HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE B. CHANDRA KUMAR Crl.P.No. 5381 of 2007 Date: 21-04-2010 Between: Mohd. Naser and others ……….. Petitioners and The State of A.P. and another ………. Respondents HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE B. CHANDRA KUMAR Crl.P.No. 5381 of 2007 ORDER: This Criminal Petition has been filed to quash the proceedings against the petitioners in Crime No.43 of 2000 before the Inspector of Police, A.P.T.S., Team-III, Vidyut Soudha, A.P. Transco, Hyderabad. The crime was registered in the year 2000 for the offences under Sections 39 and 44 of the Indian Electricity Act, 1910. The allegation against the petitioners is that the consumer indulged in pilferage of energy by meddling the internal mechanism of the meter by tampering the meter cover seals. Admittedly no charge sheet has been filed till this date. The main ground of the petitioners is that though a period of more than six years elapsed from the date of registration of the crime, no charge sheet has been filed and therefore, no cognizance can be taken in view of the provision under Section 468 of Cr.P.C., which prescribes the period within which the cognizance shall be taken. The learned counsel for the petitioners relied on AHMED NAWAJ ALLADIN v. STATE HOUSE OFFICER [1] and G. ANJAIAH v. STATE OF A.P. [2] in support of his contention that no cognizance can be taken beyond the period prescribed under Section 468 of Cr.P.C. It is not in dispute that admittedly the prescribed period is over and no charge sheet has been filed. Therefore, in the light of the above facts and circumstances of the case, I am of the view that no cognizance can be taken at this stage. Accordingly, the Criminal Petition is allowed and the proceedings against the petitioners in Crime No.43 of 2000 are hereby quashed. ___________________ B. CHANDRA KUMAR, J Date: 21-04-2010 YCR [1] 1999 (1) ALT (Crl.) 449 (A.P.) [2] 2000 (1) ALT (Crl.) 382