CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (CBI) Vs. MAYANGLAMBAM (N) NAOREM (O) MANIMACHA DEVI

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Mr. W. Darakishwor, learned senior panel counsel appearing for the petitioner and Mr. K. Pradip, learned counsel appearing for the respondents. The present Criminal Revision Petitions have been filed under Sec. 397 read with Sec. 401 of the Cr.P.C. with the prayer for quashing and setting aside the impugned Zima order dtd. 20/9/2021 passed by the learned Special Judge, Imphal West in Cril. Misc. (Z) Case No. 7 of 2021 and Cril. Misc. (Z) Case No. 8 of 2021. As the present two revision petitions are connected and arose out of the FIR No. R.C. 0212020A0006 P.S./C.B.I (ACB), Imphal u/s 13(2) r/w 13 (1) (b) P.C. Act, 1988 (as amended), the same is being disposed of by this common order.

(2.) The facts of the present cases in a nutshell are that the petitioner (CBI) registered a case under FIR No. R.C. 0212020A0006 P.S./CBI (ACB), Imphal u/s 13(2) r/w 13 (1) (b) of the P.C. Act, 1988, (as amended) on 14/11/2020 against one Shri Naorem Budhichandra Singh, the respondent in Cril. Rev. Petn. No. 20 of 2021, for alleged possession of properties disproportionate to his known source of income. Thereafter, on 16/12/2020, the petitioner (CBI) conducted a search operation at the house of the respondents and seized a large number of documents and other properties including hard cash and gold ornaments and kept the seized properties in the custody of the CBI.

(3.) The respondents, who are husband and wife, filed two separate applications registered as Cril. Misc. (Z) Case No. 7 of 2021 and Cril. Misc. (Z) Case No. 8 of 2021 before the Court of Special Judge, Imphal West, under Sec. 457 Cr.P.C. with a prayer for granting interim custody of the seized properties under Zima.