X vs A

2024 INSC 216 REPORTABLE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. OF 2024 (Arising out of SLP(Criminal) No. 3187 of 2023)

MS. X …APPELLANT(S) VERSUS MR. A AND OTHERS …RESPONDENT(S)

JUDGMENT

B.R. GAVAI, J.

1. Leave granted.

2. The present criminal appeal challenges the order dated

3rd September 2022, passed by the learned Single Judge of

the High Court of Karnataka at Bengaluru in Criminal

Petition No. 8468 of 2021, whereby the High Court allowed

the petition filed under Section 482 of the Criminal

Procedure Code, 1973 (‘Cr.P.C.’ for short) preferred by the

accused persons and quashed the entire proceedings

pending against them before the 2nd Additional District and

Sessions Judge, Chitradurga (hereinafter referred to as ‘trial

court’) in Special Case (SC/ST) No. 1 of 2021. Signature Not Verified Digitally signed by Deepak Singh Date: 2024.03.18 17:57:18 IST Reason: 1

3. Shorn of details, the facts leading to the present appeal

are as under:

3.1. The prosecution case is that in the year 2016, while the

complainant/appellant was still a minor, having been born

on 12th September 1998, accused No.1 after becoming

acquainted with the complainant/appellant while they both

were preparing for the competitive examination, made her fall

in love with him. Thereafter, they entered into a relationship

and were intimate with each other. Subsequently, in the year

2019, accused No. 1 took the complainant/appellant to his

aunty’s house in Chitradurga whereupon he had sexual

intercourse with her, after leading her to believe that he

would marry her. A few days thereafter, accused No. 1 took

the complainant/appellant to his house near the Gate of

Siddapura Village in order to introduce her to his parents. In

his family’s absence, accused No. 1 forcibly engaged in

sexual intercourse with the complainant/appellant on

multiple occasions. As a consequence, the

complainant/appellant got pregnant. Six months into the

pregnancy, upon gaining knowledge of the same, accused

No.1 and his brother accused No.2 forcibly took her to

2 Krishna Nursing Home, Challakere and compelled her to

undergo an abortion.

3.2. Subsequently, accused No. 1 reiterated his promise to

marry her, however, he stated that such marriage would take

place only after he finished his preparation for the Karnataka

Administrative Service Examination. He further compelled

her to maintain silence by threatening her that if she

discloses any information about the termination of her

pregnancy to her parents, he would kill her and would also

kill himself by consuming poison. Accused No.3 and accused

No.4, parents of accused No. 1 also assured the

complainant/appellant that she and accused No. 1 would get

married after the latter finished with his studies.

3.3. On 22nd September 2020, after the

complainant/appellant’s parents became aware of her

relationship with accused No. 1 and the termination of her

pregnancy, the complainant/appellant along with her

parents visited the house of the accused persons with the

request that the complainant/appellant and accused No. 1

be married to each other. However, the accused persons

turned down the request and asserted that no such marriage

3 would be possible since the complainant/appellant was a

prostitute belonging to the Scheduled Caste, Madigha.

3.4. While this version of events was brought out in her

original complaint, which was the basis of the First

Information Report (“FIR” for short) being Case Crime No.

456 of 2020, lodged on 1st October 2020 at Police Station

Challakere, District Chitradurga, the complainant/appellant

in her restatement (Annexure P-6) made before the Dy. S.P.,

Challakere, changed the narrative with respect to the manner

in which the termination of pregnancy had been carried out.

She clarified that she had not been taken to Krishna Nursing

Home. She stated, instead, that accused No. 1 upon gaining

knowledge of her pregnancy, had informed her that he would

like to continue with his studies and had thereafter brought

her Ayurvedic medicine which would cause the termination

of her pregnancy. Upon the said medicine being administered

to the complainant/appellant by accused No.1, her

pregnancy was terminated. The complainant/appellant

requested that the restatement be made a part of her original

complaint. Accordingly, the relevant alteration was made in

the original complaint, which fact is reflected in the brief

4 summary of the case contained in the charge-sheet,

subsequently filed.

