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2020 DIGILAW 508 (JHR)

Narendra Butala v. State of Jharkhand through Vigilance (A. C. B. )

2020-05-20

B.B.MANGALMURTI

body2020
JUDGMENT : This revision has been preferred against the order dated 28.05.2019 passed by Special Judge (A.C.B.), Ranchi rejecting the discharge application of the petitioner on second occasion relating to Vigilance P.S. Case No.20 of 2009 corresponding to Special Case No.25 of 2009 and Misc. Criminal Application No.90 of 2018 registered under Sections 420, 406, 408, 409 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 12, 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. 2. The short fact of the case is that on the basis of written report, Vigilance Case was filed with the allegation that in respect of building plan passed by Ranchi Regional Development Authority, some irregularities were committed and building plan was passed without following Building Rules and, therefore, F.I.R. was lodged against 10 accused persons with some other unknown persons including this petitioner. Further allegation was that map was passed without taking into consideration that it exceeded height of the building beyond the approval given by R.R.D.A. Thereafter, Vigilance P.S. Case No.20 of 2009 registered under Sections 420, 406, 408, 409 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code and Section 12, 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Charge sheet was submitted against the accused persons including this petitioner having conspired with officials of R.R.D.A. Other Government officials influenced them through illegal means as well as corrupt practices were applied and approval of the building was obtained. 3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that no evidence was found against the petitioner by the Vigilance Department during course of investigation. This petitioner filed an application under Section 239 of Code of Criminal Procedure for discharge. The Court below without proper appreciation, has rejected the application for discharge. Thereafter, the revision application was filed being Cr. Revision No.369 of 2018 which was disposed of on 05.04.2019 and the impugned order dated 05.03.2018 passed by Special Judge, A.C.B., Ranchi in Vigilance P.S. Case No.20 of 2009 corresponding Special Case No.25 of 2009 was quashed and set aside and the matter was remanded back to the Trial Court for passing fresh order in accordance with law after hearing the parties and on appreciation of materials collected during course of investigation. Learned counsel further submitted that after the matter was remanded back to the Trial Court, the Special Judge, A.C.B., Ranchi again without properly appreciating the facts, materials and evidences on record, rejected the discharge application of petitioner by impugned order dated 28.05.2019 which is under challenge herein. Learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that the Court below has failed to appreciate that one of the co-accused in present case namely Bhawesh Butala against whom some allegation was levelled and who had also filed an application for discharge which was dismissed by the Court below but later on by order passed in Cr. Revision No.329 of 2018 dated 19.07.2018, the High Court quashed and set aside the order with direction to the Trial Court to pass a fresh order. The Trial Court on receipt of remand order relating to that case, reconsidered and re-appreciated the entire materials collected during investigation and held that there was no material to frame charge under any of the offences alleged under Sections 420, 406, 408, 409 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and allowed the application of discharge of co-accused Bhawesh Butala (Annexure-9). It is submitted on behalf of petitioner that the present petitioner is also facing the same allegation but the Trial Court has dismissed his application for discharge. He also submitted that even if some violation of building bylaws have been reported but the same constitutes violation under Sections 35 and 36 of Jharkhand Regional Development Authority Act, 2001 for which the pecuniary penalty has been provided under Section 52 of Jharkhand Regional Development Authority Act, 2001. It is also submitted that learned Special Judge, A.C.B. failed to appreciate that no cogent materials were available on record which could prove the case of prosecution. The Court below has failed to appreciate that in absence of prima facie material against the accused, the prosecution could not prove its case. When there is a provision for imposition of penalty that should have been exercised. Learned counsel also submitted that no culpability was found bribing the officials of R.R.D.A. in obtaining approval of building without following the Rules. When there is a provision for imposition of penalty that should have been exercised. Learned counsel also submitted that no culpability was found bribing the officials of R.R.D.A. in obtaining approval of building without following the Rules. He also submitted that N.O.C. was given by the Airport Authority and if the same was not available in the record of Court then the Court below should have called it from the Airport Authority and could have enquired whether the approval was granted or not. Learned counsel relied on a decision of Vikram Johar Versus State of Uttar Pradesh and Another reported in 2019 SCC OnLine SC 609 in which the Hon’ble Court has also considered at Para 15 which reads as follows :- “This Court in Union of India v. Prafulla Kumar Samal, (1979) 3 SCC 4 had occasion to consider Section 227 Cr.P.C., which is Special Judge’s power to pass order of discharge. After noticing 227 in Paragraph No.7, this Court held following : “7.xxxxxxxxxxxxx The words “not sufficient ground for proceeding against the accused” clearly show that the Judge is not a mere post office to frame the charge at the behest of the prosecution, but has to exercise his judicial mind to the facts of the case in order to determine whether a case for trial has been made out by the prosecution. In assessing this fact, it is not necessary for the court to enter into the pros and cons