IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
Criminal Miscellaneous No.9997 of 2018
Arising Out of PS.Case No. -46 Year- 2006 Thana -AURANGABAD COMPLAINT CASE District-
AURANGABAD
Ranju Devi daughter of Bechan Sao, resident of Kanker, P.S.- Navinagar, District-
Aurangabad.
…. …. Petitioner/s
Versus
1. The State of Bihar
2. Manoj Kumar Gupta, son of Vijay Prasad Gupta
3. Vijay Prasad Gupta son of Parmeshwar Sao
4. Gangia Devi wife of Vijay Prasad Gupta
5. Sunil Kumar Gupta son of Vijay Prasad Gupta
6. Blndhyachali Devi wife of Sunil Kumar Gupta
All are resident of Navanagar Nigahi, P.S.- Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh.
7. Shiv Prasad Gupta son of not Known to the Petitioner, resident of Kabul, P.S.-
Chatarpur, District- Palamu, Jharkhand.
…. …. Opposite Party/s
Appearance :
For the Petitioner/s : Mr. Brajesh Kumar, Advocate
For the State : Smt. Pushpa Sinha, APP
CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE ASHWANI KUMAR SINGH
ORAL JUDGMENT
Date: 18-08-2018
This application under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal
Procedure (for short ‘the Cr.P.C.’) has been filed by the petitioner for
quashing the order dated 29.11.2017 passed in Complaint Case
No.C46 of 2006 by which the learned Sub Divisional Judicial
Magistrate, Aurangabad has dismissed the petition filed by the
complainant on 18.04.2017.
2. The petitioner is complainant of Complaint Case No.46
of 2006 in which charge, inter alia, under Section 498A of the Indian
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Penal Code has been framed. She was examined on 18.07.2018 before
charge and on 20.07.2009 after charge. Similarly, witness no.2 was
examined after charge on 03.04.2010. The evidence on behalf of the
complainant after charge was closed on 07.11.2013. Thereafter, on
02.04.2014 statement of the accused were recorded under Section 313
of the Cr.P.C. and the case was adjourned for defence to produce its
witness. The defence produced two witnesses in order to prove their
innocence during trial whereafter, on 29.07.2016, the defence case
was also closed. Since then, the case was kept pending for argument.
It was only on 18.04.2017, an application was filed by the
complainant for her recall and recall of witness no.2 Bochan Sah for
further examination.
3. It was pleaded on behalf of the complainant that due to
inadvertence of the lawyer conducting the case certain important
documents could not be exhibited which were essential for proper
adjudication of the case.
4. The prayer made on behalf of the complainant in her
application under Section 311 of the Cr.P.C. was contested by the
accused persons. It is pleaded on their behalf that nine years have
elapsed since the date of filing of the complaint. The witnesses
examined during trial have deposed at length and after cross-
examination they were discharged. Their evidence was recorded more
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than seven years ago and, thereafter, the defence had also adduced its
evidence and the defence case was also closed. It was further
contended that the application under Section 311 of the Cr.P.C. cannot
be allowed for filling up lacuna of the prosecution case.
5. Having heard both the parties, the learned Sub Divisional
Judicial Magistrate, Aurangabad, vide impugned order dated
29.11.2017 rejected the prayer of the petitioner and directed her to
argue the case on merit.
6. Being aggrieved by the aforestated order dated
29.11.2017, passed by learned Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate,
Aurangabad, the instant application has been filed by the petitioner
under Section 482 of the Cr.P.C.
7. It is contended by the learned counsel for the petitioner
that the learned Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate, Aurangabad has
failed to consider the fact that some important documents having
bearing on merits of the case could not be marked due to inadvertence
of lawyer conducting the case. It is further contended that merely
because certain witnesses were already examined on behalf of the
defence, the court below should not have rejected the application
preferred by the petitioner under Section 311 of the Cr.P.C.
8. I have heard learned counsel petitioner and carefully
perused the record.
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9. The application filed in the court of Sub Divisional
Judicial Magistrate, Aurangabad, has been brought on record as
annexure-2 to the present application. From perusal of the application,
I find that the pleadings are quite vague. Neither the provision of law
under which the application was filed by the petitioner was mentioned
nor it has been averred as to which document could not be proved
during trial. The powers conferred under Section 91 of the Cr.P.C for
summoning of documents are enabling in nature, aimed at arming the
court or any other officer-in-charge of a police station concerned, to
enforce and to ensure the production of any document or other things,
necessary or desirable for the purpose of any investigation, inquiry,
trial or other proceedings under the Cr.P.C., by issuing a summons or
a written order to those in possession of such material. As far as
Section 311 of the Cr.P.C. is concerned, the same enables the court to
summon any person as a witness or examine any person in attendance,
though not summoned as a witness, in order to find out truth to render
just decision of the case. If exigency of the situation arises that there
is requirement to recall any witness, it is true that the stage at which
the case is pending would be of no consequence. However, in the
instant case, since a vague petition was filed by the petitioner, in the
opinion of this Court, the learned Magistrate committed no error in
rejecting the same specially when the complaint case is pending
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before the court since 2006.
10. The application, being devoid of any merit, is dismissed.
(Ashwani Kumar Singh, J)
Md.S./-
AFR/NAFR NAFR
CAV DATE N.A.
Uploading Date 23.08.2018
Transmission 23.08.2018
Date