Citation : 2022 Latest Caselaw 857 Tel
Judgement Date : 23 February, 2022
THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE K. LAKSHMAN
CRIMINAL PETITION No.1700 of 2022
ORDER:
The present Criminal Petition is filed under Section - 482 of the
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (for short 'Code'') to quash the
proceedings in D.V.C. No.30 of 2021 on the file of Additional
Judicial Magistrate of First Class, Kothagudem. The petitioners
herein are respondents in the said DVC. The said DVC is filed by
respondent No.2 herein under Section - 12 of the Protection of
Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (for short 'Act, 2005')
against the petitioners seeking various reliefs.
2. Heard learned counsel for the petitioners and the learned
Assistant Public Prosecutor appearing on behalf of respondent No.1 -
State. Perused the record.
3. The learned counsel for the petitioners would submit that the
petitioners herein never harassed the 2nd respondent as alleged by her
in the complaint. The 2nd respondent falsely implicated the petitioners
in the present case. He would further submit that 1st petitioner is
mother, 2nd petitioner is father and the 3rd petitioner is brother of R.1.
There are no allegations, much less specific allegations against the
petitioners. In view of the same, he sought to quash the proceedings
in the said DVC by dispensing with their presence before the trial
Court.
4. On the other hand, the learned Assistant Public
Prosecutor would submit that there are specific allegations made
against the petitioners by the 2nd respondent in the complaint filed
under Section - 12 of the Act, 2005 and that the petitioners shall
co-operate in concluding the trial before the Court below. In view of
the same, he sought to dismiss the present petition.
5. As per the contents of the petition filed under Section -
12 of the Act, 2005, the marriage of R.1 with the 2nd respondent was
performed on 04.12.2015. After marriage, the petitioners herein
started harassing the 2nd respondent.
6. In this regard, it is apt to refer to the decision rendered
by a learned Single Judge of High Court of Judicature for the States
of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in Giduthuri Kesari Kumar v.
State of Telangana1, which is as under:
"14) To sum up the findings:
. 2015 (2) ALD (Crl.) 470 (AP)
i) Since the remedies under D.V. Act are
civil remedies, the Magistrate in view of his powers under Section 28(2) of D.V Act shall issue notice to the parties for their first appearance and shall not insist for the attendance of the parties for every hearing and in case of non-appearance of the parties despite receiving notices, can conduct enquiry and pass exparte order with the material available. It is only in the exceptional cases where the Magistrate feels that the circumstance require that he can insist the presence of the parties even by adopting coercive measures.
ii) In view of the remedies which are in civil nature and enquiry is not a trial of criminal case, the quash petitions under Sec.482 Cr.P.C. on the plea that the petitioners are unnecessarily arrayed as parties are not maintainable. It is only in exceptional cases like without there existing any domestic relationship as laid under Section 2(f) of the D.V. Act between the parties, the petitioner filed D.V. case against them or a competent Court has already acquitted them of the allegations which are identical to the ones leveled in the Domestic Violence Case, the respondents can seek for quashment of the proceedings since continuation of the proceedings in such instances certainly amounts to abuse of process of Court."
7. In the present case, it is difficult for them to attend the
Court on each date of hearing. Even the allegations made in the
complaint against the petitioners herein are general in nature.
8. Considering the said facts and also in view of the
principle laid down in the above judgment, this Court is inclined to
dispense with the presence of the petitioners in the DVC proceedings.
9. In view of the above discussion, the present Criminal
Petition is disposed of, dispensing with personal appearance of
petitioners 2 to 4 herein only in D.V.C. No.30 of 2021 on the file of
Additional Judicial Magistrate of First Class, Kothagudem.
10. As a sequel, miscellaneous petitions, if any, pending in
the Criminal Petition shall stand closed.
__________________ K. LAKSHMAN, J Date: 23.02.2022 dv
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