3.5. After the conclusion of the investigation, a charge-sheet

came to be filed before the trial court on 22nd December 2020

against all the accused persons for the offences punishable

under Sections 354D, 376(2)(n), 504 and 506 read with 34 of

the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (“IPC” for short) and Sections

3(1)(r), 3(1)(s), 3(1)(w)(i), 3(2)(v) and 3(2)(v-a) of The Scheduled

Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,

1989 (“SC/ST Act” for short).

3.6. On the charge-sheet being filed, the trial court took

cognizance of the charges and initiated criminal proceedings

against the accused persons vide Special Case (SC/ST) No.

01 of 2021.

3.7. Being aggrieved thereby, the accused persons preferred

a petition under Section 482 of Cr.P.C. before the High

Court, praying for quashing of the proceedings pending

before the trial court. The High Court, by the impugned

order, allowed the petition and quashed the afore-stated

proceedings in respect of all the accused persons.

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4. Being aggrieved thereby, the present appeal has been

filed by the original complainant.

5. We have heard Shri Naman Dwivedi, learned counsel

appearing on behalf of the appellant and Shri M. Yogesh

Kanna, learned counsel appearing on behalf of the

respondents.

6. Shri Dwivedi submitted that the learned Single Judge of

the High Court has grossly erred in quashing the

proceedings. It is submitted that the learned Single Judge

almost conducted a mini-trial while considering a petition

filed under Section 482 of Cr.P.C. It is submitted that the

learned Single Judge of the High Court ought to have taken

into consideration that the exercise of powers under Section

482 Cr.P.C. was permissible only when the material placed

on record along with the charge-sheet was sufficient enough

to come to a conclusion that the case, even if it went to trial,

would not culminate into conviction. It is submitted that

from the statement of the prosecutrix as well as the

witnesses, the prosecution has prima facie shown that

accused No.1, on the false promise of marriage, had entered

into a forcible relationship with the victim. It is submitted

6 that the material placed on record was also sufficient to

prima facie point out that accused No. 1 had forced the

complainant to undergo abortion when the complainant had

become pregnant.

7. Per contra, Shri Kanna submitted that the learned

Single Judge of the High Court has considered the material

placed on record to come to a conclusion that the

prosecution case, even if taken at its face value, does not

constitute the ingredients of the offences charged with. The

learned counsel submitted that the learned Single Judge of

the High Court, relying on the judgments of this Court in the

cases of Dr. Dhruvaram Murlidhar Sonar v. State of

Maharashtra and Others1 and Shambhu Kharwar v.

State of Uttar Pradesh and Another2, has rightly held that

there was no material placed on record to constitute the

offences punishable under Section 376 of IPC. He submitted

that no error could be found with the finding of the High

Court that permitting the continuation of the proceedings

would become an abuse of process of law and result in

miscarriage of justice. It is submitted that the prosecutrix

1 (2019) 18 SCC 191 2 2022 SCC OnLine SC 1032

7 has gone to the extent of dragging the entire family only in

order to harass the accused persons.

8. The High Court, in the impugned order, has referred to

the original complaint filed by the appellant, the restatement

of the appellant (Annexure P-6) made before the Dy. S.P.,

Challakere and the statement of the doctor/Head of the

Krishna Nursing Home. After considering the material placed

on record, the High Court found that the complainant has

totally changed her version of events in her restatement

(Annexure P-6) made before the Dy. S.P., Challakere from the

statement given in the original complaint filed by her. The

learned Single Judge of the High Court has also referred to

the report of the medical examination of the prosecutrix

dated 19th December 2020.

9. We have also perused the material placed on record

along with the charge-sheet. It can be seen that though the

initial version of the complainant is that after she became

pregnant, she was taken to the Krishna Nursing Home

wherein she was compelled to undergo abortion, however,

the statement of the doctor/Head of Krishna Nursing Home

would show that the version of the complainant that she was

8 brought to the Krishna Nursing Home on 17th August 2020

to abort her six months pregnancy, was completely false.

The doctor/Head of Krishna Nursing Home has denied any

acquaintance with the prosecutrix or the accused persons.

The doctor/Head of Krishna Nursing Home has also stated

that during the relevant period, on account of lockdown due

to COVID virus, no patient was admitted in the hospital. It is

further to be noted that the complainant, in her restatement

(Annexure P-6) made before the Dy. S.P., Challakere, has

changed her version and stated that she was not taken to the

Krishna Nursing Home. The prosecutrix has stated that she

was administered some medicine which was not allopathy

which led to the termination of her pregnancy.

