GHANSHYAM SINGH MEENA Vs. STATE OF RAJASTHAN

JUDGEMENT

(1.) BY this criminal misc. petition, the petitioner accused has sought direction to quash and set aside letter dated 24. 4. 1999 (Ann. 1) of the Superintendent of Police (4) Anti Corruption Department Rajasthan Jaipur directing Additional Superintendent of Police at Bhilwara to prepare the draft charge sheet in Cr. Case No. 42/98. The petitioner also prayed for quashing and setting aside the trial launched against the petitioner in Case No. 12/1999 vide charge sheet (Ann. 2), whereby he was charged with offence punishable under Sec. 13 (1) (d) read with Section 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (for short the Act ).

(2.) SO far as the validity of an order of the respondent No. 2 dated 24. 4. 1999 (Ann. 1) is concerned, it cannot be challenged in this petition filed under Section 482 Cr. PC. As regards quashment of the criminal proceedings initiated by taking cognizance and framing of the charge against the petitioner Shri S. R. Surana learned counsel for the petitioner contended that the prosecution of the present petitioner without prior sanction under Section 197 Cr. PC under the impugned charge sheet framed is an abuse of process of law because otherwise also the petitioner is protected by Sec. 19 of the Act. It is further case of the petitioner that merely because the public servant (present petitioner) has retired, the prosecuting agency cannot be allowed to take benefit of the ground of his retirement for not issuing the prosecution sanction before filing the challan in the Court. Shri Surana cited the decision of the Apex Court in R. Balakrishna Pillai vs. State of Kerala (1) & of this Court in Suraj Narain vs. State (2), and accordingly contended that even if the public servant ceases to hold the office and the challan is filed lateron still sanction under Sec. 197 Crpc is essential and the trial Court could not take cognizance or to proceed with case without prosecution sanction and ought not to have taken into consideration letter dt. 24. 4. 1999 of the S. P. (respondent No. 2 ).

(3.) IN R. Balakrishna Pilliai (supra) cited by Shri Surana, the Apex Court (2 Judge Bench) categorically observed, " we are unable to accept the view taken by the High Court of Kerala insofar as the requirement of sanction u/s. 197 (1) of the Code is concerned in relation to the charge of criminal conspiracy". . . " so far as the second charge u/sec. 5 (2) read with Sec. 5 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act is concerned, the view of the High Court remains undisturbed. " IN this view of the matter, this decision does not render any help to the petitioner in this petition u/sec. 482 Cr. PC. That apart, even in a latest decision in State of Kerala vs. V. Padamnabhan Nair (4) the Apex Court while dealing offences of criminal conspiracy held placing reliance upon the decisions in Shreekantiah Ramayya vs. State of Bombay (5), and Amrik Singh vs. State of Pepsu (6), which has been followed in Harihar Prasad vs. State of Bihar (7), that sanction under Sec. 197 is not necessary. The Apex Court after having followed the dictum of law laid down in Kalicharan Mahapatra vs. State of Orissa (8), further held, "an accused facing prosecution of offences under the PC Act cannot claim any immunity on the ground of want of sanction, if he ceased to be a public servant on the date when the court took cognizance of the said offences and so the High Court was at any rate wrong in quashing the prosecution proceedings insofar as they related to offences under the PC Act. " Thus viewed, the decision of this Court in Suraj Narain (supra) cited by Shri Surana renders no assistance in favour of the petitioner in this petition. Hence in my considered view, the petitioner has no case for quashing of the criminal proceedings for want of previous sanction under Sec. 197 Crpc.