JUDGEMENT
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(1.) Petitioner has preferred this petition under Section 482 of
the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 for quashing of criminal
complaint dated 18.4.2011 (Annexure P-1); summoning order dated
18.4.2011 (Annexure P-2) and all the subsequent proceedings arising
therefrom.
(2.) Learned counsel for the petitioner has submitted that the
petitioner had no concern with the business of the firm carried on by
her husband. Petitioner had been falsely involved in this case merely
because she is the wife of accused Shashi Bhushan, who had issued
the cheque in dispute.
(3.) Learned counsel for respondent No.1, on the other hand,
while opposing the petition, has submitted that husband of the
petitioner had not surrendered before the trial Court so far.
After hearing learned counsel for the parties, I am of the
opinion that the present petition deserves to be allowed.
In the case of State of Haryana vs. Bhajan Lal, 1992 Supp1 SCC 335, the Apex Court has held as
under:-
"The following categories of cases can be stated by way
of illustration wherein the extraordinary power under
Article 226 or the inherent powers under Section 482,
Cr.P.C. Can be exercised by the High Court either to
prevent abuse of the process of any court or otherwise to
secure the ends of justice, though it may not be possible
to lay down any precise, clearly defined and sufficiently
chennelised and inflexible guidelines or rigid formulae and
to give an exhaustive list of myriad kinds of cases wherein
such power should be exercised:-
(1) Where the allegations made in the first information
report or the complainant/respondent No.2, even if they
are taken at their face value and accepted in their
entirety do not prima facie constitute any offence or
make out a case against the accused.
(2) Where the allegations in the first information report
and other materials, if any, accompanying the FIR do
not disclose a cognizable offence, justifying an
investigation by police officers under Section 156(1)of
the Code except under an order of a Magistrate within
the purview of Section 155(2) of the Code.
(3) Where the uncontroverted allegations made in the
FIR or complaint and the evidence collected in support
of the same do no disclose the commission of any
offence and make out a case against the accused.
(4) Where, the allegations in the FIR do not constitute a
cognizable offence but constitute only a non-cognizable
offence, no investigation is permitted by a Police Officer
without an order of Magistrate as contemplated under
Section 155(2) of the Code.
(5) Where the allegations made in the FIR or complaint
are so absurd and inherently improbable on the basis
of which no prudent person can ever reach a just
conclusion that there is sufficient ground for proceeding
against the accused.
(6) Where there is an express legal bar engrafted in
any of the provisions of the Code or the concerned Act
(under which a criminal proceeding is instituted)to the
institution and continuance of the proceedings and/or
where there is specific provision in the Code or the
concerned Act, providing efficacious redress for the
grievance of aggrieved party.
(7) Where a criminal proceeding is manifestly attended
with mala fide and/or where the proceedings is
maliciously instituted with an ulterior motive for
wreaking vengeance on the accused and with a view to
spite him due to private and personal grudge.
We also give a note of caution to the effect that the power
of quashing a criminal proceeding should be exercised
very sparingly and with circumspection and that too in the
rarest of rare cases; that the court will not be justified in
embarking upon an enquiry as to the reliability or
genuineness or otherwise of the allegations made in the
FIR or the complaint and that the extraordinary or
inherent powers do not confer an arbitrary jurisdiction on
the court to act according to its whim or caprice.";
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