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High Court of Gujarat

JAVED MOHAMADBHAI IQBALBHAI KADRIversusSTATE OF GUJARAT

Disposal
97-DISPOSED AS TRANSFER TO DISTRICT/SESSION COURT N.I. ACT.

Holding

The appeal must be transferred to the Sessions Court as it should be pursued under the proviso of Section 372 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and Section 413 of the BNSS.

Summary

The appellant filed an appeal under Section 378 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and Section 419 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 against the trial court's acquittal on a charge under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The High Court, citing its recent decision in Shivsinh Ganpatsinh Solanki v. State of Gujarat, held that a complainant in a Section 138 case has a specific right to appeal under the proviso of Section 372 of the Code and Section 413 of the BNSS, which must be made to the Sessions Court. Consequently, the Court ordered the transfer of the appeal to the appropriate Sessions Court without examining the merits of the case. The order also directed the Registry to forward the complete case record to the lower appellate court for expedited disposal.

Issues considered

  • The appropriate forum for an appeal against an acquittal under Section 138 of the NI Act – whether the High Court can entertain the appeal under Section 378 CrPC/Section 419 BNSS or it must be filed under the proviso of Section 372 CrPC/Section 413 BNSS before the Sessions Court.

Legislation cited

Subjects

appealacquittalSection 138 NI Acttransfer of appealSessions Courtcriminal procedure

Judgment

      R/CR.A/332/2019                                   ORDER DATED: 28/04/2026




            IN THE HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT AT AHMEDABAD

      R/CRIMINAL APPEAL (AGAINST ACQUITTAL) NO. 332 of 2019

==========================================================
                    JAVED MOHAMADBHAI IQBALBHAI KADRI
                                  Versus
                         STATE OF GUJARAT & ANR.
==========================================================
Appearance:
MR KUNAL S SHAH(5282) for the Appellant(s) No. 1
MS. DIVYANGANA JHALA, APP for the Opponent(s)/Respondent(s) No. 1
RULE NOT RECD BACK for the Opponent(s)/Respondent(s) No. 2
==========================================================

 CORAM:HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE SANJEEV J.THAKER

                               Date : 28/04/2026

                                ORAL ORDER


1.              This is an acquittal appeal filed under Section 378

of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (hereinafter referred

to as ‘the Code’           for short) / under Section 419 of the

Bharatiya         Nagrik     Suraksha        Sanhita,     2023       (hereinafter

referred to as ‘BNSS’ for short) by the complainant against

the judgment and order impugned passed by the learned trial

Court, whereby the learned trial Court had acquitted the

respondent/s/accused of the charge under Section 138 of the

Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (hereinafter referred to as

the ‘NI Act’ for short).



2.              Heard learned advocate for the parties. Learned

APP     has      submitted    that    this     matter   is   required       to    be

transferred in view of the recent                  decision of this Court



                                     Page 1 of 3
     R/CR.A/332/2019                                         ORDER DATED: 28/04/2026




passed in Criminal Misc. Application No.12753 of 2019 with

Criminal Misc. Application No.12908 of 2019.



3.               Before entering into the merits of this case, this

Court deems it proper to refer to the latest decision rendered

by this Court in the case of Shivsinh Ganpatsinh Solanki V/s

State      of    Gujarat        &    Anr.       being   Criminal      Miscellaneous
Application Nos. 12753 of 2019 with 12908 of 2019 on
23.12.2025, wherein, after considering the various judgments
of   the        Hon’ble       Supreme          Court,   more     particularly,         the

judgment         in    the     matter     of    M/s Celestium Financial V/s
A.Gyanasekaran               etc.   reported       in   2025    INSC        804,       has

observed and held that the Complainant, in a complaint

under Section 138 of the N.I. Act, being a Victim, has a

specific right to appeal under proviso of Section 372 of the

Code / Section 413 of the BNSS to the Court which is

immediately superior in hierarchy i.e., the Sessions Court.

Therefore, the applications for leave to appeal/appeal(s) which

are pending before this Court can be disposed of with a

direction       to     transfer     the    said     application/appeal(s)       to     the

concerned Sessions Court.


4.               In view of the above, learned advocate for the

petitioner requested to transfer the appeal to the concerned

Sessions Court.



                                          Page 2 of 3
       R/CR.A/332/2019                                                   ORDER DATED: 28/04/2026




5.                  In     view     of     the      said       request,         this      appeal         is

disposed of with a direction to the Registry to transfer the

appeal         to        the     concerned          Sessions          Court.         After        it     is

transferred to the concerned Sessions Court, it has to be

treated as an Appeal under the proviso under Section 372 of

the Code / Section 413 of BNSS and numbered accordingly.

The Registry is directed to transfer the entire record of the

case, including the certified copies of the order impugned and

record       &      proceedings,           if    lying        with     this      Court,        to      the

concerned lower Appellate Court, forthwith.


6.                  Considering that the matter has been pending for

considerable             time,     the      learned           lower     Appellate           Court        is

required to make endeavour to dispose of the matter as

expeditiously as possible. It is clarified that this Court has

not gone into the merits of the matter at this stage.




                                                                       (SANJEEV J.THAKER,J)
ADITYA SINGH

 Original copy of this order has been signed by the Hon'ble Judge.
 Digitally signed by: ADITYA SINGH(HC02376), ENGLISH STENO GRADE-II\, at High Court of Gujarat on 28/04/2026 16:29:00




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