1 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION CRIMINAL APPLICATION NO. 2621 OF 2009 Iqbal Mehmmod Ansari ... Applicant Vs. State of Maharashtra & Ors. ... Respondents Mr. Niramkam Mundargi, i/b. Nitesh S.Nevsne,Advocate, for the applicant. Ms. S.V.Gajare, APP, for the respondent No.1 - State.. Mr. R.M.Momin,Advocate, for respondents Nos. 3 & 4.. CORAM: J.H.BHATIA, J. DATE : 10th June, 2010. P.C. 1. On the basis of certain publication allegedly made by the present applicant, three different defamation cases came to be filed. Respondent No.3 - Shabbir Ahmed Ansari filed Criminal Case No.3072/33 of 2008 in the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate,46th Court at Mazgaon, Mumbai. Respondent No.2 filed Criminal Case No.2027 of 2008 in the Court of J.M.F.C., Solapur and the respondent No.4 filed Criminal Case No. 27 of 2008 before the J.M.F.C., Miraj, District Sangli. Admittedly,all these three cases are based on the same publication. The applicant, who is accused inall the three cases,seeks to quash the proceedings and in the alternative, he seeks all the 3 matters to be clubbed 2 together and placed before one Court for hearing to avoid any inconvenience and different findings. 2. After hearing the learned Counsel for the parties, I find that the proceedings cannot be quashed at this stage. However, taking into consideration the nature of all the three cases, it will be in the interest of justice that all of them should be clubbed and heard together by one Court. 3. Therefore, Criminal Case no.27/2008 pending before the J.M.F.C.,Miraj and Criminal Case No.2027/2008 pending before the J.M.F.C. Solapur are hereby transferred to the file of the Metropolitan magistrate, 46th Court at Mazgaon, Mumbai with a direction that these two matters be heard and tried along with Criminal Case No.3072/33/2008. The respondent Nos. 2 and 4, who are the complainants in the cases pending before the J.M.F.C.,Solapur and Miraj respectively, may be granted exemption from appearance till they are called upon to lead evidence in the complaints filed by them, if they move such application before the concerned Metropolitan Magistrate. Application stands disposed of accordingly. (J.H.BHATIA,J.) 3