LAW OFFICE ONLINE

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973; S. 340 ----- What are necessary conditions for initiation of proceeding under section 340 Cr.P.C. ----- Held: The mere fact that a person has made a contradictory statement in a judicial proceeding is not by itself always sufficient to justify a prosecution under Sections 199 and 200 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860) (hereinafter referred to as “the IPC”); but it must be shown that the defendant has intentionally given a false statement at any stage of the judicial proceedings or fabricated false evidence for the purpose of using the same at any stage of the judicial proceedings. Even after the above position has emerged also, still the court has to form an opinion that it is expedient in the interests of justice to initiate an inquiry into the offences of false evidence and offences against public justice and more specifically referred in Section 340(1) of the CrPC, having regard to the overall factual matrix as well as the probable consequences of such a 6 Page 7 prosecution.

Code of Civil Procedure, 1908; O. 7 R. 11 – What to consider while Rejection of plaint – Held: Court is required to consider the pleadings made out in the plaint itself and the annexures thereto for ascertaining as to whether the plaint is liable to be rejected on any of the grounds as mentioned therein -- Court cannot consider any other document and/or material beyond the pleadings made out in the plaint and/or annexures thereto.

Code of Civil Procedure, 1908; O. 7 R. 11 – Whether the plaint as a whole can be rejected when part of the plaintiff’s claim can be adjudicated upon by the Civil Court -- Absence of independent cause of made the plaint liable to be rejected in whole.

West Bengal Cooperative Societies Act, 2006; S. 102 -- Suit challenging wrongful termination of the building contract -- Whether the plaint is liable to be rejected as it is barred under the provision contained in Section 102 of the West Bengal Cooperative Societies Act, 2006 – In absence of any contradiction it can be assumed that the business of housing co-operative society is of constructing dwelling units for its members -- the dispute between the plaintiff and the Cooperative Society concerns the business of the said Cooperative Society and it relates to the affairs of the said Cooperative Society and such dispute is a dispute within the meaning of the dispute under Section 4(25) of the West Bengal Cooperative Societies Act, 2006 which is capable of resolution by the Registrar as per the provision of Section 102 of the said Act -- the Civil Court as per the provision of Section 102 (4) of the said Act.

Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005; -- Whether limitation in filing the complaint under the DV Act, 2005 is one year – Held: In case of subsisting relatiohship of husband and wife, there is no limitation. Meaning thereby that the complaint under the D.V. Act, can be filed at any time as the physcical and mental harassment within the family is a continuing offence.

Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005; -- Whether complaint under D.V.Act, is maintainable where a case under Section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code is already pending? – Held: It is held that both proceedings are of different nature and can be filed separately. In this case the proceedings under the D.V Act, can continue on the same set of facts of a case under Section 406, 498-A IPC.

West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955 ----- Recording of Barga ---- Held that in order to establish bargadar in the land of another person, the Bargadar must prove the following : -
1. that he himself is cultivating land from his own sources;
2. that he shares crops with the land owner, in the proportion provided in the Act and such factum of sharing of crops must be established by documentary evidence, namely receipt;
3. that in case of refusal to accept the share crops by the land owner, he must deposit the same to the credit of the land owner with the concerned Block Land and Land Reforms Officer and obtain a receipt;
4. that in case of refusal to grant receipt against tendering of share crops, the bargadar has to lodge a complaint before the Magistrate under Section 19A (2A) of the West Bengal Land Reforms Act.

West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955. S. 19A (2A) ----- Lodging of complaint ----- Held: therein that lodging of such complaint, prima facie establishes the fact of refusal to grant receipt as Section 19A (2A) of the West Bengal land Reforms Act provides that refusal to grant receipt is a punishable offence and the same is cognizable also. Therefore, the importance of issuance of receipt is well‐understood.

West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955; S. 18 ----- Recording of Barga ---- Standard of proof ----- Held: though laws of evidence is not strictly applied in such proceeding but the basic facts regarding cultivation of the petitioners’ land by the respondent No.7 and sharing of produce between them in the same proportion as mentioned in the said Act arerequired to be proved by substantive evidence.

