1.00. Present petition under section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure has been preferred by the petitioner - original accused named Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Limited, to quash and set aside the impugned order dtd.21/12/2010 passed by the learned Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bardoli in Criminal Inquiry Case No.6 of 2010 as well as consequential First Information Report being CR No.I-170 of 2010 registered with Bardoli Police Station, Surat for the offences punishable under sections 447 and 427 of Indian Penal Code. 2.00. Facts leading to the present petition in nutshell are as under :-
2.01. That in pursuance of sub-section (1) of section 29 of the Electricity Supply Act, 1948, Electricity Board proposed to undertake scheme for laying of High Tension 66 KV Line at the area around and between Vav, Mandvi and Mota, District : Surat. A preliminary notification of the proposed scheme came to be gazetted on 17/2/2005 empowering the authority for placing of wires, poles, wall brackets, apparatus, appliances etc. for transmission and distribution of electricity in the area of the scheme indicated in the said notification. The said notification includes the property of the petitioner also. That the objections to the proposed project were invited within 90 days from the issuance of the notification. The respondent No.2 herein - original complainant did not raise any objection. It appears that thereafter the petitioner authority proceeded further with the work of laying down High Tension Line and for that purpose entered the land of the original complainant. It appears that thereafter the respondent No.2 – original complainant approached the Bardoli Police Station for registration of the First Information Report against the petitioner for having entered the premises which was in his occupation and for having laid down electricity line without hearing him in person. It appears that the said complaint was not entertained by the concerned police authority. That thereafter the respondent No.2 – original complainant instituted Regular Civil Suit No.55 of 2009 in the court of learned Principal Civil Judge, Bardoli for restraining the petitioner from entering his premises and laying down transmission wires etc. That in the said suit, the respondent No.2 – original complainant also filed an application for interim injunction below application Ex.5 which came to be dismissed by the learned Judge vide order dtd.23/12/2009. That thereafter the respondent No.2 – original complainant had filed the impugned private complaint before the learned Judicial Magistrate (First Class), Bardoli under section 190 of the Code of Criminal Procedure contending that since First Information Report has not been registered under section 154(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, appropriate directions be issued directing registration of the First Information Report. It appears that the learned Magistrate passed an order dtd. 6/3/2010 under section 210 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and directed the concerned police officer to submit the report. It appears that thereafter the concerned police officer submitted report submitting that the petitioner has not committed any offence, as alleged and the petitioner has entered into the suit land after following due procedure as required. That thereafter the learned Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bardoli passed the impugned order directing the concerned police officer to register the complaint of the respondent No.2 – original complainant dtd.8/6/2009 as First Information Report under section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and directed the concerned investigating officer to investigate into the same and submit final report. It is to be noted that in the private complaint before the learned Magistrate, the respondent No.2 – original complainant also prayed to sent the complaint for police investigation under section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, however, the learned Judge did not pass any order on that by observing that as such no case is made out for sending the complaint for police investigation under section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Still the learned Magistrate passed an order directing the concerned police officer to register the complaint of the respondent No.2 – original complainant as First Information Report under section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and consequently the concerned police officer of Bardoli Police Station has registered the complaint dtd.8/6/2009 as First Information Report being CR No.I-170 of 2010 registered with Bardoli Police Station. Being aggrieved by and dissatisfied with the aforesaid order passed by the learned Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bardoli dtd.21/12/2010 as well as consequential registration of the complaint dtd.8/6/2009 as First Information Report being CR No.I-170 of 2010, petitioner herein – original accused has preferred the present petition under section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure
3.00. Ms.Manisha Lavkumar, learned advocate appearing on behalf of the petitioner - original accused has submitted that as such the petitioner has not committed any offence, as alleged. It is further submitted that even the impugned order passed by the learned Magistrate is contrary to the scheme of the Code of Criminal Procedure. It is submitted that once the learned Magistrate passed an order directing the investigating officer to register the complaint of the respondent No.2 – original complainant as First Information Report, thereafter it is not open for the learned Magistrate to keep the matter pending. It is submitted that thereafter First Information Report would be investigated by the concerned investigating officer and the concerned investigating officer is required to submit appropriate report/chargesheet before the learned Magistrate as required under section 173/169 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and in that case, the same is to be treated as if the case is a police case.
