[1.0] By way of present Special Criminal Application under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, petitioner has prayed for the following reliefs: 14(A) Your Lordships may be pleased to admit and allow this petition.
(B) Your Lordships may be pleased to declare that the act of the respondent authorities are arbitrary and same is to be set aside and further direct them to produce the vehicle in question which was sold on 9/11/2001 without inquiry is to be produced to the petitioner in the interest of justice.
(C) Pending admission, hearing and final disposal of this petition, Your Lordships may be pleased to direct the higher authority of police Surat to investigate and find out the reality of the auction sell dtd.9/11/01 and if the car has sold for right value the amount may be given to the petitioner.”
[1.1] It appears that the vehicle of the petitioner was looted and therefore, the petitioner lodged the FIR with Umra Police Station against unknown persons for the offences under Sections 394, 328 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Section 135 of the Bombay Police Act, which was numbered as C.R. No.171/2000. That the said FIR was lodged on 20.04.2000. It appears that the said vehicle/car belonging to the petitioner was seized by the Refinery Police Station, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh and the said car came to be sold by the SDM, Mathura by holding public auction and for an amount of Rs.76,000/. That the petitioner has prayed to get back the aforesaid car from Mathura to be treated as muddamal car so far as the FIR filed by the petitioner is concerned. Considering the fact that the vehicle in question was already sold by the SDM, Mathura and even the whereabouts of the subsequent purchaser is not known now and is not traceable and even the said car is also not traceable, it is not possible to grant any relief to the petitioner directing the concerned police authority to bring back the car No.GJ5PP9845. However, it is to be noted that pursuant to the order passed by this Court in present proceedings, the amount which was realized by selling the aforesaid vehicle i.e. Rs.76,000/ is brought by the concerned Investigating Officer, which is lying with him. Therefore, the present proceedings can be disposed of by directing the concerned I.O. to deposit the aforesaid amount with the learned Magistrate and permitting the petitioner to submit appropriate application for withdrawal of the same as the said amount is realized on selling the vehicle which belonged to the petitioner.
[2.0] At this stage, Shri Balram Jain, learned advocate appearing on behalf of the petitioner has submitted that in that case, liberty be reserved in favour of the petitioner to submit appropriate application before the learned Magistrate and/or to initiate appropriate proceedings before the competent Civil Court for claiming the interest on the aforesaid amount and/or even for claiming the compensation and/or damages for the negligence on the part of the concerned I.O. in not bringing the car from Uttar Pradesh.
[3.0] In view of the above, present Special Criminal Application is disposed of by directing the concerned I.O. to deposit the amount of Rs.76,000/ being the amount realized by selling the car belonging to the petitioner, within a period of two weeks from today, with the learned Magistrate and the same shall be in lieu of the car which was alleged to have been looted and it will be open for the petitioner to submit appropriate application before the concerned Magistrate permitting him to withdraw the said amount and the learned Magistrate to pass the order on such an application at the earliest but not later than four weeks from the date of such application in accordance with law and on merits, considering the fact that the said amount is realized by selling the car which belonged to the petitioner, which was looted. It is also observed that it will be open for the petitioner to initiate appropriate proceedings for compensation/damages and/or for claiming the interest on the aforesaid amount before competent Court and as and when any such proceedings are initiated, the same be considered in accordance with law and on merits and if permissible under the law, for which this Court has not expressed anything on merits. Now, so far as the amount of Rs.5000/ deposited by the petitioner pursuant to the order passed by this Court dated 19.12.2005 is concerned, Registry is directed to return Rs.2500/ by A/c. Payee cheque in favour of the petitioner and balance amount of Rs.2500/ in favour of respondent No.2.
[4.0] With this, present Special Criminal Application is disposed of. Direct service is permitted.
(M.R. Shah, J.) *menon