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Judgment
This Criminal Petition is filed under Section 482 Cr.P.C., to call for the records in DVC.No.9 of 2021, on the file of II Additional Junior Civil Judge, Mahabubabad and quash the same.
Heard the learned Public Prosecutor.
The petitioners 2 to 7 herein are Respondent Nos.2 to 7 in the above DVC and they are the parents, married sister, brother-in-law and friends of 1st petitioner and 1st respondent/husband in the DVC. In the application filed under Section 12 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, there is no specific allegation against the petitioners 2 to 7 herein and the 3rd respondent did not even seek any specific relief against the petitioners 2 to 7 herein.
In this regard, it is apt to refer to the decision rendered by a learned Single Judge of High Court of Judicature for the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in Giduthuri Kesari Kumar v. State of Telangana 2015 (2) ALD (Crl.) 470 AP, wherein it was held as under:
"14) To sum up the findings:
i) Since the remedies under D.V.Act are civil remedies, the Magistrate in view of his powers under Section 28(2) of D.V Act shall issue notice to the parties for their first appearance and shall not insist for the attendance of the parties for every hearing and in case of non-appearance of the parties despite receiving notices, can conduct enquiry and pass exparte order with the material available. It is only in the exceptional cases where the Magistrate feels that the circumstance require that the he can insist the presence of the parties even by adopting coercive measures.
ii) In view of the remedies which are in civil nature and enquiry is not a trial of criminal case, the quash petitions under Sec.482 Cr.P.C. on the plea that the petitioners are unnecessarily arrayed as parties are not maintainable. It is only in exceptional cases like without there existing any domestic relationship as laid under Section 2(f) of the D.V. Act between the parties, the petitioner filed D.V. case against them or a competent Court has already acquitted them of the allegations which are identical to the ones leveled in the Domestic Violence Case, the respondents can seek for quashment of the proceedings since continuation of the proceedings in such instances certainly amounts to abuse of process of Court."
In view of the above discussion and the observations made by the learned Single Judge in the aforesaid decision, the present Criminal Petition is disposed of, dispensing with the personal appearance of petitioners 2 to 7 herein in D.V.C. No.9 of 2021 on the file of II Additional Junior Civil Judge, Mahabubabad and the proceedings against Respondent No.1 may go on.
As a sequel, miscellaneous petitions, if any, pending in the Criminal Petition shall stand closed.