of the matter or into a weighing and balancing of evidence and probabilities which is really his function after the trial starts. At the stage of Section 227, the Judge has merely to shift the evidence in order to find out whether or not there is sufficient ground for proceeding against the accused. The sufficiency of ground would take within its fold the nature of the evidence recorded by the police or the documents produced before the court which ex facie disclose that there are suspicious circumstances against the accused so as to frame a charge against him.” 4. Learned Special P.P. appearing on behalf of A.C.B. submitted that there is difference in case of co-accused Bhawesh Butala and the case of this petitioner. The enquiry report was submitted by Technical Evaluation Committee, Vigilance Department and found various irregularities. Learned Special P.P. appearing on behalf of A.C.B. submitted that there is difference in case of co-accused Bhawesh Butala and the case of this petitioner. The enquiry report was submitted by Technical Evaluation Committee, Vigilance Department and found various irregularities. He further submitted that on the previous occasion, this Court has remanded the matter for consideration of entire available evidence and the Court below has considered the evidences collected against this petitioner as also compared the case of this petitioner with Bhawesh Butala and found that this petitioner has used forged and fabricated document for the purpose of cheating which was a criminal reflection of criminal act whereas Bhawesh Butala has not used any such document. The Court below has also found that there are sufficient materials on record to frame charge against this petitioner and rightly rejected the application for discharge. 5. Considering the above submission of the parties and on perusal of papers attached with this application, it appears that this petitioner had approached this Court in Cr. Revision No.369 of 2018 which was disposed of vide order dated 05.04.2019 with direction to the Trial Court to pass fresh order in accordance with law after hearing the parties on appreciation of materials. From impugned order dated 28.05.2019, it appears that the Court below after hearing the parties came to the finding that several officials of R.R.D.A. have passed these building plans in contravention of the mandatory provision of R.R.D.A. Act, 2001. The Court further found that No Objection Certificate by the Airport Authority was required to be obtained by the officials of R.R.D.A. themselves by issuing a letter directly to the Airport Authority of India seeking no objection, but it was not done in case of this petitioner and it was only made a condition to obtain N.O.C. at the choice of the builder which indicates culpability of the officers of R.R.D.A. It further appears that the Court below after perusing the case diary find that submission of photocopy of No Objection Certificate by the counsel for the petitioner was not found sufficient as the N.O.C. was not issued in the name of this petitioner and further its authenticity was not verified. The Court below further find that up till now according to the investigation report, its original certificate has not been produced by the petitioner either before this Court or before the investigating agency. The Court below further find that up till now according to the investigation report, its original certificate has not been produced by the petitioner either before this Court or before the investigating agency. The Court below on appreciation find that the case of this petitioner is not identical with the case of Bhawesh Butala. In case of Bhawesh Butala, the building construction was approved for G+3 but construction was made G+4 by deviating some provisions of R.R.D.A. and there was no requirement of No Objection Certificate from the Airport Authority but the case of this petitioner (Narendra Butala) is different as he submitted sanction of building plan B+G+12. Height of this building was more than 30 meters but No Objection Certificate was not obtained from the competent authority of Airport Authority of India, therefore, the R.R.D.A. authority have ignored an important requirement while passing such building plan indicating their culpability. The Court below further finds that no forged or fabricated document was used by the co-accused Bhawesh Butala whereas in case of this petitioner forged and fabricated documents are allowed to have been used for the purpose of cheating and it cannot be merely treated as culpability curable under the R.R.D.A. Act. The Court below also considered proposition laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of Omkar Nath Mishra & Others Versus State (NCT of Delhi) & Others reported in (2008) 2 SCC 561 which is quoted hereinbelow :- “what needs to be considered is whether there is a ground for presuming that the offence has been committed and not a ground for convicting the accused has been made out. At that stage, the court is not expected to go deep into the probative value of the material on record. The court is not required to appreciate evidence to conclude whether the materials produced are sufficient or not for convicting the accused. The materials brought on record by the prosecution has to be accepted as true at that stage. At that stage, even strong suspicion founded on material which leads the court to form a presumptive opinion as to the existence of the factual ingredients constituting the offence alleged would justify the framing of charge against the accused in respect of the commission of that offence.” The Court below held that case of this petitioner is different with Bhawesh Butala. There are materials available to frame charge against this petitioner and thereby rejected the discharge application. 6. In these circumstances it appears that the Court below has re-appreciated the materials brought on record by the prosecution and after discussion found strong suspicion to proceed against the petitioner. 7. Finding no occasion to interfere in the order of the Court below, so instant revision application is dismissed. 8. Let a copy of this order be transmitted to the Court concerned.