The High Court
Case Details
1 Cr.M.P. No. 2249 of 2023 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JHARKHAND AT RANCHI Cr.M.P. No. 2249 of 2023 1. M/s Uranium Corporation of India Ltd. (A Govt. of India Enterprises) through its Chairman-Managing Director, Dr. Chandra Kumar Asnani, aged about 59 years having registered office at Jaduguda Mines, PO & PS- Jaduguda, District Singhbhum (East). 2. Praveen Kumar Pal, aged about 43 years, Son of Shri Prem Lal Pal, at present holding the post of Controller of Stores & Purchase, Uranium Corporation of India Ltd. (A Govt. of India Enterprises). office at Jaduguda, P.O. & P.S. Jaduguda, District-East Singhbhum, resident of D-53, UCIL Colony, P.O. & P.S.- Jaduguda Mines, District-East Singhbhum-832102 (Jharkhand) ........Petitioner Versus 1. The State of Jharkhand 2. Vikash Agrawal, aged about 42 years, S/o Shyam Sunder Agarwal, R/o Govindam, Gwalapara Road, Near Railway Fatak, Jugsalai, PO & PS Jugsalai, Town Jamshedpur, District East Singhbhum within the State of Jharkhand. 3. M/s Vikash Drug Distributors, a partnership firm having its registered office at G.P. Road, Jugsalai, PO & PS Jugsalai, District Singhbhum East (Jharkhand) through its partner namely; Vikash Agrawal, aged about 42 years, S/o Shyam Sunder Agarwal, R/o Govindam, Gwalapara Road, Near Railway Fatak, Jugsalai, PO & PS Jugsalai, Town Jamshedpur, District East Singhbhum within the State of Jharkhand. ….. Opposite Parties For the Petitioners For the State For the Opp. Parties : Mr. Sumeet Gadodia, Adv. Ms. Shilpi Sandil, Adv. Mr. Ritesh Kr. Gupta, Adv. Mr. Prakhar Harit, Adv. : Mr. Bhola Nath Ojha , Addl.PP : Mr. Anurag Kashyap, Adv. Ms. Supriya Dayal, Adv. Ms. Niharika Srivastava, Adv. P R E S E N T HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE ANIL KUMAR CHOUDHARY By the Court:-
Facts
Heard the parties. 2. Learned counsel for the petitioners submits that this criminal miscellaneous petition has been filed invoking the jurisdiction of 2 Cr.M.P. No. 2249 of 2023 this Court under Section 482 Cr.P.C. with a prayer to quash the order dated 23.05.2023 passed in Complaint case no. 1725 of 2022, passed by learned JMFC, Jamshedpur whereby and where under
Legal Reasoning
the learned court below has held that prima facie case is made out against the petitioners for the offences punishable under Section 406, 420 and 34 of IPC and ordered for issuance of summon against them. Drawing attention of the court to the order dated 21.11.2023 passed in CrMP No. 2252 of 2023, it is submitted by learned counsel for the petitioners that the petitioners do not press the prayer in respect of the petitioner no. 1, as by the said order, this court has already quashed and set aside the entire criminal proceeding as well as the order dated 23.05.2023 passed in Complaint Case No.1725 of 2022 by the learned Judicial Magistrate-1st Class, Jamshedpur, hence, it is submitted that the petitioners confines the prayer only in respect of the petitioner no. 2. 3. The brief facts of the case is that the complainant supplied medicines worth Rs. 74,98,262/-. The petitioner paid in total Rs.65-66 lakhs of rupees but did not pay Rs.8,00,000/- and also did not return the security deposit which was made by the complainant at the time of entering into the contract with the petitioner No.1- company for supply of the said medicine. 4. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the petitioner No.1 is a Government of India Enterprises and directly under the control of Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India and the petitioner No.2 is the Controller of Stores and Purchase of the petitioner No.1. It is next submitted that admittedly the complainant delivered the articles beyond the prescribed period of 15 days from the date of receipt of purchase order which was in violation of terms of the NIT/Contract as total delay made in supply is more than 10 weeks than the scheduled date. It is next submitted that the complainant has abruptly failed to supply the first lot itself as per delivery schedule which attracts agreed liquidation damages under Clause-5 of the terms and conditions of purchase order. It is next submitted that the petitioner No.1 has 3 Cr.M.P. No. 2249 of 2023 right under Clause-6 of the terms and conditions of purchase order to forfeit the security deposit and the contractor has to furnish a Bank Guarantee for a sum equal to 5% of total value of the order within schedule date as per the order failing which security amount may be recovered while releasing first