Full Judgment Text
REPORTABLE
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
EXTRA-ORDINARY JURISDICTION
SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (CRL.) NOS.834-835 OF 2023
[DIARY NO.41186 OF 2022]
BIMLA TIWARI PETITIONER
VERSUS
STATE OF BIHAR & ORS. RESPONDENTS
O R D E R
1. Permission to file petitions for special leave is granted.
2. By way of these petitions, the petitioner/informant seeks to
question the order dated 14.11.2022 as passed by the High Court of
Judicature at Patna in Crl. Misc. Case No. 15125 of 2022 and 19515
of 2022, whereby the High Court took note of the offer made by the
accused-respondent No. 2, of making payment of a sum of Rs.75,000/-
(seventy-five thousand) to the petitioner/informant and,
considering such an offer and having regard to the facts and
circumstances of the case pertaining to offences under Sections 406
and 420 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Sections 3 and 4 of the
Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, granted the concession of pre-arrest
bail to the respondents, subject to the offered payment.
3. The allegations had been that marriage of the informant’s
Signature Not Verified
Digitally signed by
ARJUN BISHT
Date: 2023.01.19
14:33:25 IST
Reason:
daughter was fixed with son of the respondent No. 2 and in the
engagement rituals, amongst other things, the informant’s husband
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gave a sum of Rs. 6,00,000/- (six lakhs) in cash to the
respondents. According to the petitioner-informant, thereafter, the
respondents demanded further money and vehicle and, for such a
demand being found inappropriate, the marriage was called off but
the respondents did not return the money and the articles.
4. It appears from the submissions made that earlier, the
respondents’ prayer for pre-arrest bail was declined by the Court
of Additional Sessions Judge-IV, Patna and then, the petition filed
in the High Court bearing No. 5967 of 2019, seeking pre-arrest
bail, was also dismissed on 02.04.2019. It appears further that
after the report of investigation, the Trial Court found enough
material to take cognizance of the offences against the accused in
its order dated 14.09.2020. The respondents, thereafter, made yet
another prayer for pre-arrest bail which was again declined by the
Court of Additional Sessions Judge–IV, Patna on 21.12.2021. Hence,
the respondents approached the High Court and their petitions were
considered together and decided by the common order dated
14.11.2022, which is sought to be questioned in these petitions by
the informant.
5. One of the submissions before the High Court while seeking
pre-arrest bail had been that one of the accused, namely Vijaya
Malviya, was granted pre-arrest bail by the High Court in its order
dated 10.03.2022 passed in Criminal Misc. No.32384 of 2021 after
considering that the money involved in the matter had been returned
by a Bank Draft in the sum of Rs. 6,00,000/- (six lakhs), drawn in
favour of the informant, which was handed over to her counsel.
6. The pre-arrest bail plea of the respondents herein was,
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however, opposed by the State as also by the informant, inter alia ,
on the ground that the processes under Sections 82 and 83 of the
Code of Criminal Procedure,1973 (‘CrPC’) had already been issued
and that the money spent in engagement ceremony had not been
returned. Thereafter, an offer was made on behalf of the respondent
No. 2 herein that he would make payment of another sum of
Rs.75,000/- (seventy-five thousand) by way of Demand Draft within
six weeks; and accepting such a submission, the High Court granted
the concession of pre-arrest bail, subject to the offered payment.
7. Seeking to challenge the order so passed by the High Court,
several grounds are urged in support of the present petitions,
including that after issuance of process under Section 82 CrPC,
prayer for pre-arrest bail ought not to have been granted; and that
it had clearly been a case of illegal demand of money as also
cheating of the informant.
8. Having examined the matter in its totality, we are not only
inclined to dismiss these petitions and affirm the order impugned
granting pre-arrest bail to the private respondents but are also
inclined to delete the requirement of payment of a sum of
Rs.75,000/- (seventy-five thousand) to the informant.
9. We have indicated on more than one occasion that the process
of criminal law, particularly in matters of grant of bail, is not
akin to money recovery proceedings but what has been noticed in the
present case carries the peculiarities of its own.
10. We would reiterate that the process of criminal law cannot be
utilised for arm-twisting and money recovery, particularly while
opposing the prayer for bail. The question as to whether pre-arrest
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bail, or for that matter regular bail, in a given case is to be
granted or not is required to be examined and the discretion is
required to be exercised by the Court with reference to the
material on record and the parameters governing bail
considerations. Putting it in other words, in a given case, the
concession of pre-arrest bail or regular bail could be declined
even if the accused has made payment of the money involved or
offers to make any payment; conversely, in a given case, the
concession of pre-arrest bail or regular bail could be granted
irrespective of any payment or any offer of payment.
11. We would further emphasize that, ordinarily, there is no
justification in adopting such a course that for the purpose of
being given the concession of pre-arrest bail, the person
apprehending arrest ought to make payment. Recovery of money is
essentially within the realm of civil proceedings.
