Santosh Jha v. The State Of West Bengal

July 3, 2025 Ap (80) Calcutta High Court In the Circuit Bench at Jalpaiguri Criminal Revisional Jurisdiction CRR 325 of 2025 Santosh Jha.

Vs.

The State of West Bengal Adv. Gobinda Saha Adv. Priyanka Dey Adv. Milan Ch. Laskar ...for the petitioner.

Adv. Aditi Shankar Chakraborty Adv. Aniruddha Biswas .. for the State.

On prayer of the petitioner, leave is granted to correct the prayer portion of the application.

The petitioner seeks quashing of G.R. Case no. 3952 of 2009 pending before the learned Judicial Magistrate, 3rd Court, Jalpaiguri solely on the ground of delay in trial.

Heard learned counsels for the parties.

It appears from the record that the petitioner has taken several adjournments before the learned trial Court. He was absconding since 9th March, 2016 for which warrant of arrest was issued against him. He surrendered before the learned trial Court on 18th October, 2024 and was released on bail.

It is a fact that the learned trial Court has been fixing long dates for hearing and plea is yet to be recorded. This Court is also informed that the Court of the learned Judicial Magistrate, 3rd Court, Jalpaiguri is lying vacant for the last one year.

In view of the above, this Court is inclined to hold that since charge sheet has been submitted on 30th June, 2011, the learned Magistrate in charge of the Court of learned Judicial Magistrate, 3rd Court, Jalpaiguri be directed to take the proceedings to its logical conclusion as expeditiously as possible, without granting any unnecessary adjournment to either of the parties, in accordance with law.

The learned Magistrate in-charge shall prepone the date of hearing of the matter upon notice to the parties and make all endeavours to dispose of the matter at the earliest. Accordingly, the revisional application being CRR 325 of 2025 is disposed of.

There shall however be no order as to costs.

Since no affidavit is invited, the allegations contained in the petition are deemed not to have been admitted. Urgent certified website copy of this order, if applied for, be supplied to the parties upon compliance with all requisite formalities. (Suvra Ghosh, J.)