payment. It is further submitted that since the complainant has not supplied three medicines out of the order of 51 medicines, the petitioner No.1- company under the contract/tender has a right to forfeit the security deposit of Rs.3,83,863/- and it has been informed to the complainant vide email. It is next submitted that admittedly the petitioner No.1 has already paid Rs.74,83,241/- to the complainant. It is further submitted that the contract provides for alternative redressal mechanism for Arbitration but without complying with the same, the complainant, for wrecking vengeance, has instituted this criminal case. It is next submitted that though the petitioner No.2 is an employee under the Central Government undertaking and has acted in his official capacity; in view of provision of Section 197 of Code of Criminal Procedure, the prosecution against the petitioner No.2 is not maintainable in absence of sanction from the competent authority of Government of India. 5. Learned counsel for the petitioners relies upon the judgment of this Court in the case of Chandan Kumar Gupta & Another vs. The State of Jharkhand & Another dated 27th of June, 2023 passed in Cr.M.P. No.1221 of 2022, and submits that in order to establish the offence punishable under Section 406 of Indian Penal Code the following ingredients are to be established:- (i) Mens rea (ii) There must be dishonest misappropriation or conversion to one’s own use, or use in violation of a legal direction or of any legal contract (iii) The accused dishonestly used or disposed of the property 4 Cr.M.P. No. 2249 of 2023 and to constitute the offence punishable under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, the following are the essential ingredients:- (iv) Deception of a person either by making a false or misleading representation or by dishonest concealment or by any other act or omission, (v) Fraudulent or dishonest inducement of that person to either deliver any property or to consent to the retention thereof by any person or to intentionally induce that person so deceived to do or omit to do anything which he would not do or omit if he were not so deceived and (vi) Such act or omission causing or is likely to cause damage or harm to that person in body, mind, reputation or property as has been held by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in the case of Mohammed Ibrahim & Others vs. State of Bihar & Another reported in (2009) 8 SCC 751. 6. It is next submitted that, in the absence of any of the essential ingredients available in the record, the offence punishable under Sections 420 or 406 of the Indian Penal Code is not made out. Hence, it is submitted that the order dated 23.05.2023 passed in Complaint Case No.1725 of 2022 by the learned Judicial Magistrate-1st Class, Jamshedpur and the entire criminal proceedings of Complaint Case No.1725 of 2022 which is now pending in the court of learned Judicial Magistrate-1st Class, Jamshedpur be quashed and set aside qua the petitioner no. 2. 7. Learned Addl.P.P. appearing for the State and the learned counsel for the opposite parties vehemently oppose the prayer for quashing and setting aside the order dated 23.05.2023 passed in Complaint Case No.1725 of 2022 by the learned Judicial Magistrate-1st Class, Jamshedpur and the entire criminal proceedings of Complaint Case No.1725 of 2022 which is now pending in the court of learned Judicial Magistrate-1st Class, Jamshedpur and submit that there is direct and specific allegation against the petitioner no. 2 of having cheated the complaint to the tune of Rs.8,00,000/-. Hence, the offence punishable under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code is made out against the petitioners. 5 Cr.M.P. No. 2249 of 2023 Therefore, it is submitted that this Criminal Miscellaneous Petition, being without any merit, be dismissed. 