12. Moreover, it is noticed that the factum of payment of the sum
of Rs. 6,00,000/- (six lakhs) by the co-accused in this very case
to the present petitioner (informant) was submitted before the High
Court and was taken note of in the impugned order dated 14.11.2022
in the following terms:
“…It is submitted that one of the accused namely Vi-
jaya Malviya was granted bail by a co-ordinate Bench
of this Court vide order dated 10.03.2022 passed in
Cr. Misc. No.32384 of 2021, considering that a bank
draft of Rs.Six Lakh, in favour of informant Bimla Ti-
wary, was handed over to the counsel for the infor-
mant. As such, the money has already been returned to
the informant.”
13. Thus, the aforesaid order dated 10.03.2022, recording the
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factum of the said payment of a sum of Rs. 6,00,000/- (six lakhs),
is obviously carrying a material bearing on the case but, while
filing the present petitions, copy thereof has not been placed on
record; and even in the factual narration and list of dates, such
relevant facts, about the petitioner having received the said sum
of Rs. 6,00,000/- (six lakhs) from the co-accused and about the
order dated 10.03.2022, have not been mentioned.
14. We have taken note of the said order dated 10.03.2022, as
available on the website of the High Court and it is quite
intriguing to find that not only the said amount of Rs. 6,00,000/-
(six lakhs) was paid by the co-accused to the present petitioner
but, the present petitioner indeed accepted the offer and received
the Bank Draft during the course of hearing before the High Court.
The said order dated 10.03.2022, in its entirety, reads as under:
“Heard learned counsel for the petitioner, learned
counsel for the informant and learned APP for the
State.
The petitioner is apprehending his arrest in a case
registered for the offences punishable under Sections
420 and 406 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 3/4
of the D.P. Act.
The basic accusation is of torture for non-fulfill-
ment of dowry demand.
It is submitted by learned counsel for the peti-
tioner that the petitioner has falsely been implicated
in this case. He further submits that a bank draft of
Rs.6,00,000/- (six lac) dated 28.02.2022 bearing draft
number 283114 is being handed over to the learned
counsel for the informant which is in favour of the
informant (Bimla Tiwary).
The learned counsel appearing on behalf of the in-
formant has accepted the offer of the petitioner and
received the aforesaid bank draft during course of
hearing of the case.
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Considering the aforestated facts, let the peti-
tioner, above named in the event of his arrest or sur-
render before the court below within a period of four
weeks from today, be released on anticipatory bail on
furnishing bail bonds of Rs.10,000/- (ten thousand)
with two sureties of the like amount each to the sat-
isfaction of learned Sub Divisional Judicial Magis-
trate, Patna Sadar, Patna in connection with Jakkanpur
Case No. 346 of 2018, subject to the conditions as
laid down under Section 438(2) of the Cr.P.C.”
15. Thus, it is noticed that these criminal proceedings are being
prosecuted only as money recovery proceedings. We have expressed
reservations even as regards the aforesaid order dated 10.03.2022,
wherein the High Court has proceeded on the propositions of offer
made by the co-accused of payment of the sum of Rs.6,00,000/- (six
lakhs) and acceptance thereof by the informant (present
petitioner). However, since the said order is not before us, we
would refrain from making any directions in that regard and else,
in our view, even the said order too, on the proposition of
granting bail with reference to payment, has its own shortcomings.
16. Even when we are not modifying the condition in the said order
dated 10.03.2022 for the same being not before us, so far as the
impugned order dated 14.11.2022 is concerned, in our view, it shall
be in the interest of justice to annul the requirement of payment
of a sum of Rs. 75,000/- (seventy-five thousand) by the accused-
respondent No. 2. Hence, the order granting pre-arrest bail to the
respondents stands affirmed but, the condition therein, of payment
of Rs.75,000/- (seventy-five thousand) by the respondent No.2,
stands annulled.
17. Subject to the observations and requirements foregoing, these
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petitions stand dismissed.
18. All pending applications stand disposed of.
...................J.
(DINESH MAHESHWARI)
...................J.
(HRISHIKESH ROY)
New Delhi;
January 16, 2023
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ITEM NO.33 COURT NO.6 SECTION II-A
S U P R E M E C O U R T O F I N D I A
RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (CRIMINAL)…………………. Diary No(s).41186/2022
(Arising out of impugned final judgment and order dated 14-11-2022
in CRLMN No.15125/2022 14-11-2022 in CRLMN No.19515/2022 passed by
the High Court Of Judicature At Patna)
BIMLA TIWARI Petitioner(s)
VERSUS
STATE OF BIHAR & ORS. Respondent(s)
(FOR ADMISSION and I.R. and IA No.1703/2023-EXEMPTION FROM FILING
C/C OF THE IMPUGNED JUDGMENT and IA No.1704/2023-EXEMPTION FROM
FILING O.T. and IA No.1702/2023-PERMISSION TO FILE PETITION
(SLP/TP/WP/..))
Date : 16-01-2023 These petitions were called on for hearing today.
CORAM :
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE DINESH MAHESHWARI
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE HRISHIKESH ROY
For Petitioner(s) Mr. Shaurya Sahay, AOR
For Respondent(s)
UPON hearing the counsel the Court made the following
O R D E R
Permission to file petitions for special leave is granted.
The special leave petitions are dismissed in terms of the
signed reportable order.
All pending applications stand disposed of.
(ARJUN BISHT) (RANJANA SHAILEY)
COURT MASTER (SH) COURT MASTER (NSH)
(signed reportable order is placed on the file)
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