Allahabad High Court
RAHUL SINGH YADAVversusSTATE OF U.P. AND ANOTHER
- Decided
- Bench
- SAURABH SRIVASTAVA
Holding
Sections 420 and 406 IPC are mutually exclusive and cannot be concurrently applied to the same conduct, necessitating the quash of the cognizance order and charge‑sheet to that extent.
Summary
The applicant, Rahul Singh Yadav, filed an application under Section 528 of the CrPC seeking to quash the cognizance and summoning order and the charge‑sheet in State v. Jyoti Yadav (Case No. 6164 of 2025) which alleged offences under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 406 and 120‑B IPC. The applicant argued that Sections 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) cannot be charged together, relying on the Supreme Court’s decision in Delhi Race Club Ltd. v. State of Uttar Pradesh (2024 10 SCC 690). The State opposed the prayer but could not refute the settled legal proposition. The High Court, after examining the Supreme Court judgment, held that the two offences are mutually exclusive and therefore quashed the cognizance order and charge‑sheet insofar as the applicant is concerned, remitting the matter to the Judicial Magistrate for fresh consideration. The application was allowed in part.
Issues considered
- Whether Sections 420 and 406 of the IPC can be concurrently charged for the same set of facts.
- Whether the cognizance and summoning order and charge‑sheet should be quashed on the ground of legal incompatibility of the offences.
Legislation cited
- Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 — s. 528
- Indian Penal Code — s. 120-B, 406, 420, 467, 468, 471
Subjects
- IPC
- Section 420
- Section 406
- cheating
- criminal breach of trust
- coexistence of offences
- quash
- cognizance order
- Section 528 application
Judgment
HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD
APPLICATION U/S 528 BNSS No. - 15914 of 2026
Rahul Singh Yadav
.....Applicant(s)
Versus
State of U.P. and Another
.....Opposite
Party(s)
Counsel for Applicant(s) : Shiv Babu Dubey, Vimal Kumar
Verma
Counsel for Opposite Party(s) : G.A.
Court No. - 77
HON'BLE SAURABH SRIVASTAVA, J.
1. Heard learned counsel for applicant and learned AGA for the State.
2. Present application has been preferred with the prayer to quash the entire
proceeding of Case no. 6164 of 2025 (State vs. Jyoti Yadav and others)
arising out of Case Crime no. 02 of 2024 under sections 420, 467, 468, 471,
406, 120-B IPC, PS- Sisamau, District Kanpur Nagar and quash the
summoning order dated 1.1.2025 passed by learned Judicial Magistrate,
Court no. 8, Kanpur Nagar and charge sheet dated 24.12.2024.
3. Learned counsel appearing on behalf of applicant has challenged the
impugned chargesheet along with cognizance/summoning order and entire
proceedings of the present case precisely on the ground that Sections 420
and 406 IPC cannot go together in the same breath as per the proposition of
law settled by Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of Delhi Race Club
(1940) Ltd. and others vs. State of Uttar Pradesh and another reported in
2024 10 SCC 690. The relevant portion of the said judgment is being
reproduced hereinbelow:-
"38. In our view, the plain reading of the complaint fails to spell out any
of the aforesaid ingredients noted above. We may only say, with a view to
clear a serious misconception of law in the mind of the police as well as
the courts below, that if it is a case of the complainant that offence of
criminal breach of trust as defined under Section 405 IPC, punishable
under Section 406 IPC, is committed by the accused, then in the same
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2
breath it cannot be said that the accused has also committed the offence
of cheating as defined and explained in Section 415 IPC, punishable
under Section 420 IPC.
41. The distinction between mere breach of contract and the offence of
criminal breach of trust and cheating is a fine one. In case of cheating,
the intention of the accused at the time of inducement should be looked
into which may be judged by a subsequent conduct, but for this, the
subsequent conduct is not the sole test. Mere breach of contract cannot
give rise to a criminal prosecution for cheating unless fraudulent or
dishonest intention is shown right from the beginning of the transaction
i.e. the time when the offence is said to have been committed. Therefore, it
is this intention, which is the gist of the offence.
43. There is a distinction between criminal breach of trust and cheating.
For cheating, criminal intention is necessary at the time of making a false
or misleading representation i.e. since inception. In criminal breach of
trust, mere proof of entrustment is sufficient. Thus, in case of criminal
breach of trust, the offender is lawfully entrusted with the property, and
he dishonestly misappropriated the same. Whereas, in case of cheating,
the offender fraudulently or dishonestly induces a person by deceiving
him to deliver any property. In such a situation, both the offences cannot
co-exist simultaneously.
55. It is high time that the police officers across the country are imparted
proper training in law so as to understand the fine distinction between the
offence of cheating vis-vis criminal breach of trust. Both offences are
independent and distinct. The two offences cannot coexist simultaneously
in the same set of facts. They are antithetical to each other. The two
provisions of IPC (now BNS, 2023) are not twins that they cannot survive
without each other."
4. On the other hand, learned AGA for the State has vehemently opposed the
prayer sought through the instant application but unable to dispute the settled
proposition of law as relied upon by the learned counsel appearing for
applicants.
5. Since, only legal argument has been raised at the behest of applicant,
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process to issue notice to opposite party no. 2 is hereby dispensed with.
6. After hearing the learned counsel for the parties, going through the record
of the case and the judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court rendered in the
case of Delhi Race Club (Supra), it is crystal clear that both the sections i.e.
Sections 420 and 406 IPC cannot go in the same breath and as such without
interfering in any other merit of the present matter, cognizance/summoning
order dated 1.1.2025 passed by learned Judicial Magistrate, Court no. 8,
Kanpur Nagar in Case no. 6164 of 2025 (State vs. Jyoti Yadav and others)
arising out of Case Crime no. 02 of 2024 under sections 420, 467, 468, 471,
406, 120-B IPC, PS- Sisamau, District Kanpur Nagar, is quashed only in
respect of applicant(s) herein. Matter is hereby remitted back to learned
Judicial Magistrate, Court no. 8, Kanpur Nagar for passing fresh order of
taking cognizance of offence, if required, in light of the proposition of law
settled by Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of Delhi Race Club (supra).
7. Accordingly, the instant application stands allowed in part.
(Saurabh Srivastava,J.)
May 5, 2026
Shaswat
Digitally signed by :-
SHASWAT SINGH
High Court of Judicature at Allahabad
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