8. Having heard the rival submissions made at the Bar and after carefully going through the materials available in the record, it is pertinent to mention here that in order to constitute the offence punishable under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, the accused must have an intention to cheat the victim since the very inception; as has been held by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in the case of the Dalip Kaur and Others vs. Jagnar Singh & Another reported in (2009) 14 SCC 696, para 10 of which reads as under :- “10. The High Court, therefore, should have posed a question as to whether any act of inducement on the part of the appellant has been raised by the second respondent and whether the appellant had an intention to cheat him from the very inception. If the dispute between the parties was essentially a civil dispute resulting from a breach of contract on the part of the appellants by non-refunding the amount of advance the same would not constitute an offence of cheating. Similar is the legal position in respect of an offence of criminal breach of trust having regard to its definition contained in Section 405 of the Penal Code. (See Ajay Mitra v. State of M.P. [(2003) 3 SCC 11 : 2003 SCC (Cri) 703])” (Emphasis supplied) 9. It is also a settled principle of law that to make out a case of criminal breach of trust it is not sufficient to show that money has been retained by the accused. It must also be shown that the accused dishonestly disposed of the same in some way or dishonestly retained the same. The mere fact that the appellant did not pay the money to the complainant does not amount to criminal breach of trust as has been held by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in the case of Binod Kumar & Others vs. State of Bihar & Another reported in (2014) 10 SCC 663, paragraph-18 of which reads as under :- “18. In the present case, looking at the allegations in the complaint on the face of it, we find that no allegations are made attracting the ingredients of Section 405 IPC. Likewise, there are no allegations as to cheating or the dishonest intention of the appellants in retaining the money in order to have wrongful gain to themselves or causing wrongful loss to the complainant. Excepting the bald allegations that the appellants did not make payment to the second respondent and that the appellants utilised the amounts either by themselves or for some other work, there is no iota of allegation as to the dishonest intention in misappropriating the property. To make out a case of criminal breach of trust, it is not sufficient 6 Cr.M.P. No. 2249 of 2023
Decision
to show that money has been retained by the appellants. It must also be shown that the appellants dishonestly disposed of the same in some way or dishonestly retained the same. The mere fact that the appellants did not pay the money to the complainant does not amount to criminal breach of trust.” (Emphasis supplied) 10. Now, coming to the facts of the case, the petitioners have paid substantial amount of the complainant as out of the supplied amount of Rs.74,98,262/- a sum of Rs.74,83,241/- has undisputedly already been paid and this fact is not disputed by the complainant. The petitioners have taken the plea that under the contract it has the right to forfeit the security deposit. Under such circumstances, in the absence of any material to suggest that the petitioners had any intention to the cheat the complainant/opposite party No.2 since the very inception, the offence punishable under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code is not made out against the petitioners and in the absence of any allegation that the petitioners have dishonestly retained the money of the complainant/opposite party No.2 or dishonestly disposed of the same in the manner, the offence punishable under Section 406 of the Indian Penal Code is not made out against the petitioners. 11. Under such circumstances, this Court is of the considered view that this is a fit case where the continuation of the criminal proceedings of order dated 23.05.2023 passed in Complaint Case No.1725 of 2022 by the learned Judicial Magistrate-1st Class, Jamshedpur and the entire criminal proceedings of Complaint Case No.1725 of 2022 which is now pending in the court of learned Judicial Magistrate-1st Class, Jamshedpur against the petitioner no. 2 will amount to abuse of process of law and this is a fit case where the same be quashed and set aside qua the petitioner no. 2. 12. Accordingly, the order dated 23.05.2023 passed in Complaint Case No.1725 of 2022 by the learned Judicial Magistrate-1st Class, Jamshedpur and the entire criminal proceedings of Complaint Case No.1725 of 2022 which is now pending in the court of learned Judicial Magistrate-1st Class, Jamshedpur, as prayed for 7 Cr.M.P. No. 2249 of 2023 by the petitioners, is quashed and set aside qua the petitioner no. 2. 13. In the result, this Cr.M.P. stands allowed and with the disposal of this criminal miscellaneous petition, the interlocutory application, if any, also stands disposed of being in fructuous. High Court of Jharkhand, Ranchi Dated, the 5th February, 2024 Smita /AFR (Anil Kumar Choudhary, J.)