DEVI Vs. STATE OF RAJASTHAN

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS application Under Section 482 Cr.PC has been filed against the order of the learned Munsif Magistrate, Jodhpur dated 14 -6 -1983 by which he directed the counsel for the accused petitioners to produce to petitioners in the court on 1 -7 -1983 as the witnesses would identify them. Aggrieved of this order the petitioner filed a revision before the learned Sessions Judge but the same was rejected on 27 -2 -1985 as being not maintainable.

(2.) I have heard the learned Counsel for the parties and they are agreed that the matter my finally be disposed of at this stage.

(3.) IT is contended by the learned Counsel for the petitioners that the two ladies of the family have wrongly been implicated in the complaint and the very purpose of calling them in the court was to harass them and to compel the other accused persons, the members of their family to withdraw the cross case, which they have instituted against the complaint Igyaram in connection with this very incident and in these circumstances the learned Magistrate did not exercise a proper discretion in directing appearance of the petitioners. It was contended that the witnesses belonged to the same village to which the accused petioners belonged and they are very well known to each other but the insistence on the part of the prosecution witnesses for their appearance before the court in the circumstances of the case was only to disgrace and harass them. On the other hand, the learned Counsel for the complainant urged that earlier an application for the exemption of attendance of these accused persons had been filed and on 6 -4 -1977 they were granted exemption on the undertaking of the learned Counsel for the petitioners that if these petitioners were required to be present for the purposes of identification by the witnesses, they will be produced. Now in face of this undertaking the petitioners are not entitled to claim for further exemption from appearance. It was also contended by him that so far as the witnesses who had already named the petitioners, were examined the appearance of the accused petitioners was not insisted upon but when the witnesses who do not know the accused persons by name and can only identify them if they are present in court, the learned Magistrate was perfectly within his jurisdiction to direct the learned Counsel to keep the petitioners present in court.