[CASE NUMBER] (O&M) 1 In the High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh [CASE NUMBER] (O&M) Date of decision : 29.5.2013 [ENTITY] and others Petitioners Versus [ENTITY] and another Respondents CORAM: HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE [ENTITY] Present: Mr.[ENTITY], Advocate, for the petitioners Mr.[ENTITY], Addl.A.G.Haryana. Mr.[ENTITY], Advocate for respondent No.2 [ENTITY], J.
This petition has been filed by the petitioners under [SECTION] of the [ACT] for quashing of FIR No. 1141 dated 18.10.2003 (Annexure P-1), registered at Police Station NIT, Faridabad under [SECTION] [SECTION] of the [ACT] ('[ACT]' for short) and all the subsequent proceedings arising therefrom including order dated 21.11.2011 (Annexure P-5) in view of the compromise arrived at between the parties.
Admittedly, in the present case, a compromise was effected between the parties. As a result of the compromise, ex parte decree of divorce was passed in favour of respondent No.2. Dispute between the parties remained with regard to payment of amount agreed between the parties at the time of compromise. Admittedly, ` 2,20,000/- were paid to respondent No.2. However, ` 2,54,000/- remained to be paid by the petitioners to respondent No.2 in terms of the compromise.
Today, learned counsel for the petitioners has handed over a cheque in the sum of ` 2,54,000/- to the counsel for respondent No.2. Photocopy of the said cheque has been placed on record. In these circumstances, learned counsel for respondent No.2 has submitted that he has no objection if the FIR in question was ordered to be quashed as parties had amicably settled their dispute.
As per the Full Bench judgment of this Court in [PRECEDENT], High Court has power under [SECTION] [ACT] to allow the compounding of non-compoundable offence and quash the prosecution where the High Court felt that the same was required to prevent the abuse of the process of any Court or to otherwise secure the ends of justice. This power of quashing is not confined to matrimonial disputes alone.
Hon'ble the Apex Court in the case of [PRECEDENT], has held as under:-
"57. The position that emerges from the above discussion can be summarised thus: the power of the High Court in quashing a criminal proceeding or FIR or complaint in exercise of its inherent jurisdiction is distinct and different from the power given to a criminal court for compounding the offences under [SECTION] of the Code. Inherent power is of wide plenitude with no statutory limitation but it has to be exercised in accord with the guideline engrafted in such power viz; (i) to secure the ends of justice or (ii) to prevent abuse of the process of any Court. In what cases power to quash the criminal proceeding or complaint or F.I.R may be exercised where the offender and victim have settled their dispute would depend on the facts and circumstances of each case and no category can be prescribed. However, before exercise of such power, the High Court must have due regard to the nature and gravity of the crime. Heinous and serious offences of mental depravity or offences like murder, rape, dacoity, etc. cannot be fittingly quashed even though the victim or victim's family and the offender have settled the dispute. Such offences are not private in nature and have serious impact on society. Similarly, any compromise between the victim and offender in relation to the offences under special statutes like [ACT] or the offences committed by public servants while working in that capacity etc; cannot provide for any basis for quashing criminal proceedings involving such offences. But the criminal cases having overwhelmingly and pre-dominatingly civil flavour stand on different footing for the purposes of quashing, particularly the offences arising from commercial, financial, mercantile, civil, partnership or such like transactions or the offences arising out of matrimony relating to dowry, etc. or the family disputes where the wrong is basically private or personal in nature and the parties have resolved their entire dispute. In this category of cases, High Court may quash criminal proceedings if in its view, because of the compromise between the offender and victim, the possibility of conviction is remote and bleak and continuation of criminal case would put accused to great oppression and prejudice and extreme injustice would be caused to him by not quashing the criminal case despite full and complete settlement and compromise with the victim. In other words, the High Court must consider whether it would be unfair or contrary to the interest of justice to continue with the criminal proceeding or continuation of the criminal proceeding would tantamount to abuse of process of law despite settlement and compromise between the victim and wrongdoer and whether to secure the ends of justice, it is appropriate that criminal case is put to an end and if the answer to the above question(s) is in affirmative, the High Court shall be well within its jurisdiction to quash the criminal proceeding."
Since the parties have amicably settled their dispute, no useful purpose would be served in allowing the criminal proceedings to continue. Further respondent No.2 had already been granted the ex parte decree of divorce in view of the compromise effected between the parties.
Accordingly, this petition is allowed. FIR No. 1141 dated 18.10.2003 (Annexure P-1), registered at Police Station NIT, Faridabad under [SECTION] [SECTION] [ACT] and all the subsequent proceedings arising therefrom including order dated 21.11.2011 (Annexure P-5), are quashed.
It is clarified that in case the cheque in the sum of ` 2,54,000/-, handed over by learned counsel for the petitioners to learned counsel for respondent No.2, is dishonoured, then this petition shall be deemed to have been dismissed.
([ENTITY]) JUDGE May 29, 2013 anita