10. Even the statement of Anitha (CW-6) would reveal that

both the prosecutrix and accused No. 1 had come together to

her house and accused No. 1 informed her that the

prosecutrix was his relative. According to the statement of

Anitha (CW-6), six months prior to the date of recording her

statement, accused No. 1 along with the prosecutrix had

come to her house in the morning and had taken breakfast.

After that, Anitha (CW-6) had left the house leaving both of

9 them in the house. Anitha (CW-6) stated that when she

came back in the room at around 02.00 pm, accused No. 1

and the prosecutrix took their meals and in the evening, they

went to Challakere.

11. The issue similar to the one which arises for

consideration in the present matter also arose for

consideration before this Court in the case of Pramod

Suryabhan Pawar v. State of Maharashtra and

Another3, wherein this Court observed thus:

“18. To summarise the legal position that emerges from the above cases, the “consent” of a woman with respect to Section 375 must involve an active and reasoned deliberation towards the proposed act. To establish whether the “consent” was vitiated by a “misconception of fact” arising out of a promise to marry, two propositions must be established. The promise of marriage must have been a false promise, given in bad faith and with no intention of being adhered to at the time it was given. The false promise itself must be of immediate relevance, or bear a direct nexus to the woman's decision to engage in the sexual act.

19. The allegations in the FIR indicate that in November 2009 the complainant initially refused to engage in sexual relations with the accused, but on the promise of marriage, he established sexual relations. However, the FIR includes a reference to several other allegations that are relevant for the present purpose. They are as follows:

19.1. The complainant and the appellant knew each other since 1998 and were intimate since 2004.

3 (2019) 9 SCC 608

10 19.2. The complainant and the appellant met regularly, travelled great distances to meet each other, resided in each other's houses on multiple occasions, engaged in sexual intercourse regularly over a course of five years and on multiple occasions visited the hospital jointly to check whether the complainant was pregnant.

19.3. The appellant expressed his reservations about marrying the complainant on 31-1-2014. This led to arguments between them. Despite this, the appellant and the complainant continued to engage in sexual intercourse until March 2015.”

12. This Court, in the facts of the said case, set aside the

judgment of the High Court which refused to exercise its

jurisdiction under Section 482 of Cr.P.C. to quash the

proceedings. The Court found that this was a fit case

wherein the High Court ought to have invoked its jurisdiction

under Section 482 of Cr.P.C. to quash the proceedings.

13. In the present case also, the facts are almost similar.

Even as per the version of the complainant, the following

facts have been emerged:

(i) 4 years prior to the FIR being lodged on 1st October

2020, accused No. 1 followed the prosecutrix and

told her that he loved her and she should also love

him;

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(ii) After a period of 2 years, she agreed to love him and

both were intimate with each other;

(iii) One year prior to the date of the incident, accused

No. 1 took the prosecutrix to his aunty’s house in

Chitradurga and they stayed there. On that day at

about 09.00 am, in his aunty’s house, by giving trust

and belief that he would marry her, accused No. 1

forcibly made sexual contact with the prosecutrix;

(iv) Thereafter, accused No. 1 took the prosecutrix to

various places including his own house and

committed sexual intercourse with her; and

(v) As per the version of the prosecutrix, the first

incident has taken place in the year 2019. As per

Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board

Certificate, her date of birth is 12th September 1998.

Even if it is assumed that the incident has taken

place in January 2019, she would have been over the

age of 18.

14. After the prosecutrix became pregnant, accused No. 1

caused her abortion on 17th August 2020. Though her initial

version was that she was admitted in the hospital for two

12 days, it is falsified by the statement of the doctor/Head of

Krishna Nursing Home. After this incident, she discussed

the matter with her elders in the family and decided to lodge

the complaint.

15. We find that, in the present case also like the case of

Pramod Suryabhan Pawar (supra), the allegations in the

FIR so also in the restatement (Annexure P-6) made before

the Dy. S.P., Challakere, do not, on their face, indicate that

the promise by accused No. 1 was false or that the

complainant engaged in the sexual relationship on the basis

of such false promise. This apart from the fact that the

prosecutrix has changed her version. The version of events

given by the prosecutrix in the restatement (Annexure P-6)

made before the Dy. S.P., Challakere is totally contrary to the

one given in the FIR.

