MUNNA PRASAD VERMA vs. THE STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH

NON­REPORTABLE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION CRIMINAL APPEAL  NO(S).    1414       OF 2022 (Arising out of Special Leave Petition (Crl.)  No(s).  11754/2019) MUNNA PRASAD VERMA                      ….APPELLANT(S)                                 VERSUS STATE OF U.P. & ANR.                      ….RESPONDENT(S) WITH CRIMINAL APPEAL  NO(S).      1415        OF 2022 (Arising out of Special Leave Petition (Crl.)  No(s).  2401/2020) J U D G M E N T Ajay Rastogi, J. Signature Not Verified Digitally signed by POOJA SHARMA Date: 2022.09.02 17:00:24 IST Reason: 1. Leave granted.  rd 2. The instant appeals are directed against the Order dated 23 1 October, 2019 dismissing the petitions filed at the instance of the appellants under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973(hereinafter being referred to as “CrPC”) praying for quashing st of the charge­sheet no. 33­B/07 dated 31  July, 2009 arising out of Case Crime No. 128 of 2002 under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471,   120­B   of   the   Indian   Penal   Code,   1860(hereinafter   being referred to as the “IPC”), Police Station Kalwari, District Basti. 3. The   brief   facts   of   the   cases   are   that   one   Brijendra   Nath th Mishra, who obtained B.Ed Degree dated 19   October, 1999 from Madan Mohan Malviya PG College, Deoria, which is affiliated to Gorakhpur University, on account of death of his father, submitted an   application   seeking   compassionate   appointment   and   on   the basis of the education record, his application was considered by the th Selection Committee in the meeting dated 19  September, 2000 and on being found eligible, the Selection Committee vide Resolution No. 19   recommended   Brijendra   Nath   Mishra   for   appointment   on compassionate grounds pursuant to which he was appointed on nd 22  September, 2000 under dying in harness rules. th 4. Respondent no. 2, de­facto complainant, lodged FIR on 27 2 September, 2002 under Sections 419, 420, 467, 471 IPC against Brijendra Nath Mishra and members of the Selection Committee, who   according   to   him,   based   on   his   forged   marksheet   of   B.Ed degree, sought compassionate appointment with a further allegation that   appointment   was   in   collusion   with   the   officers   of   the Committee and implicated the present appellants as they were the members of the Section Committee, on whose recommendations, appointment was made. 5.   After the investigation, final report was filed by the Police on th 4   November,   2003   but   as   per   the   directions   of   the   learned Magistrate, several rounds of further investigation thereafter were held.   At later stage, i.e., the third round of investigation, final report was filed, still on insistence of the complainant, Investigating st Officer was changed and, thereafter, charge­sheet was filed on 31 July, 2009 implicating the appellants along with other persons for offence under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120­B IPC and Crime No. 128 of 2002 was registered on which cognizance was th taken by the learned Magistrate by an Order dated 4  August, 2009 that came to be challenged at the instance of the appellants by 3 filing of the petition under Section 482 CrPC for quashing for the cognizance against them. 6. It may be relevant to inform that, so far as Brijendra Nath Mishra, against whom there is an allegation of placing the alleged forged degree for seeking compassionate appointment is concerned, is   facing   trial   which   has   to   be   examined   on   its   own   merits   in accordance with law. 7. So   far   as   the   other   two   members   of   the   Committee(Brij Bhushan   Maurya   and   Paras   Nath   Chaudhary)   are   concerned, against whom cognizance was taken by the learned Magistrate and who had also preferred a special leave petition before this Court, unfortunately   both   have   expired   during   pendency   of   the proceedings and by a separate order, the proceedings qua them have been dismissed as abated. 8. After we have heard learned counsel for the parties and having gone through the material on record with their assistance, we are of the view that there is no prima facie evidence on record which implicate the present appellants directly/indirectly connected to the commission of crime.  It is not the case of the respondents that the 4 present appellants, in any manner, have facilitated Brijendra Nath Mishra either in creating or in fabricating the alleged forged degree of B.Ed for seeking compassionate appointment. 9. The present appellants are implicated, being the members of the Selection Committee, who relied on the documents placed on record   without   any   verification   on   the   assumption   that   the documents being genuine, recommended his case for appointment and because they are the members of the Selection Committee, that in   itself   would   not,   in   any   manner,   implicate   them   in   the commission of crime, in reference to which the learned Magistrate has taken cognizance and issued summons against them by an th Order dated 4  August, 2009 in the instant proceedings, which, in our view, would be nothing but a clear abuse of the process of law. 10. Consequently,   the   appeals   stand   allowed   and   the   criminal proceedings   arising   from   Case   Crime   No.   128   of   2002   qua   the appellants are quashed and set aside. 11. We make it clear that the present observations made are only confined   to   the   disposal   qua   the   instant   appeals.     The   learned Magistrate may not be influenced by the observations made and 5 conclude   the   pending   trial   qua   the   co­accused(Brijendra   Nath Mishra) on its own merits in accordance with law. 12. Pending application(s), if any, shall stand disposed of.     ..………………………J.   (AJAY RASTOGI)   ...………………………J.                                                             (B.V. NAGARATHNA) NEW DELHI; SEPTEMBER 02, 2022. 6