CHHAIL DAS Vs. STATE OF HARYANA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS is a revision petition against the order of the Additional Sessions Judge, Hissar, dated 11th June, 1974, whereby the petitioner's revision petition for the return of the tractor taken into possession by the police was dismissed.

(2.) THE facts leading to this revision petition are that the petitioner's tractor bearing No. PNW 1761 was found in the area of village Dhani Sila on Haryana-Rajasthan border carrying 31 bags of maida. As the driver of the tractor did not have any permit to transport the maida to Rajasthan a case was registered and the tractor was taken into possession. 'the Petitioner who is a registered owner of the tractor then made an application, before the trial Magistrate praying that the tractor be given on superdari to him. This application was dismissed by order dated 20th May, 1974 and the revision petition against this order was also dismissed by the Additional Sessions Judge.

(3.) ON behalf of the State a preliminary objection has been raised that the present revision petition is not competent in view of the provisions of Section 397 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1974. The relevant provision reads as under: 397 (3 ). If an application under this section has been made by any person either to the High Court or to the Sessions Judge, no further application by the same person shall be entertained by the other of them. A bare reading of the above provision would show that where a revision petition has been filed before the Sessions Judge another revision petition by the same person cannot be entertained by the High Court. The reason for this is obvious, as now under Section 399 of the new Code the Sessions Judge has the power to finally dispose of the revision petition and not merely to make a recommendation to the High Court as was the position under the old Code. The position has been further clarified in Sub-section (3) of Section 399 which is as follows: 399 (3 ). Where any application for revision is made by or on behalf of any person before the Sessions Judge, the decision of the Sessions Judge thereon in relation to such person shall be final and no further proceeding by way of revision at the instance of such person shall be entertained by the High Court or any other Court. From the above it is clear that once the Sessions Judge has passed an order on an application for revision this order is to be treated as final and no second revision petition lies before the High Court.