16. Similar facts arose for consideration before this Court in

the case of Shambhu Kharwar (supra). In the said case,

the prosecutrix had filed a complaint that there was love

affair between her and the accused for a period of three

years. The accused had given an assurance to her regarding

solemnization of marriage. They started living under the

13 same roof and also made sexual relationship. Thereafter, the

accused entered into a ring ceremony with someone else. In

this background, the prosecutrix had lodged the complaint

that the accused had forcible sexual intercourse with her on

the false promise of marriage. After considering the material

placed on record, the Court observed thus:

“13. …..Taking the allegations in the FIR and the charge-sheet as they stand, the crucial ingredients of the offence under Section 375 IPC are absent. The relationship between the parties was purely of a consensual nature. The relationship, as noted above, was in existence prior to the marriage of the second respondent and continued to subsist during the term of the marriage and after the second respondent was granted a divorce by mutual consent.”

17. This Court, in the case of State of Haryana and

Others v. Bhajan Lal and Others4, has observed thus:

“102. In the backdrop of the interpretation of the various relevant provisions of the Code under Chapter XIV and of the principles of law enunciated by this Court in a series of decisions relating to the exercise of the extraordinary power under Article 226 or the inherent powers under Section 482 of the Code which we have extracted and reproduced above, we give the following categories of cases by way of illustration wherein such power could be exercised either to prevent abuse of the process of any court or otherwise to secure the ends of justice, though it may not be possible to lay down any precise, clearly defined and sufficiently channelised

4 1992 Supp (1) 335

14 and inflexible guidelines or rigid formulae and to give an exhaustive list of myriad kinds of cases wherein such power should be exercised.

(1) Where the allegations made in the first information report or the complaint, even if they are taken at their face value and accepted in their entirety do not prima facie constitute any offence or make out a case against the accused.

(2) Where the allegations in the first information report and other materials, if any, accompanying the FIR do not disclose a cognizable offence, justifying an investigation by police officers under Section 156(1) of the Code except under an order of a Magistrate within the purview of Section 155(2) of the Code.

(3) Where the uncontroverted allegations made in the FIR or complaint and the evidence collected in support of the same do not disclose the commission of any offence and make out a case against the accused. (4) Where, the allegations in the FIR do not constitute a cognizable offence but constitute only a non-cognizable offence, no investigation is permitted by a police officer without an order of a Magistrate as contemplated under Section 155(2) of the Code.

(5) Where the allegations made in the FIR or complaint are so absurd and inherently improbable on the basis of which no prudent person can ever reach a just conclusion that there is sufficient ground for proceeding against the accused.

(6) Where there is an express legal bar engrafted in any of the provisions of the Code or the concerned Act (under which a criminal proceeding is instituted) to the institution and continuance of the proceedings and/or where there is a specific provision in the Code or the concerned Act, providing efficacious redress for the grievance of the aggrieved party.

15 (7) Where a criminal proceeding is manifestly attended with mala fide and/or where the proceeding is maliciously instituted with an ulterior motive for wreaking vengeance on the accused and with a view to spite him due to private and personal grudge.”

18. We find that the present case would squarely fall under

categories (1), (3) and (5) as reproduced hereinabove for the

reasons which we have already recorded in the earlier

paragraphs. No doubt, that the power of quashing the

criminal proceedings should be exercised very sparingly and

with circumspection and that too in the rarest of rare cases,

it is also equally settled that the Court will not be justified in

embarking upon an enquiry as to the reliability or

genuineness or otherwise of the allegations made in the FIR

or the complaint. However, in the present case, even if the

allegations made in the FIR and the material on which the

prosecution relies, are taken at its face value, we find that

there are no sufficient grounds for proceeding against the

accused. We find that no error has been committed by the

learned Single Judge of the High Court by holding that

permitting further proceedings to continue would be an

abuse of process of law and result in miscarriage of justice.

16 The High Court has correctly applied the law on the issue

and come to a just finding warranting no interference.

19. In the result, the appeal is dismissed.

20. Pending application(s), if any, shall stand disposed of.

….........................J. (B.R. GAVAI)

….........................J. (RAJESH BINDAL)

….........................J. (SANDEEP MEHTA) NEW DELHI;

MARCH 18, 2024.

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