GIRIBALA SHAU Vs. PROVA MISRA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS Rule is at the instance of the two accused -petitioners, Giri Bala Shau and Lachmi Shau, and is directed against an order dated the 31st January, 1973 passed by Sri Ramabilash Goswami, Presidency Magistrate, 8th Court, Calcutta, convicting the two accused -petitioners under Section 448 of the Indian Penal Code and sentencing them to pay a fine of Rs. 100/ - each, in default, the accused -petitioner No. 1 is to suffer simple imprisonment for one month and accused -petitioner No. 2 to suffer rigorous imprisonment for one month in case No. C. 622 of 1970. The two co -accused were acquitted by the learned trying Magistrate.

(2.) THE facts of the case can be put in a short compass. Four accused -persons were placed on their trial before the learned trying Magistrate to answer a charge under Section 448 of the Indian Penal Code and two of them, viz. accused Nos. 3 and 4 were ultimately acquitted. The prosecution case briefly is that the accused persons had forcibly broken open the padlock of room being room No. 6 on the first floor of premises No. 155, Rabindra Sarani, the tenant where -of was the complainant's husband, with an ulterior criminal intent on the 15th March 1970 at about 7 -30 p.m. The accused persons took possession of the room and committed theft of the articles kept therein. The complainant and her husband at the time were on their way to their native place in Maharashtra, They came back and occupied room No. 7 but could not get back the possession of room No. 6. A petition of complaint was filed on the 16th September, 1970 before the learned Additional Chief Presidency Magistrate. Processes were issued under Sections 454, 341 and 380 of the Indian Penal Code and ultimately on his transfer the charge was amended to one under Section 448 of the Indian Penal Code against all the accused persons. The defence case, inter alia is that the accused persons are not guilty; that the entry was not in any way with an ulterior motive but on a due surrender of the tenancy by the complainant's husband; and that the entry complained of was not accompanied in any way with intent to commit an offence or to intimidate, insult or annoy the person in possession of property. Eight witnesses were examined on behalf of the prosecution, two of whom were not tendered for cross -examination and their evidence was expugned. Besides, this, the prosecution proved several exhibits. The learned Magistrate ultimately by his order dated the 31st January, 1973 acquitted the two co -accused and convicted the accused -petitioners as mentioned above. An application under Section 522 of the Code of Criminal Procedure appears to have been filed by the complainant on the same date and that it still pending in the Court below. The order of conviction and sentence referred to above has been impugned by the accused -petitioners and the present Rule was issued along with an ad interim stay, as prayed for, till tha disposal of the Rule.

(3.) I have heard the submissions made at the Bar and I have considered the materials on the record. The evidence I have been taken through by the learned Advocates, appearing on behalf of the respective parties, as also the exhibits. Having given my anxious consideration to the same, I ultimately hold that the essential ingredients of an offence under Section 448 of the Indian Penal Code have not been established beyond reasonable doubt by the gamut of the evidence on the record. It is pertinent in this context to refer to the provisions of Section 441 of the Indian Penal Code, laying down the definition of criminal trespass, viz., that whoever enters upon property in the possession of another with intent to commit an offence or to intimidate, insult or annoy any person in possession of such property etc. is said to commit criminal trespass. It is abundantly clear, therefore, that the intention of the legislature is to pinpoint the intention on the part of the trespasser to commit an offence or to intimidate, insult or annoy etc. If and when the trespasser has that blameworthy mind in effecting the entry into the property in possession of some others, he is said to have committed the offence of criminal trespass. There was a cloud at one stage over the meaning of the words 'criminal trespass' and conflicting decisions were given by the different Courts until the cloud was lifted by their Lordships of the Judicial Committee in the well -known case of Sinnasamy Selvanayagam v. The King reported in (1951) 55 Cal WN 1 (PC). The aforesaid case is in the backdrop of Section 427 of the Ceylon Penal Code which is equivalent to Section 441 of the Indian Penal Code and therefore the decision is on the point. Sir John Beaumont delivering the judgment observed, inter alia, that the dominant intention of the accused in such cases of criminal trespass was to commit an offence or to insult, intimidate or annoy the occupant but mere entry upon land made under a bona fide claim of right, however, ill -founded in law the claim may be, does not become criminal merely because a foreseen consequence of the entry is annoyance to the occupant. I respectfully agree with the observations and I hold that the dominant intention as ' referred to above has not been established in the present case to bring the case within the ambit of Section 448 of the Indian Penal Code. Mr. Sarkar appearing on behalf of the complainant opposite party referred in this context to the case of Rash Behari Chatterjee v. Fagu Shaw reported in : 1970CriLJ4 . Mr. Justice Sikri (as his Lordship then was) delivering the judgment of the Court observed in the facts of the said case that when the decree obtained by the complainant from the civil court was executed and the delivery of possession of the case land was obtained by him through the court, the accused persons when they trespassed into the land and were found making preparation for construction of bamboo structures, it must be held that the intention of the accused was to annoy the complainant who was in the possession of the land. The principle laid down by the Supreme Court really is not in any way different from the principles laid down above by the Judicial Committee. The facts of the ease under consideration by the Supreme Court are clearly distinguishable because in the first instance there was resistance in that case by the accused persons to the execution of the decree sought to be made through the Nazir of the Serampur Civil Court and the process -servers. Because of the resistance and refusal to give possession on the part of the accused, the said attempt failed. However, on a following date the Nazir with police help went to the spot for delivery of possession and the complainant obtained actual physical possession. In view of the clear knowledge on the part of the accused about the factum of possession, the subsequent trespass made by them on the land with the consequent dispossession thereof of the complainant, has been blatant and gives rise to the inference that it must have been done with the intention to commit an offence, or to intimidate, insult or annoy any person in possession within the bounds of Section 441 of the Indian Penal Code. The said case, therefore, does not help the present contention of Mr. Sarkar. The submissions of Mr. Bhose accordingly, on this point, succeed.