Deepak & ORS v. The State ( NCT Of Delhi) & ANR

$~36 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI + CRL.M.C. 1796/2016 DEEPAK & ORS ..... Petitioner Through Mr O.P. Sharma, Adv. alongwith petitioners in person versus THE STATE ( NCT OF DELHI) & ANR ..... Respondent Through Mr Panna Lal Sharma, Additional Public Prosecutor for the State alongwith Sub Inspector Ramesh Kumar Police Station Sultan Puri, Delhi R2 in person

CORAM:

HON'BLE MS. JUSTICE SUNITA GUPTA

O R D E R

% 10.05.2016 Crl. MA 7617/2016 (exemption) Exemption allowed subject to all just exceptions. The application stands disposed of.

Crl. MC 1796/2016 This is a petition under S. 482 Cr.PC moved by the petitioners for quashing of FIR No.273/2015 registered at Police Station Sultanpuri, Delhi under Sections 406/498A/34 IPC and consequent proceedings emanating therefrom on the ground that the parties have compromised the matter.

It is submitted by counsel for the petitioners that basically it is a matrimonial dispute. After solemnization of marriage the petitioner no.1 and the respondent no.2 lived together up to 28.09.2014. After leaving the company of the petitioner no.1, the respondent no.2 had lodged a complaint before CAW Cell and pursuant thereto the instant FIR was registered against the petitioners. After coming to know that the FIR was registered against the petitioners they had applied for anticipatory bail. During those proceedings the matter was referred to Mediation Centre where the matter has been settled between the parties on 30.06.2015 and the petitioner no.1 and the respondent no.2 started living together as husband and wife since 17.07.2015. After registration of FIR, the respondent no.

2 filed various cases against the petitioners and the same have been withdrawn by her as per settlement. It is further submitted that a sum of Rs.40,000/- has already been paid to father of the respondent no.2. The settlement agreement is annexed to the present petition at pgs. 38 - 40. It is, therefore, prayed that the instant FIR be quashed. The respondent No.

Investigating Officer of the case) submits that she has amicably resolved all disputes with the petitioner voluntarily without there being any threat, coercion or pressure of any sort and in view of the settlement arrived at between the parties. She further submits that she is presently living with the petitioner no.1 She further submits that Rs.40,000/- has already been paid to her father. As such, she does not want any action against the petitioner and has no objection to quashing of the instant FIR.

Mr Panna Lal Sharma, Additional Public Prosecutor for the State appears on advance notice and submits that in view of the settlement arrived at between the parties, he has no objection to quashing of FIR.

Needless to say, offences with which the petitioners are booked are noncompoundable. However in the case of Gian Singh v State of Punjab & Anr. 2012 (9) Scale 257, the three Judges Bench of the Supreme Court dealt with the issue of quashing of FIR in non compoundable offences. Para 57 of the report is extracted hereunder:- "57. The position that emerges from the above discussion can be summarised thus: the power of the High Court in quashing a criminal proceeding or FIR or complaint in exercise of its inherent jurisdiction is distinct and different from the power given to a criminal court for compounding the offences under Section 320 of the Code.

Inherent power is of wide plenitude with no statutory limitation but it has to be exercised in accord with the guideline engrafted in such power viz; (i) to secure the ends of justice or (ii) to prevent abuse of the process of any Court. In what cases power to quash the criminal proceeding or complaint or F.I.R may be exercised where the offender and victim have settled their dispute would depend on the facts and circumstances of each case and no category can be prescribed. However, before exercise of such power, the High Court must have due regard to the nature and gravity of the crime. Heinous and serious offences of mental depravity or offences like murder, rape, dacoity, etc. cannot be fittingly quashed even though the victim or victim‟s family and the offender have settled the dispute.

Such offences are not private in nature and have serious impact on society.

basis for quashing criminal proceedings involving such offences. But the criminal cases having overwhelmingly and pre-dominatingly civil flavour stand on different footing for the purposes of quashing, particularly the offences arising from commercial, financial, mercantile, civil, partnership or such like transactions or the offences arising out of matrimony relating to dowry, etc. or the family disputes where the wrong is basically private or personal in nature and the parties have resolved their entire dispute.

In this category of cases, High Court may quash criminal proceedings if in its view, because of the compromise between the offender and victim, the possibility of conviction is remote and bleak and continuation of criminal case would put accused to great oppression and prejudice and extreme injustice would be caused to him by not quashing the criminal case despite full and complete settlement and compromise with the victim.

In other words, the High Court must consider whether it would be unfair or contrary to the interest of justice to continue with the criminal proceeding or continuation of the criminal proceeding would tantamount to abuse of process of law despite settlement and compromise between the victim and wrongdoer and whether to secure the ends of justice, it is appropriate that criminal case is put to an end and if the answer to the above question(s) is in affirmative, the High Court shall be well within its jurisdiction to quash the criminal proceeding." In view of the same, since it is a matrimonial dispute which the parties have amicably resolved, parties have started living together as such continuation of the criminal proceedings would be a futile exercise and it will be rather in the ends of justice to give quietus to such litigation.

Accordingly, the petition is allowed and the FIR No.273/2015 registered at Police Station Sultanpuri, Delhi under Sections 406/498A/34 IPC and consequent proceedings emanating therefrom are hereby quashed.

The petition stands disposed of accordingly.

A copy of this order be given dasti to counsel for the petitioners. SUNITA GUPTA, J MAY 10, 2016/rd