Non-compoundable Section 324 IPC proceedings may be quashed after an amicable settlement.

The petitioner sought quashing of FIR No. 783/2014, registered at Police Station Narela under Section 324 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (“IPC”), and the proceedings arising from it, on the basis of a Settlement/MOU dated 7 April 2026

The parties appeared before the Court, were identified by the Investigating Officer, and confirmed that they had entered into the settlement voluntarily and without coercion

The trial court had previously been informed of the settlement; the State did not oppose the petition

Whether the High Court should exercise its inherent jurisdiction under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (“CrPC”) to quash a non-compoundable offence and the resulting proceedings where the parties have settled their dispute

Whether, in light of the settlement and the private nature of the dispute, continuing the criminal proceedings would serve the ends of justice

Section 482 CrPC preserves the High Court’s inherent power to prevent abuse of the process of any court or to secure the ends of justice.

Under Gian Singh v. State of Punjab, (2012) 10 SCC 303, the High Court may quash proceedings for a non-compoundable offence where, having regard to the nature of the dispute and settlement, continuation would be futile and quashing would serve the ends of justice; serious offences and offences with a substantial societal impact ordinarily cannot be quashed merely on settlement

Under Narinder Singh v. State of Punjab, (2014) 6 SCC 466, the Court should consider whether the possibility of conviction is remote and whether continuation would cause oppression, prejudice, or injustice to the accused

The Court treated the dispute as essentially private and noted that the parties had voluntarily settled it, the settlement had been brought to the trial court’s attention, and the State raised no objection

Applying Gian Singh and Narinder Singh, it concluded that continuing the proceedings would be an exercise in futility and that there was no impediment to quashing the FIR

FIR No. 783/2014, registered under Section 324 IPC, together with the proceedings emanating from it, stand quashed. The petition was disposed of accordingly