West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955; S. 18 ------ Refusal by landowner to accept the share of produce ---- Duty cast upon claimed Barga ----- He should intimate the B.L. & L.R.O. and must deposit the share of crop with the Revenue Officer against receipt ----- Issuance of notice to the Land owners regarding deposit of such share of crops ----- Intimation given to the Pradhan about the refusal to accept the share of the produce by the petitioner, cannot be regarded as due compliance of the provision contained in Section 18 of the West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955

West Bengal Estate Acquisition Act, 1953; S. 5A ---
West Bengal Land Reforms and Tenancy Tribunal Act, 1997 –
West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1956 – Revenue Officer hold that the transfer made by Sarat Chandra Ghosh, by way of family settlement to his sons, was not bona fide -- The petitioners approached the tribunal by filing a Miscellaneous Application for securing the compliance of the direction of the Civil Court -- The tribunal, dictated the petitioners to prefer appeal before the appellate authority holding that the order under Section 5A of the West Bengal Estate Acquisition Act, 1953 has been appealable -- in a suit, in which State of West Bengal was a party, the title of these petitioners was declared and their possession was confirmed -- The State of West Bengal and, naturally, its men, agents and employees were restrained from giving effect to the order dated January 14, 1969 disposing of the proceeding under Section 5A of the West Bengal Estate Acquisition Act, 1953 -- Held: there was no escape from not complying with the directions passed by the competent civil court -- The settlement records of right are not the documents of title -- Therefore, it must yield to the decree of the civil court.

Indian Succession Act, 1925; Ss. 281, 282 -- Whether execution of will in English can be doubted on ground that testator was not knowing English language ----- Held: The lack of knowledge of English even if can be attributed to the testator would not fundamentally alter the 14 Page 15 situation inasmuch as before registration of the Will the contents thereof can be understood to have been explained to the testator or ascertained from her by the Sub Registrar, who had deposed that such a practice is normally adhered to.

Indian Succession Act, 1925; -- Loss of original Will ----- Held: The stand of the plaintiff that the original Will was lost while in the custody of her mother and her knowledge of such loss on the day of her mother’s death cannot be disbelieved merely because no report in this regard was lodged before the police.

Code of Civil Procedure,1908 ; Order XIII, Rule 3 –
Indian Stamp Act, 1899 : Art. 45, Sec. 35 –
Indian Registration Act, 1908; Sec.17,49 –
Hindu Succession Act, 1955 –
Civil Procedure Code, 1908; Order VII Rule 11—Difference between Memorandum of family settlement and Family Settlement – the alleged memorandum of family settlement divided the entire property between plaintiff and defendant and there is relinquishment of the rights of other heirs of the properties and as such it is Family Settlement and not memo (Para 11) – memo does not create any right -- the document was compulsorily registrable under Section 17 of the Registration Act as there was relinquishment of share – it should be stamped in proper manner as specified in the Indian Stamp Act – document also being not stamped could not have been accepted in evidence (Para 13) -- whether the said document could have been accepted by the trial court in evidence or not -- whether the said unregistered and properly not stamped document which was inadmissible in evidence could have been used for any collateral purpose -- Held: the same are not admissible in evidence for the purpose of proving primary purpose of partition – unstampped instrument is not admissible in evidence even for collateral purpose, until the same is impounded by paying stamp with penalty.

Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881; S. 138/147 ----- Compounding of offence punishable under section 138 N. I. Act ----- Guidelines given by the Apex Court for settlement of the offence ----

THE GUIDELINES
(i) In the circumstances, it is proposed as follows:
(a) That directions can be given that the Writ of Summons be suitably modified making it clear to the accused that he could make an application for compounding of the offences at the first or second hearing of the case and that if such an application is made, compounding may be allowed by the court without imposing any costs on the accused.
(b) If the accused does not make an application for compounding as aforesaid, then if an application for compounding is made before the Magistrate at a
subsequent stage, compounding can be allowed subject to the condition that the accused will be required to pay 10% of the cheque amount to be deposited as a condition for compounding with the Legal Services Authority, or such authority as the Court deems fit.
(c) Similarly, if the application for compounding is made before the Sessions Court or a High Court in revision or appeal, such compounding may be allowed on the condition that the accused pays 15% of the cheque amount by way of costs.
(d) Finally, if the application for compounding is made before the Supreme Court, the figure would increase to 20% of the cheque amount.
 

