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Madhya Pradesh High Court · body

1985 DIGILAW 117 (MP)

NAYEEM KHAN v. SITARAM ALIAS SURESH SEN

1985-02-15

S.S.SHARMA

body1985
S. S. SHARMA, J. ( 1 ) RESPONDENT Sitaram had filed a complaint for offences under Sections 341, 427, 294, 506 and 448/34 I. P. C. , in the Court of C. J. M. Hoshangabad. The trial Magistrate after recording the statements of the complainant and the witnesses, by his order dated 28/5/1981 dismissed the complaint. Against that order the complainant filed a revision. Second Additional Sessions Judge, Hoshangabad, allowed by his order dated 28/2/1984, the Criminal Revision No. 37 of 1981 and set aside the order of the trial Magistrate. He directed that the case be registered for offences under Sections 341, 452, 427, 294 and 506/34 I. P. C. against four respondents who are the applicants in the present revision. The order of the Additional Sessions Judge mentions that the complainant had stated that he wanted to proceed only against these applicants and not against the others. As a matter of fact, the revision in the Court below was also filed only against these four persons who are the applicants in the present revision. Aggrieved by the aforesaid order or the Additional Sessions Judge, the present revision has been filed by the four accused. ( 2 ) THE trial Magistrate dismissed the complaint as according to him accused No. 1 Nayeem Khan, who was the Administrator of the Municipal Council, acted in exercise of the powers given to him under the M. P. Municipalities Act. He has further stated that though the complainant has in his evidence stated that no notice had been received by him, but this was not enough and it was incumbent upon him to have summoned the municipal record to prove that no notice was sent to him. He seems to have drawn some inference under Section 114 of the Evidence Act to find that notice must have been given to him. Thus according to the trial Magistrate, the act of accused No. 1 was in exercise of the powers vested in him under the law and so no mala fides can be alleged against any of the accused. ( 3 ) THE Additional Sessions Judge has observed that from the material on record, it prima facie appears that these four accused surrounded the shop of the complainant, committed trespass, abused and threatened him and also caused damage in the shop. ( 3 ) THE Additional Sessions Judge has observed that from the material on record, it prima facie appears that these four accused surrounded the shop of the complainant, committed trespass, abused and threatened him and also caused damage in the shop. This according to him cannot be taken to be acts committed during the discharge of the duties. Thus, finding that there was a prima facie case against these four accused, he gave the direction in the impugned order, which has been mentioned above. ( 4 ) THE complainant in his complaint has given out the details with regard to the possession that he had over the demised premises. He has also stated that the rent for the period till 31/3/1981 had already been paid. Reference to some civil litigation has also been made, in which, as has been stated the Additional Civil Judge had passed an order for maintaining the status quo, The complainant also alleged that on 24/1/1981, the accused No. 1 and other accused without any prior notice accompanied by police force came to the shop of the complainant. The complainant has also made allegations about the damage and abuses etc. , which had been given to him by the accused. Some documents had also been filed by him. In support of the complaint, he had given his statement. Three other witnesses were also examined in support of the complaint. The trial Magistrate did not at all consider the factual aspect of the matter and dismissed the complaint merely by saying that the Administrator has acted in exercise of the powers given to him under the Municipalities Act and there are no mala fides against any of the accused. Three other witnesses were also examined in support of the complaint. The trial Magistrate did not at all consider the factual aspect of the matter and dismissed the complaint merely by saying that the Administrator has acted in exercise of the powers given to him under the Municipalities Act and there are no mala fides against any of the accused. ( 5 ) THEIR Lordships of the Supreme Court in Nagawwa v. Veeranna Shivalingappa1, after referring to the earlier cases, have laid down as follows: It would thus be clear from the two decisions of this Court that the scope of the inquiry under Section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is extremely limited limited only to the ascertainment of the truth or falsehood of the allegations made in the complaint- (i) on the materials placed by the complainant before the Court; (ii) for the limited purpose of finding out whether a prima facie case for issue of process has been made out; and (iii) for deciding the question purely from the point of view of the complainant without at all adverting to any defence that the accused may have. In fact it is well settled that in proceedings under Section 202 the accused has got absolutely no locus standi and is not entitled to be heard on the question whether the process should be issued against him or not. ( 6 ) AS it appears from the order of the learned Magistrate, he seems to have refused to issue the process presumably on the feeling that a defence would be available to the accused. This would be a question to be decided after when the accused have appeared and take that defence. If the accused take a defence of want of sanction, provided that be necessary, even that question has to be decided when it is raised. From the complaint and the statements of the witnesses who were examined, it cannot be said that the complaint could be dismissed on an assumption for which there is no basis that the accused had acted in exercise of the powers under the Municipalities Act. From the complaint and the statements of the witnesses who were examined, it cannot be said that the complaint could be dismissed on an assumption for which there is no basis that the accused had acted in exercise of the powers under the Municipalities Act. Whether or not sanction is necessary in the circumstances of the present case, would also be a mixed question of law and fact and even that question cannot be decided at this stage because of the allegations in the complaint and the statements of the witnesses recorded during the inquiry. ( 7 ) THE Additional Sessions Judge has, in my opinion rightly held for issuance of processes for the offences as have been mentioned by him. The order of the trial Magistrate dismissing the complaint was clearly arbitrary and contrary to law and facts. The Additional Sessions Judge had, therefore the jurisdiction to interfere in. that order in exercise of revisional jurisdiction. In these circumstances, the impugned order of the Additional Sessions Judge does not call for any i nte rfe ren ce. ( 8 ) CONSEQUENTLY, this revision fails and is hereby dismissed. Revision dismissed. .