VEERENDRA CHOPRA Vs. STATE OF DELHI

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The learned counsel for the petitioners submitted that the order on charge as well as the charges framed on 03.04.2003 and 09.04.2003 respectively require to be set aside. He submitted that the case for the prosecution is that the petitioners were involved in illegal utilisation of leased data circuits by bypassing the VSNL gateway. He submitted that the charges have been framed against the petitioners under Sections 20, 20-A and 25 read with Section 4 of the Indian Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 (hereinafter referred to as 'the said Act').

(2.) The learned counsel for the petitioners made three submissions. His first submission was that Section 20-A does not apply at all inasmuch as the petitioners are not licence holders. The second submission is that Section 25 of the said Act would also not apply even on the basis of allegations contained in the FIR. His third and final submission was that Section 20 of the said Act refers to an offence which is bailable and non-cognizable. He submitted that if Sections 20-A and 25 of the said Act are not made out then the charge under Section 20 by itself cannot survive inasmuch as the offence under Section 20A is non-congnizable and no permission under Section 155(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 of the Magistrate has been taken. Therefore, the entire investigation with regard to the offence under Section 20 of the said Act is illegal and no charge can be framed on the basis of an illegal investigation.

(3.) Mr Malik, who appears on behalf of the State, submitted that Section 25 of the Act is clearly made out inasmuch as Section 25(c) deals with commission of mischief. He submitted that mischief has been defined in Section 425 of the IPC and the acts alleged to have been committed by the petitioners would fall within the scope of mischief and, therefore, Section 25 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 is clearly attracted on the basis of allegation contained in the FIR and the charge sheet. Therefore, according to him, the charge has been rightly framed under Section 25 of the said Act. Insofar as the submission with regard to the offence under Section 20 is concerned, he submitted that because the charge under Section 25 has been rightly framed, the fact that Section 20 was a non-cognizable offence and that no permission under Section 155(2) of the Cr.P.C. had been taken, would not come in the way of the Investigating Agency in view of the clear provisions of Section 155(4) of the Code which stipulates that where a case relates to more than one offence and at least one is cognizable, the case shall be deemed to be a cognizable notwithstanding that the other offences are non-cognizable. Therefore, it is his submission that the offence under Section 25 being cognizable, the entire case would be deemed to be cognizable notwithstanding the fact that the offence under Section 20 is non- cognizable. He also submitted that the charge under Section 20A was also rightly framed as there was a contravention of the provisions of Section 4 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.