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2001 DIGILAW 848 (MAD)

Duraipandian v. State

2001-08-02

MALAI SUBRAMANIAN

body2001
Judgment : 1. The petitioner is involved in a case of murder. He was arrested on 19.2.2001. He is A7 in this case. When bail was moved before this Court, his application was dismissed. Thereafter, he moved bail before the learned Magistrate concerned before whom the first information report is pending to release him under Section 167(2), Cr.P.C. stating that investigation has not been completed within 90 days. The learned Magistrate in his order has stated that a report has been filed by the police against the accused including this petitioner and though the report says that it is a preliminary report, it is only a final report and therefore Section 167(2), Cr.P.C. has no application. He also observes that since it is evident that explosive substances, were used by some of the accused, consent of the Central Government is required for proceeding with the case. As against this order passed by the learned Magistrate, the petitioner went to the Sessions judge under Section 439, Cr.P.C. by moving bail. 2. The learnedFirst Additional Sessions Judge, Chennai by his order in Crl.M.P.No.8614 of 2001 dismissed the application holding that the report filed by the Investigating Officer is complete in all respects within the meaning of Section 173(2), Cr.P.C. and the final report after completion of investigation has been filed within the stipulated time. There is no dispute that the preliminary report dated 17.5.2001 was filed on 18.5.2001. 3. The learned counsel appearing for the petitioner submits that there is provision for filing only final report in the procedure code and on this guise of filing a preliminary report the accused could not be kept inside for more than 90 days against the statutory period as found in section 167(2), Cr.P.C. Moreover, according to him, the report filed by the police is not a final report at all and since final report has not yet been filed, investigation is deemed to be pending and hence detention of the accused beyond the period of 90 days, pending investigation is illegal. 4. Thelearned Government Advocate (Crl.side) submits that though the report speaks that it is a preliminary report only, the contents of the report show; that it is only a final report. 5. 4. Thelearned Government Advocate (Crl.side) submits that though the report speaks that it is a preliminary report only, the contents of the report show; that it is only a final report. 5. The preliminary report filed by the police in this case shows that it has been filed under Section 173(2), Cr.P.C. for offences under Sections 148, 307, 326, 302 r/w 34, 149, 120(B) I.P.C. At the end of the report, there is a request from the Inspector of Police concerned to the Magistrate to take this report on file and to proceed in accordance with law. A note at the bottom has been made stating that during the course of investigation, offences under Explosive Substances Act and Indian Arms Act appear to have been committed and after obtaining proper sanction, final report with reference to those of offences will be filed. 6. While going through the body of the report, the first information report was registered also for offences under Sections 25(1)(b) of Indian Arms Act and 3 and 5 of Indian Explosive Substances Act along with other I.P.C. offences. Column-E of the report reads that on 19.2.2001 at about 6.00 p.m., the accused 1 to 11 formed into an unlawful assembly and the first accused was in possession of a country gun. the second and third accused were also having small country guns, accused 4 to 7 and 9 to 11 were in possession of Aruvals, the 8th accused was having one Aruval and also a country bomb and with the intention committing murder of one Kattadurai, they have proceeded to the place where Kattadurai was available and then the second accused shot at Kattadurai with his small country gun which was in his possession and the first accused also shot him with the lengthy country gun in his possession. The third accused also shot with his small country gun and thereafter other accused also cut him with Aruval. 7. This is a case where the lodged preliminary report disclosed the overt acts of all the accused and the fact that they have been in possession of fire arms as well as explosive substances. Therefore, I have no hesitation to hold that so far as the investigation regarding this crime is concerned, is complete. 7. This is a case where the lodged preliminary report disclosed the overt acts of all the accused and the fact that they have been in possession of fire arms as well as explosive substances. Therefore, I have no hesitation to hold that so far as the investigation regarding this crime is concerned, is complete. Instead of describing the report as a preliminary report, the investigating officer ought to have described it as only a final report under Section 173(2), Cr.P.C., because no more investigation is required in this case. Getting a sanction or consent of the Government cannot be said to be part of an investigation in a crime. That is the statutory requirement to be complied with. Therefore, according to me in this case, investigation is completed even as early as 18.5.2001. The only further requirement to shape the case is to get a consent of the Central Government under Section 7 of the Indian Explosive Substances Act and sanction of. the District Magistrate concerned under Section 39 of the Indian Arms Act. These two requirements cannot be said to be part of investigation. Therefore, the mere description of the cause title of the report as preliminary report does not make it a preliminary report at all. Merely because of want of sanction under Section 39 of Indian Arms Act and want of consent of Central Government under Indian Explosive Substances Act, the report filed by the investigating agency cannot be said to be a preliminary report and the learned Magistrate as well as the learned Sessions Judge are right, in holding that it is only a final report. Therefore, since final report in accordance with law has been filed within the stipulated period of 90 days, the detention of the petitioner beyond that period does not become illegal. 8. The learnedcounsel appearing for the petitioner relied on a ruling of Andhra Pradesh High Court reported in Matchumari China Venkatarkddy and others v. State of Andhra Pradesh, 1994 Crl.L.J. 257 wherein, that Court has held that failure to file complete chargesheet within the prescribed period confers on the accused, right to be released on bail and Court is not competent to take cognisance of offence on incomplete charge sheet. In this case, investigation has been completed already. In the case before the High Court of A.P., the report was filed by the police with defects and omissions. In this case, investigation has been completed already. In the case before the High Court of A.P., the report was filed by the police with defects and omissions. Therefore, it held that it is not sufficient or prosecution to just file some sort of police report not conforming to the provisions of sections 173(2) and 173(5), Cr.P.C. and then play fraud not only on the statute but also on the Constitution. But here is a case where, in so far as the investigation is concerned, that is absolutely complete and final report has already been filed and mere non-filing of sanction order does not make the final report preliminary one. 9. The final report has been filed under section 173(2), Cr.P.C. The section only says that the contents of the final report as stated in the provisions (a) to (g) under sub-section (2) to Section 173, Cr.P.C. should be complied with. It does not include any sanction order or the consent of the concerned Government. Therefore, as contemplated under Section 173(2), Cr.P.C., the report filed in this case is complete and it is in all respects only a final report. Therefore, I am unable to agree with the learned counsel that the learned Magistrate and the learned Sessions Judge are not correct in holding the preliminary report as a final report. 10. In the result, I hold that the final report has already been filed in this case before the expiry of the stipulated period and therefore out of right, the petitioner is not entitled to be released on bail under section 167(2), Cr.P.C. 11. The learned counsel appearing for the petitioner submits that this is a bail application coming up for hearing and already bail application filed earlier was dismissed, and since the petitioner has been inside for more than five months, bail may be considered. Earlier bail application was dismissed on the ground that the accused committed murder of one Kattadurai to wreck vengence against him for the murder of the leader of the accused group. The murder appears to be an off shoot of the gang rivalry between two groups operating in the State. This appears to be further, a well calculated preplanned murder. Therefore, on merits also, I am unable to enlarge the petitioner on bail in the larger interest of the society. Hence, the petition stands dismissed.