Ramdayal Namdev vs State Of Rajasthan

The petitioner by way of this criminal misc. petition prays for quashing of an FIR No.199/2012 registered at Police Station Jhalra Patan, Jhalawar on 5.9.2012 for offence under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 & 120-B IPC. During the pendency of this petition, the proceedings have been initiated against the petitioner under Section 37 of the Police Act issuing standing arrest warrants against him. Thereafter, the charge sheet has been filed against him under Section 299 Cr.P.C. in absence of the petitioner for offences under Section 420, 467, 468, 471 & 120-B IPC.

Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that in view of the law laid down by the Supreme Court in the case of Anand Kumar Mohatta & Others Versus State (Govt. of NCT of Delhi) Department of Home and Others reported in AIR 2019 SC 210, the petitioner who has assailed the FIR can also challenge (2 of 6) [CRLMP-5029/2016] the charge sheet if during the pendency of petition it has submitted the charge sheet.

Learned counsel submits that although the petitioner was not named in the FIR but since in subsequent investigation, the petitioner has been made as an accused, he is entitled to challenge the FIR as well as the charge sheet. Learned counsel submits that the petitioner was the Manager of the Bank at the relevant time for which the FIR has been registered wherein the allegations levelled are that as many as 65 persons named in the FIR obtained loan by submitting forged documents under Schedule

It is alleged in the FIR that the Bank has suffered a loss of Rs.1,50,00,000/- by wrongfully advanced loan on the basis of false and forged documents to the concerned persons, who have committed fraud with the Bank by misleading the Bank by submitting forged documents of properties which were pledged as mortgage.

It is submitted that during the investigation, the police has wrongly misdirected the investigation as against the petitioner who was the Bank Manager and in the charge sheet which has been filed under Section 299 Cr.P.C., the only allegation against the petitioner by the police authorities is that the petitioner had not personally conducted physical inspection of the land of the agriculturist to whom the loan was advanced and therefore wrongly verified the documents.

Learned counsel submits that the petitioner was a Manager and was not required to personally conduct physical verification of the land and he was only required to rely upon the report submitted by the legal adviser. Learned counsel has taken this court to the memorandum of understanding entered between the Bank authorities and the concerned Banks wherein the entire responsibility relating to the verification of the documents is rested with the Advocate and the concerned Manager cannot be said in any manner required personally to verify the documents by going in the field which releasing the loan. Thus, the offences under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 & 120-B IPC are not made out as against the petitioner.

Learned counsel relies on the judgment passed by the Supreme Court in the case of State of Haryana & Others Versus Ch. Bhajan Lal & Others reported in AIR 1992 SC 604 and submits that where the allegations made in the FIR even if they are taken on face value and accepted and their entirety, it did not prima facie constitute the offence. Therefore, the said FIR and further proceedings ought to be quashed.

Further, he has relied on the principle laid down in State of Haryana & Others (supra) that in controverting the allegations made in the FIR or complaint if the evidence collected in support of the same does not disclose the commission of any offence and makes out the case against the accused, then the petitioner ought not be forced to face criminal proceedings in the FIR and proceedings ought to be quashed.

Per contra, learned Public Prosecutor has opposed the submission of the counsel for the petitioner and submits that the petitioner as a Manager of the Bank was having complete responsibility with regard to release of loan. He submits that the Manager has been found to have conspired with the other persons, named in the charge sheet, for releasing the loan amount which was never received by the concerned agriculturist. The amount was thus siphoned off and the Bank Manager has absconded and has not participated in the investigation. Learned counsel thus submits that the allegations against the petitioner are under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 & 120-B IPC and established and therefore there is no occasion to quash the FIR or chargesheet.

I have considered the submissions and perused the documents placed before the court.

In the FIR filed by the Bank, it has been alleged that the loans have been advanced wrongfully to the concerned persons named in the FIR on the basis of the forged and fraudulent documents of properties which were pledged as mortgage in lieu of loan to the Bank. The entire revenue record and the mortgaged properties were found to be fraudulent and forged and then the Bank suffered a huge loss. The name of the petitioner is not named in the FIR.

After investigation, the police has found that the petitioner being Manager was involved hand to hands in releasing the amount of loan after entering into conspiracy with the agents Ghanshyam Dhakad and one Suresh Chand Sharma and with the legal adviser. The relevant part of the charge sheet and is noted as under:-

