Atul Sahebrao Patil Vs. the State of Maharashtra and Another - Court Judgment

Oral Judgment:

1. The petitioner is the accused in RCC No.459/2010 pending before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Osmanabad. The said case arises on a complaint filed by the respondent No.2 herein and is in respect of an offence punishable u/s. 420 of the Indian Penal Code. After examining the respondent No.2 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the complainant for the sake of convenience and clarity), the Chief Judicial Magistrate formed an opinion that a prima facie case of an offence p/u/s 420 of the Indian Penal Code was made out and hence, by his order dated 28.12.2010 directed issue of process requiring the petitioner to appear and answer to the charge of an offence p/u/s 420 of the Indian Penal Code.

2. Being aggrieved by the order issuing process, the petitioner approached the Court of Sessions by filing an application for revision, but, the learned Additional Sessions Judge who heard the revision application was of the view that order issuing process was proper, legal and correct. Holding so, he dismissed the revision.

3. It is under these circumstances that the petitioner has approached this court invoking its Constitutional jurisdiction, contending that the initiation and continuation of the said proceedings against him, is contrary to law, and praying that the order issuing process and the proceedings of the said RCC Case No.459/2010 be quashed.

4. I have heard Mr.B.A.Dhengle, the learned counsel for the petitioner. I have also heard Mr.V.B.Deshmukh, the learned counsel for the complainant. I have also heard Mr.P.N.Muley, the learned APP for the State.

5. With the assistance of the learned counsel for the parties, I have gone through the petition and the annexures thereto. I have carefully gone through the complaint and the impugned order.

6. The substance of the complaint filed by the complainant is as follows:-

That, the complainant is a resident of Osmanabad and is a retired primary teacher. That, the petitioner is working as a Teacher in the Primary School at Pimpri which is run by Zilla Parishad. That, as per the Government notification No.PRS/1088/1370/CR/226/15, Mantralaya Mumbai-32, dated 14.6.1989 the Government have directed all the teachers and Gramsevaks under the control of Zilla Parishad to remain at the Headquarters. That, as per the Government Notification dated 26.6.1993, the Government have directed all the employees of the Zilla Parishad to stay at the Head-Quarter. That, if an employee of Zilla Parishad would not be residing at the Head Quarters, he would have no right to demand any house rent allowance and that, therefore, no house rent allowance should be paid to an employee of Zilla Parishad who does not stay at the Head Quarter. That, the Education Officer, Osmanabad has passed an order on 10.10.2008 in consonance with the said notification dated 26.6.1993. That, the petitioner (accused) is in the employment of Zilla Parishad and though, he has not been staying at the Head-Quarters, he had taken house rent allowance amounting to Rs.13,228/- for the period from November 2008 to May 2010 and has, therefore, deceived the Government (“kklukph Qlo.kqd dsysyh vkgs).

7. In the verification statement of the complainant, he stated that the petitioner was a teacher in the Primary School at Pimpri but, that instead of residing at the Headquarters, he was residing at Osmanabad and that, inspite of not being residing at Head Quarters, the petitioner had taken House Rent Allowance to the extent of Rs.13,228/- for the period from November, 2008 to May, 2010 and has, therefore, ‘deceived the Government.

8. The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Osmanabad while issuing process against the petitioner observed as follows:-

“Therefore, prima facie it appears that, accused has dishonestly induced the Government to deliver house rent allowance and thereby committed offence of cheating. Hence, issue process under section 420 of I.P.C. against the accused.

9. The learned Additional Sessions Judge in revision did not consider whether the ingredients of an offence p/u/s 420 of the IPC were disclosed.

10. In my opinion, the allegations levelled in the complaint are absurd and the order issuing process is patently illegal.

11. Cheating is defined in Section 415 of the Indian Penal Code. The essential ingredients thereof are:-

i] deception of any person;

ii] fraudulently or dishonestly inducing that person ;

iii] a] to deliver any property to any person ; or to consent that any person shall retain any property; or b) intentionally inducing that person to do or omit to do anything which he would not do or omit if he were not so deceived, and which act or omission causes or is likely to cause damage or harm to that person or any other person in his mind in body, mind reputation or the property.

12. In this case, the allegation is that, ‘Government are deceived. However, no person from the Government has been examined to claim that the petitioner had made any particular false representation, pursuant to which such person while working for and on behalf of the Government was deceived. The least that was expected before issuance of process was to ascertain, prima facie, as to who is the person who had been deceived.

13. However, that is not crucial aspect of the matter. The crucial aspect is what was the act of the petitioner which led to ‘deceive the Government is not indicated at all. What is the procedure for drawing House Rent Allowance and whether any declaration is required to be given by an employee before he draws House Rent Allowance, is also not mentioned.

14. House Rent Allowance is a facility given to the employees so as to help them to maintain a house at the place where they work. There is no allegation in the complaint that the petitioner does not have, or does not maintain any house at the Head Quarters. The Government Notifications referred to above are aimed at insisting and ensuring that the employees remain at the Head Quarter and do not leave the same. Stopping of HRA to the employees who would leave Head quarter is decided to be adopted a measure to deter such employees from leaving Head quarters and thus to enforce discipline. It cannot be construed that such employees are deceiving the Government ‘by leaving head quarter. If the Government directive was not implemented and employees leaving the Head Quarter were still given House Rent Allowance, it is not the person receiving the House Rent Allowance, but the person responsible for giving it, would be answerable. Moreover, he would also be liable only for a departmental action and cannot be prosecuted for a criminal offence, without anything more.

15. As aforesaid, since there is nothing to indicate that any declaration is taken from an employee before House Rent Allowance is given to him, there is no question of such person ‘deceiving any one and inducing such person to make payment of the house rent allowance. If, the Government wants to implement the directions given in the notification, it would be for them to see how such directions would be enforced and it would be futile to contend that a person ‘had deceived the Government, merely because he was paid the House Rent Allowance inspite of the Government directions.

16. Incidentally, as aforesaid, it is not the complaint of the Government ‘that they have been deceived. It is the complaint of the complainant that ‘Government has been deceived. On what basis, he comes to the conclusion ‘that Government have been deceived, is not indicated; and from the tenor of the complaint, the complaints notion seems to be that the very act of receiving House Rent Allowance amounts to cheating.

17. The proceedings before the Magistrate are an abuse of the process of criminal law. The Trial Court has committed a patent error in issuing process against the petitioner and the revisional Court has committed an equally patent error in permitting the continuance of the proceedings.

18. Petition succeeds.

19. The proceedings against the petitioner are quashed.

20. Rule is made absolute in the aforesaid terms.