- (1.) Petitioner has filed this petition under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 for quashing of FIR No. 132 dated 28.6.2007 (Annexure P-1), under Section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 ('IPC' for short), registered at Police Station Sahnewal District Ludhiana and all the subsequent proceedings arising therefrom in view of the compromise arrived at between the parties. Learned counsel for the petitioner has submitted that petitioner had earlier filed CRM-M No.3466 of 2008 seeking quashing of the FIR on merits. During the pendency of the said petition, case was referred to Mediation and Conciliation Centre. Parties settled their dispute before the Mediation and Conciliation Centre. Learned counsel has further submitted that in terms of the compromise, marriage between the parties has been dissolved (Annexure P-4). Respondent No.2, who is present in person along with her counsel, has admitted the factum of compromise effected between the parties. She has further stated that she has received the entire amount in terms of the compromise effected between the parties. She has also stated that she has received a further sum of Rs. 50,000/- from the petitioner in the Court today and has stated that she has no objection in case the FIR in question is ordered to be quashed. She has tendered her affidavit on record in this regard. As per the Full Bench judgment of this Court in Kulwinder Singh and others vs. State of Punjab, 2007 3 RCR(Cri) 1052, High Court has power under Section 482 Cr.P.C. to allow the compounding of non-compoundable offence and quash the prosecution where the High Court felt that the same was required to prevent the abuse of the process of any Court or to otherwise secure the ends of justice. This power of quashing is not confined to matrimonial disputes alone.
(2.) Hon'ble the Apex Court in the case of Nikhil Merchant vs. Central bureau of Investigation and another, 2008 9 JT 192 has held as under:- "23. In the instant case, the disputes between the Company and the Bank have been set at rest on the basis of the compromise arrived at by them whereunder the dues of the Bank have been cleared and the Bank does not appear to have any further claim against the Company. What, however, remains is the fact that certain documents were alleged to have been created by the appellant herein in order to avail of credit facilities beyond the limit to which the Company was entitled. The dispute involved herein has overtones of a civil dispute with certain criminal facets. The question which is required to be answered in this case is whether the power which independently lies with this court to quash the criminal proceedings pursuant to the compromise arrived at, should at all be exercised 24.On an overall view of the facts as indicated hereinabove and keeping in mind the decision of this Court in B.S.Joshi's case and the compromise arrived at between the Company and the Bank as also clause 11 of the consent terms filed in the suit filled by the Bank, we are satisfied that this is a fit case where technicality should not be allowed to stand in the way in the quashing of the criminal proceedings, since, in our view, the continuance of the same after the compromise arrived at between the parties would be a futile exercise."
(3.) Since the parties have arrived at a compromise and have decided to live in peace, no useful purpose would be served in allowing these proceedings to continue.;