''अनुसंधान से पाया गया कि एजेन्ट घनश्याम धाकड़ द्वारा तहसील खानपुर के काश्तकारों से उनकी जमीन की नकलें प्राप्त कर तथा कुछ काश्तकारों का टूलिप कम्पनी में बीमा खोलने व लोन दिलाने के लिये फोटो व आइडी प्रुफ लेकर काश्तकारों को शीघ्र लोन दिलाने का झांसा देकर अधिक कमीशन प्राप्त करने के उद्देश्य से बैंक मैनेजर व लीगल एडवाईजर से मिलीभगत कर तहसील खानपुर के 55 काश्तकारों की जमाबंदी व खसरा गिरदावरी में नकलें परिवर्तन कर कूटरचित जमाबंदी व खसरा गिरदावरी बनाई व पटवारियों के फर्जी हस्ताक्षर किये। इसी प्रकार उपपंजीयन कार्यालय से 6 (1) फाॅर्म की पुश्त पर पंजीयन का पृष्ठांकन फर्जी होना उपपंजीयन अधिकारी के हस्ताक्षर फर्जी किये एवं सिक्स वन फाॅर्म पर पटवारी के रहननामा का पृष्ठांकन व पटवारियों के हस्ताक्षर फर्जी किये। कुछ काश्तकारों के नाम जमीन नहीं होते हुए भी उनके नाम से फर्जी दस्तावेज जमीन की नकलें पत्रावली में लगाकर संबंधित काश्तकारों को लोन दिलाकर अधिक कमीशन प्राप्त करना पाया गया। इसी प्रकार एजेन्ट सुरेश चन्द्र शर्मा द्वारा तहसील असनावर के तीन केसीसी धारक की पत्रावलियों का सत्यापन करने पर पाया गया कि फार्म 6(1) की पुश्त पर पटवारी का रहननामा का पृष्ठांकन व पटवारियों के हस्ताक्षर फर्जी किये तथा काश्तकार ब्रजमोहन बेरागी की भूमि को 10 बीघा अधिक की गई एवं काश्तकार गंगाराम भील के भी 5 बीघा जमीन अधिक बढाई गई। काश्तकार गंगाराम, श्ंाकरलाल, लछमाबाई पुत्र नारायण भील निवासी डउवाडा से तफ्तीश करने पर श्ंाकरलाल व लछमाबाई द्व ारा लोन लेना नहीं बताया। केसीसी फाईल में लगी हुई फोटो इनकी नहीं होना बताया जांच से श्ंाकर की फोटो के स्थान पर गंगाराम के पुत्र प्रकाश की व लछमाबाई की फोटो के स्थान पर गंगाराम की पत्नी शांतिबाई की फोटो लगी होना पाई गई। उक्त कृत्य एजेन्ट सुरेश चन्द शर्मा द्वारा करना पाया गया। प्रकरण में 55 काश्तकारों की फाईलों में लगे फर्जी दस्तावेज नकले जमाबंदी, खसरा गिरदावरी, फाॅर्म 6(1) व तहसीलदार के प्रमाण-पत्र पर फर्जी हस्ताक्षर व फर्जी पृष्ठांकन के संबंध में संबंधित पटवारियों के व उपपंजीयन अधिकारियों के नमूना हस्ताक्षर व नमूना लिखावट लिये गये व मुलजिम घनश्याम को गिरफ्तार कर नमूना हस्ताक्षर व लिखावट लिखवाये जाकर परीक्षण हेतु एसएफएल जयपुर भिजवाये गये। प्रकरण में तहसील पिडावा के काश्तकारों से की गई तफ्तीश से एजेन्ट भूपेन्द्र सिंह परमार द्वारा फर्जीवाडा करना पाया गया। शाखा प्रबन्धक, एसबीबीजे झालावड़ से प्रकरण हाजा में बैंक मैनेजर की भूमिका लीगल एडवाईजर की भूमिका के संबंध में बयान श्रीमती कविता शाखा प्रबन्धक के लेख किये गये तो पाया गया की तत्कालीन शाखा प्रबन्धक रामदयाल नामदेव द्वारा काश्तकार की भूमि का सत्यापन गांव में जाकर नहीं किया गया। जिन काश्तकारों के नाम जमीन ही नहीं है उनका मूल्यांकन गलत करके काश्तकारों को लोन स्वीकृत कर भुगतान करना पाया गया। इसी प्रकार लीगल एडवाईजर गजोत्तम राज जैन द्वारा तहसील कार्यवाही व पटवारियों से काश्तकारों की भूमिका बिना सत्यापन किये उपपंजीयन कार्यालय से बिना सत्यापन किये गलत सर्च रिपोर्ट पेश की।"

This court finds that the facts of the present case are different from the facts which were there before the Apex Court in Anand Kumar Mohatta & Others. In the present case, the petitioner was not named in the FIR and therefore, at the stage of FIR the petitioner approaching this court was wholly a case to influence the investigation. If a person's name is not mentioned in the FIR, he would not prima facie have any reason to challenge it at that stage. If during an investigation a person's name who is later on found to be involved or included in the charge sheet, amendment of the petition for challenging the charge sheet in the petition wherein FIR was challenged, is not required. However in the present case, as the petition has been pending since 2016, this court has also examined the charge sheet and as noted above, it is prima facie seen that the Investigation Agency has reached to the conclusion that the Manager is found to be involved in releasing of loans which were based on forged documents. The charges alleged against the petitioner is for conspiracy for releasing of the loans.

Keeping in view thereof, no case for interference with the police investigation is made out. The criminal misc. petition is wholly misconceived and the same is accordingly dismissed. All pending applications also stand dismissed.