Court in the case

of BHAJAN LAL while interpreting the same provision under the old

Prevention of Corruption Act. Therefore, on this score the petition

deserves to succeed, albeit in part, not that the petitioner is

absolved of any proceeding, but only a temporary reprieve. Liberty

is reserved in the respondents/Lokayukta to draw up a source

report in an appropriate manner, bearing in mind the observations

made in the course of the order, and the Superintendent of

Police/competent authority to apply his mind and direct registration

of the crime.

13. For the aforesaid reasons, I pass the following:

ORDER

(i) Writ Petition is allowed in part.

(ii) Crime in Crime No.6 of 2022 pending before the Principal District and Sessions and Special Court, Koppal stands quashed.

(iii) Liberty is reserved in the respondents/Lokayukta to draw up an appropriate source report, scrutinize the same and direct registration of crime, if it becomes necessary. While so doing, the respondents shall bear in mind the observations made in the course of the order.

Sd/-

JUDGE

Bkp CT:SS

 
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