Allahabad High Court
ARVIND AND 5 OTHERSversusState of U.P. AND 4 OTHERS
- Decided
- Bench
- NAND PRABHA SHUKLA
Holding
The High Court quashed the entire criminal proceedings as the dispute was fully settled and continuation would constitute an abuse of the process of law.
Summary
The applicants filed an application under Section 482 of the CrPC seeking to quash the Sessions Trial No.240 of 2017, which involved offences under Sections 147, 148, 323, 324, 504, 506 IPC and Section 3(2)(5) of the SC/ST Act. The parties had reached a full settlement, which was verified by the Special Judge of the SC/ST Act on 16‑12‑2024, and the opposite party returned the compensation. Both the opposite party and the Additional Government Advocate consented to the quashing. The Court examined the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence on quashing criminal proceedings on the basis of compromise, particularly in cases involving the SC/ST Act and private‑nature offences. Relying on the principles laid down in Ramawatar v. State of MP, Gian Singh v. State of Punjab, Parbatbhai Ahir v. State of Gujarat and Pradeep Kumar Kesarwani v. State of UP, the High Court held that continuation of the prosecution would be an abuse of process. Consequently, the entire proceedings were quashed and the application was allowed.
Issues considered
- Whether criminal proceedings under the IPC and the SC/ST Act can be quashed on the ground of a settlement and compromise between the parties.
- Whether the offences alleged are of a private or civil nature such that they are amenable to quashing under Section 482 CrPC.
- Whether quashing would be consistent with the protective purpose of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Legislation cited
- Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 — s. 482
- Indian Penal Code — s. 147, 148, 323, 324, 504, 506
- Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 — s. 3(2)(5)
Subjects
- quash
- Section 482 CrPC
- settlement
- compromise
- SC/ST Act
- criminal procedure
- abuse of process
- non‑compoundable offences
Judgment
HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD
APPLICATION U/S 482 No. - 36695 of 2024
Arvind And 5 Others
.....Applicant(s)
Versus
State Of U.P. And 4 Others
.....Opposite
Party(s)
Counsel for Applicant(s) : Ronak Chaturvedi
Counsel for Opposite Party(s) : Abhishek Singh, G.A.
Court No. - 80
HON'BLE NAND PRABHA SHUKLA, J.
1. Heard Mr. Ronak Chaturvedi, learned counsel for the applicants, Mr.
Abhishek Singh, learned counsel for the opposite party no. 2, learned AGA
for the State and perused the record.
2. The present application U/s 482 Cr.P.C., has been filed by the applicants
with a prayer to quash the entire proceedings of Sessions Trial No.240 of
2017 (State v. Arvind and others) under Section 147, 148, 323, 324, 504,
506 IPC and 3(2)(5) of SC/ST Act, Police Station Nagal, District Bijnor
arising out of Case Crime No.89 of 2016, pending in the Court of learned
Special Judge SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Bijnor.
3. It is submitted by learned counsel for the applicants that the parties have
settled the dispute through the compromise. The parties have appeared
before the Court concerned for verification of the compromise. The said
compromise has been duly verified by the learned Special Judge SC/ST
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Bijnor, vide order dated 16.12.2024, which
also indicates that the opposite party no. 2 has returned back the
compensation amount.
4. Learned counsel for the applicants submits that the present dispute arises
out of personal discord between the applicants and the opposite party no. 2.
It is also argued that the opposite party no. 2 is not interested to pursue the
matter pending in the Court concerned and, therefore, the impugned
proceedings be quashed on the ground of compromise between the parties
and they do not propose to file the counter affidavit and rejoinder affidavit.
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5. Learned counsel for the opposite party no. 2 admits the arguments of
learned counsel for the applicants and states that he has no objection if the
impugned proceeding pending against the applicants is quashed.
6. Learned A.G.A. also does not dispute the correctness of the submissions
made by the learned counsel for both the parties.
7. Recently, the law with regard to quashing of a case on the basis of
settlement arrived between the parties, in the matters under the Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 as has
been laid down by the Apex Court in the case of Ramawatar Vs. State of
Madhya Pradesh, (2022) 13 SCC 635 decided on 25.10.2021 has held
that: "the Court has to be mindful of the fact that the 1989 Act has been enacted
keeping in view the express constitutional safeguards enumerated in Articles 15, 17
and 21 of the Constitution, with a twin-fold objective of protecting the members of
these vulnerable communities; as well as to provide relief and rehabilitation to the
victims of caste-based atrocities. However, when such offence is primarily private or
civil in nature, or where the alleged offence not committed on account of the caste of
the victim, or where the continuation of the legal proceedings would be an abuse of
the process of law, the Court can exercise its powers to quash the proceedings.
Further, in such cases, the Court ought to be even more vigilant to ensure that the
complainant-victim has entered into the compromise on the volition of his/her free will
and not on account of any duress."
8. The law with regard to quashing of a case on the basis of settlement
arrived between the parties, is well settled. The Hon'ble Supreme Court in its
Constitutional Bench Judgment in Gian Singh Vs. State of Punjab and
Another, (2012)10 SCC 303, has held that "But the criminal cases having
overwhelmingly and pre-dominatingly civil flavour stand on different footing for the
purposes of quashing, particularly the offences arising from commercial, financial,
mercantile, civil, partnership or such like transactions or the offences arising out of
matrimony relating to dowry, etc. or the family disputes where the wrong is basically
private or personal in nature and the parties have resolved their entire dispute. In this
category of cases, High Court may quash criminal proceedings if in its view, because
of the compromise between the offender and victim, the possibility of conviction is
remote and bleak and continuation of criminal case would put accused to great
oppression and prejudice and extreme injustice would be caused to him by not
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3
quashing the criminal case despite full and complete settlement and compromise with
the victim."
9. The Hon'ble Supreme Court in Parbatbhai Ahir alias Parbatbhai
Bhimsinhbhai Karmur and others vs. State of Gujara and another,
(2017) 9 SCC 641 has laid down broad principles of quashing the criminal
proceedings in exercise of inherent jurisdiction on the ground that "even in the
non compoundable cases on the basis of compromise, criminal proceedings can be
quashed so that valuable time of the court can be saved and utilized in other material
cases."
10. Both the parties have agreed to withdraw the proceedings pending
amongst them in Court concerned. From perusal of the records and the law
as cited above, the present case is a good case for exercise of power by the
Court to quash summoning order as well as entire proceedings.
11. The dispute appears to be purely of a personal nature that has been
mutually settled between the parties to their entire satisfaction, therefore, no
useful purpose would be served in allowing the prosecution to continue any
longer.
12. The present application for quashing filed under Section 482 Cr.P.C.,
comes within the parameters as laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in
Pradeep Kumar Kesarwani Vs. State of Uttar Pradesh & Another,
Criminal Appeal No. 3831 of 2025, SLP (Crl.) No. 11642 of 2019 dated
02.09.2025.
13. In view of the above, the entire proceedings of Sessions Trial No.240 of
2017 (State v. Arvind and others) under Section 147, 148, 323, 324, 504,
506 IPC and 3(2)(5) of SC/ST Act, Police Station Nagal, District Bijnor
arising out of Case Crime No.89 of 2016, pending in the Court of learned
Special Judge SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Bijnor, are hereby
quashed.
14. The present application is, accordingly, allowed.
(Nand Prabha Shukla,J.)
September 9, 2026
Aditya Tripathi
Digitally signed by :-
ADITYA TRIPATHI
High Court of Judicature at Allahabad
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