3.01. Ms.Manisha Lavkumar learned advocate appearing on behalf of the petitioner - original accused has further submitted that even otherwise on merits also the petitioner has not committed any offence, as alleged. It is submitted that after following due procedure as required and even notification was also issued inviting objections, however, the respondent No.2 – original complainant had not raised any objections and thereafter the petitioner and their officers entered the land for the purpose of erecting poles etc. and therefore, it cannot be said that the petitioner has illegally trespassed and/or enter the land of the respondent No.2 – original complainant.
3.02. Ms.Manisha Lavkumar learned advocate appearing on behalf of the petitioner - original accused has further submitted that even otherwise, the impugned First Information Report and the complaint is nothing but abuse of process of law and Court. It is submitted that the impugned First Information Report has been filed after a period of one year by the complainant – respondent No.2, after having failed to get order in his favour in the application filed for interim injunction in the suit filed by him, and therefore, the impugned First Information Report is nothing but abuse of process of law and court and therefore, the it is requested to quash and set aside the impugned First Information Report in exercise of powers under section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and to quash and set aside the impugned criminal proceedings.
4.00. Ms.Kruti Shah, learned advocate appearing on behalf of the respondent No.2 - original complainant has tried to oppose the present petition but she is not in a position to satisfy this Court as to how it can be said that the petitioner has committed any offence of trespass, as alleged. She is also not in a position to support the impugned order passed by the learned Magistrate directing the concerned police officer to register the First Information Report under section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and thereafter to keep the matter pending and calling for the report and therefore, it is requested to pass appropriate order considering the facts and circumstances of the case.
5.00. Mr.Dabhi, learned Additional Public Prosecutor has requested to pass appropriate order in the facts and circumstances of the case.
6.00. Heard the learned advocates appearing on behalf of the respective parties at length.
7.00. At the outset, it is required to be noted that the respondent No.2 – original complainant has filed the impugned First Information Report against the petitioner for the offence of trespass etc. under sections 447 and 427 of Indian Penal Code. It appears that earlier also the complainant had filed a complaint before the police station which was not registered as First Information Report and therefore, it was prayed by the complainant to direct the concerned police officer of Bardoli Police Station to register the said complaint as First Information Report under section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. In the said complaint initially the learned Magistrate passed an order under section 210 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and directed the concerned police officer to submit the report. It is required to be noted that as such the initial order passed under section 210 of the Code of Criminal Procedure itself was not in accordance with law. When the complaint was not registered and no cognizance was taken and no investigation was taken by the investigating officer, there was not question of staying the proceedings of the complaint by the learned Magistrate in exercise of powers under section 210 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Be that it may. Subsequently the concerned police officer submitted report submitting that the petitioner has not committed any offence, as alleged, still thereafter the Magistrate has passed the impugned order directing the concerned police officer to register the complaint dtd.21/12/2010 as First Information Report under section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and thereafter kept the matter pending and directed the concerned police officer to submit the report. The aforesaid is not permissible at all. Once the Magistrate passes an order directing the concerned police officer to register the complaint as First Information Report, in that case, private complaint was not required to be kept pending. That thereafter, it will be a police case and after investigation is concluded, investigating officer is required to submit the chrgesheet and/or appropriate report, as contemplated under section 173/169 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
7.01. Be that it may. Even otherwise, considering the facts and circumstances of the case, it cannot be said that the petitioner has committed any offence of trespass etc. as alleged. It is required to be noted that after following the due procedure as required, after inviting objections and issuing Notification and only thereafter the officers of the petitioner Company entered the land of the original complainant for the purpose of laying down electricity line, poles etc. Under the circumstances, when the petitioner / officers of the petitioner Company has entered the land of the complainant after following due procedure as required, it cannot be said that the petitioner has committed any offence of trespass etc. as alleged. It is also required to be noted that even for the very dispute the original complainant has instituted the suit and had also filed an application for interim injunction, however, the original complainant has failed to obtain any favourable order and thereafter, after a period of one years the present First Information Report has been filed and therefore, it is clear that the present First Information Report is nothing but abuse and misuse of process of law. Under the circumstances, this Court is of the opinion that this is a fit case to exercise the powers under section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and to quash and set aside the impugned criminal proceedings against the petitioner.
7.02. In view of the above and for the reasons stated above, present petition succeeds. The impugned order dtd.21/12/2010 passed by the learned Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bardoli below Ex.1 in Criminal Inquiry Case No.6 of 2010 as well as consequential First Information Report being CR No.I-170 of 2010 registered with Bardoli Police Station, Surat as well as criminal proceedings of Criminal Inquiry Case No.6 of 2010 pending in the court of learned Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bardoli, are hereby quashed and set aside. Rule is made absolute accordingly.
[M.R. SHAH, J.] rafik