Lovely@ Taran Sharma vs State Of Uttarakhand And Another

N.S. Dhanik, J

The applicants, by means of present application under Section 482 Cr.P.C., seek to quash the charge-sheet dated 05.10.2016; cognizance order dated 15.01.2017 as well as the entire proceedings of Special Session Trial No. 04 of 2017, "State vs. Lovely and others" for the offence punishable under Sections 147, 323, 504 and 506 of I.P.C. and under Section 3(i) (R) of the Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, pending before the 3rd Additional Sessions Judge/Special Judge (SC/ST), Act Haridwar.

Learned counsel for the applicant confined his prayer only to the extent that no offence under Section 3 (i) (R) of the SC/ST Act is made out against the applicant, even on bare reading of the contents of the first information report.

Learned counsel for the applicants submitted that even if the contents of the F.I.R. be conceded to be true, no ingredients of Section (i) (R) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act are prima facie made out against the applicant, in the sense that informant nowhere said that the accused himself was not member of SC/ST and he used those words intentionally in order to humiliate him (victim) in a place within the public view knowing it that he (victim) belonged to a community of Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, as was held by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Gorige Pentaiah vs. State of Andhra Pradesh and others, (2008) 12 SCC 531.

On perusal of documents on record, foundation of offences under Section 147, 323, 504 & 506 of I.P.C. is laid against the applicant. No prima facie case under Section 3 (i) (R) of SC/ST Act is made out against him (applicant), in view of Gorige Pentaiah's case (supre), wherein, in paragraph no. 6, it was observed by Hon'ble Apex Court as under:

"In the instant case, the allegation of the respondent no. 3 in the entire complainant is that on 2705.2004, the appellant abused them with the name of their caste. According to he basic ingredients of Section 3(i) (x) of the Act, the complainant ought to have alleged that the accused-appellant was not a member of the Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe and he (respondent no. 3) was intentionally insulted or intimidated by the accused with intent to humiliate in a place within pubic view. In the entire complaint, nowhere it is mentioned that the accused-appelant was not a member of the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe and he intentionally insulted or intimidated with intent to humiliate respondent no. 3 in a place within public view. When the basic ingredients of the offence are missing in the complainant, then permitting such a complaint to continue and to compel the appellant to face the rigmarole of the criminal trial would be totally unjustified leading to abuse of process of law"

Prima facie, offences under Sections 147, 323, 504 &506 of I.P.C are made out against the appellant, but the offence under Section 3 (i) (R) of the SC/ST Act is not made out in view of Gorige Pentaiah's ruling.

Application under Section 482 of Cr.P.C., is, therefore, partly allowed to the extent of exclusion of Section 3 (i) (R) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 only. In other words, the applicant shall face the trial for the offences for which charge-sheet was submitted against him, but, not under Section 3 (R) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Application under Section 482 of Cr.P.C., is therefore, dismissed, in so far as summoning of the applicant for the offences punishable under the Indian Penal Code is concerned.

At this juncture, learned counsel for the applicant submitted that some time be given to the applicant to surrender before the Court below and in the meantime no coercive steps be taken against him.

Considering the facts of the case, it is provided that the petitioner/applicant shall surrender before the Court concerned with regard to the offences punishable under IPC within three weeks, whereafter, they will be dealt with by the learned Court below according to Law. No coercive steps shall be taken against the applicant for a period of three weeks from today.

It is also provided that if the applicant surrender before the Court concerned within the stipulated period and seek bail, his bail application shall be decided as expeditiously as possible without reasonable delay.

Petition under Section 482 of Cr.P.C. stands disposed of with the directions as above.