HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE A.GOPAL REDDY CRIMINAL PETITION No.2714 of 2007 DT.29.07.2010 Pilla Rama Devi and others …Petitioners V. The State of A.P. and another … Respondents The Court made the following: HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE A.GOPAL REDDY CRIMINAL PETITION No.2714 of 2007 ORDER:- This is an application filed under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, by the petitioners to quash the proceedings in crime No.17 of 2007 registered against them for the offences punishable under Sections 147 and 506 IPC and Section 3 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984 (Act 3 of 1984). The complaint allegations clearly discloses that the petitioners/accused on 17.03.2007 visited the Gram Panchayat office along with others and removed the tiles laid therein and demolished the compound wall, which clearly constitutes an offence punishable under Section 3 of Act 3 of 1984. Learned counsel for the petitioners contends that the resolution passed by the Gram Panchayat authorizes the Village Sarpanch for leasing out the property for the A.T.M. Cash counter of Andhra Bank or for any other purpose. In view of the same, the lodging of the complaint is nothing but an abuse of process. Whether the 1st petitioner-Village Sarpanch was authorized to lease the property for any other purpose and in the process they have removed the tiles, are matter of evidence, which can be taken note of during the course of investigation. But it is not a case to quash the proceedings, even before the investigation is made into the allegations levelled against them. Accordingly, the Criminal Petition is dismissed. _______________ A. GOPAL REDDY, J 29th July 2010 lmv