R. PRASANNA VENKATESH Vs. STATE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This Criminal Original Petition has been filed to quash the FIR in Crime No.267 of 2021, dtd. 9/5/2021, on the file of the 1st respondent Police.

(2.) The gist of the case is that the 2nd respondent/defacto complainant hails from Thanjavur District, where she was working in SBI Bank Credit Card Sec. . During that time, she came in contact with the 1st petitioner through the social media facebook and thereafter, they became very friendly. On the request of the 1st petitioner, the 2nd respondent came to Chennai on 15/12/2020 and stayed in a Women Hostel at Saligraman. On 16/1/2020, a marriage was held between and on 17/1/2021, they started their matrimonial life at Mahendra Happynest Apartment, Paruthipattu. The 1st petitioner introduced the 2nd respondent as his wife to the petitioners 2 to 4. During the matrimonial life, the petitioners 2 and 3 threatened the 2nd respondent to act as per the direction of the 1st petitioner. On 30/1/2020, the petitioners 3 and 4 informed the 2nd respondent that they would bring one person, with whom she has to spend happy hours. When the 2nd respondent refused for the same, the petitioners threatened her that they would publish private and nude pictures of her in the social media. When the 2nd respondent attempted to move away from the matrimonial home, she was abused and assaulted and further five sovereigns of gold jewels and Rs.3.00 lakhs of the 2nd respondent were taken away by the petitioners. Thereafter, the 1st petitioner blocked the 2nd respondent in Whatsapp and other social media accounts. When the 2nd respondent went to company, where the 1st petitioner was working, to shock and surprise she came to know that the 1st petitioner already got married with one Marry Jacunline. She also came to know that the 1st petitioner's habit is similar with other women and he is also planing to have yet another marriage. Hence, she lodged a complaint against the petitioners to the 1st respondent, which was registered in Crime No.267 of 2021, for offence under Sec. 4 of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 2002, 341, 323 and 506(i) IPC and Sec. 6(1)(b) of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, against which the present petition has been filed.

(3.) The learned counsel for the petitioners submitted that the 2nd respondent already got married in Thanjavur and thereafter, she came in contact with the 1st petitioner through facebook and left Thanjavur and stayed in Chennai at Women's Hostel and on 17/1/2020, married the 1st petitioner. During the matrimonial life, there was some misunderstanding between the petitioners and the 2nd respondent. For extracting money from the petitioners, lodged a false complaint against the petitioners as though the petitioners abused, harassed and extracted money from her. Earlier to this, the 2nd respondent lodged a complaint to Puttur Urban Police Station, Chittor District, Andhra Pradesh, which was registered in FIR in Crime No.57 of 2021 on 8/3/2021, for offence under Secs. 323, 506, 506 r/w 34 IPC. The present complaint has been lodged on 9/5/2021 to the 1st respondent Police. He further submitted that the 2nd respondent after realizing her mistake in implicating the entire family members of the 1st petitioner for the misunderstanding, had entered into a compromise deed with the petitioners on 14/9/2021, wherein she agreed to withdraw the complaints filed against the petitioners before the 1st respondent Police and Puttur Urban Police Station, Chittor District, Andhra Pradesh. Hence, he prayed for quashing of FIR against the petitioners.