IN THE HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND AT NAINITAL Crl. Misc. Application (C-482) No. 272 of 2010 Durga Das S/o late Sri Lekh Raj R/o 217, Block II, Chakuwala Mohalla, P.S. Kotwali, District Dehradun. ...…………. Petitioner Versus Ashok Kumar S/o Manohar Lal Bhatia R/o E -II / 5, Rest Camp, Dehradun. ...…………. Respondent Mr. Karan Anand, Advocate for the petitioner. Hon’ble Prafulla C. Pant, J. Heard. 2) By means of this petition, moved under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (hereinafter referred as Cr.P.C.), the petitioner has sought a direction to the trial court to decide the Criminal Complaint Case No. 258 of 2008; Durga Das Vs. Ashok Kumar, relating to offence punishable under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, pending in the court of Judicial Magistrate I, Dehradun. 2 3) The prayer made in the petition is innocuous. Criminal complaint appears to have been pending since 2008, as initially it was filed before the Addl. Judicial Magistrate II, in the year 2008. Sub-section (2) and sub- section (3) of Section 143 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (as inserted vide Act No. 55 of 2002), read as under: “(2) The trial of a case under this section shall, so far as practicable, consistently with the interests of justice, be continued from day to day until its conclusion, unless the Court finds the adjournment of the trial beyond the following day to be necessary for reasons to be recorded in writing. (3) Every trial under this section shall be conducted as expeditiously as possible and an endeavour shall be made to conclude the trial within six months from the date of filing of the complaint.” Sub-section (1) of Section 143 clarifies that it applies to all the cases under Chapter XVII of the Act. 4) Therefore, this petition under Section 482 of Cr.P.C. is disposed of with the direction to the trial court to decide the aforesaid case as expeditiously as possible, keeping in mind the spirit of Section 143 of the Act. (Prafulla C. Pant, J.) Dt. March 31, 2010. H. Negi 3