Anti Suit Injunction -- An anti-suit injunction is a judicial order restraining one party from prosecuting a case in another court outside its jurisdiction. The principles governing grant of injunction are common to that of granting anti-suit injunction. The cases of injunction are basically governed by the doctrine of equity. It is a well-settled law that the courts in India have power to issue anti-suit injunction to a party over whom it has personal jurisdiction, in an appropriate case.

Hindu Marriage Act, 1955; S. 13 -- It is a well-settled law that the courts in India have power to issue anti-suit injunction to a party over whom it has personal jurisdiction, in an appropriate case.

Writ Petition -- Minor rape victim prayed for termination of pregnancy – Held: we feel that the ends of justice will be met by issuing following directions to the opposite parties:-
(1)We direct and allow the Child Welfare Committee of District Lucknow to take over the cause of adoption of the child born to "A" on 26th October, 2015, who is presently in the care of Paediatrics Department of King George's Medical University, Lucknow. The Department shall handover the child as and when the doctors find that the child is medically fit to be handed over to the committee. The committee shall, thereafter, act in the manner provided in the judgment. The Member Secretary of the State Legal Services Authority in consultation with the amicus curiae shall supervise the process of adoption.

(2)As soon as "A" regains her mental balance and equilibrium, she will be allowed admission in a proper class in an appropriate school. The first and foremost preference should be given to any Kasturba Gandhi Girls' School. These are residential schools in which girls are allowed to stay and taken care of completely. They are given food, shelter, books, uniforms and matterial for recreation also. If "A" or her parents approach the authorities of Kasturba Gandhi Residential School of her choice, admission should be allowed to her. If an application is made to the Basic Shiksha Adhikari of the District it shall be his duty to ensure admission of "A" in one of the best run schools of Kasturba Gandhi Residential Schools of the District.

(3)If "A" chooses not to go to residential school then a Government Girls' Inter College of her choice will allow her admission without insisting on any entrance examination or the criteria of selection on merit basis. The State Government should ensure that education is provided free of costs to "A". She will be allowed full freeship of fees and other charges whatsoever.

(4)It shall be the duty of the Principal of the college concerned to ensure that the teachers of the college, staff and the students do not discriminate her in any manner. All possible mental, moral and psychological help should be given by the teachers to help her gain strength to face the challenges of life. The principal should also ensure that the past life of "A" is not propagated and she is treated as another normal student of the school.

(5)If "A" wants to continue her studies after 10+2 Standard (Intermediate), admission should be given to her in any government degree college with full free ship of fee. This will continue till graduation.

(6)In addition to payment of Rs.3,00,000/- as compensation under Rani Lakshmi Bai Mahila Samman Kosh Rules, 2015, the State Government shall make a fixed deposit of a sum of Rs.10,00,000/- (Rupees Ten lacs) in favour of "A" in any nationalized bank which will be given to her only when she reaches the age of 21 years. The District Magistrate of the District where the family of "A" chooses to live henceforth will ensure that bank account is opened in the name of "A" in any nationalized bank, chosen by her father. It is made clear that at the maturity of the aforesaid fixed deposit, only "A" will be entitled to get the money.

(7)Superintendent of Police of the District where "A" and her family choose to reside will ensure the safety, security and dignity of the family. No one from the society should be allowed to degrade, discriminate or excommunicate the victim or her family on the ground of unfortunate incident of rape.

(8)If "A" applies for any apprenticeship in any available scheme or in any vocational course of any Government department or any other instrumentality of the State, preference should be given to her in such matters.

(9)After attaining the age of majority, some suitable job be also provided to her according to her ability / qualifications. Such security of job is the surest way of bringing her up in the main stream once again. When occasion arises the petitioner shall have the liberty of moving an application to the Chief Secretary of the State to ensure that a suitable job is provided to her.

(10)The N.G.O.s or any other agency which wants to help the victim and her family in any manner, will be welcome to do so and earn the appreciation of this Court as well as of the society in general.