The State of Bihar v. Ram Naresh Pandey

S.C.R. SUPREME COURT REPORTS 279 not think that that is the proper procedure to adopt and we therefore · allow the appeal, and remand this matter to the High Court to act in accord.ance with the provisions of s. 307(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure and deal with the same in accordance with law. The appellants will continue on the same bail as before. _Appeal allowed._ THE STATE OF BIHAR _tJ._ RAM NARESH PANDEY _(With_ _Connected Appeal)_ [JAGANNADHADAS, JAFER lMMAM and GovINDA #### MENON JJ.] _c,.iminal_ _latl'-Proseetttion-Application_ _for_ _withdrawal_ _by_ _Pubiic Prosecutor-Consent_ _of_ _Court-Ftmdio11 of the_ _Court in_ _giving such consent--Case_ _t1·iable_ _by a Court of_ _Session-Whether_ _appiic111io11_ _for_ _ll'ithdrawal does not lie in the committal_ _stage-_ _'Tria/',_ _'judgment', Meaning_ _of-Code_ _of_ _Criminal Procedure,_ _1898_ _(.let_ _V_ _of_ _1898),_ _s._ _494._ Hy s .. 494 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898: "Any Public Prosecutor may; with the consent of the Court, in cases tried by jury before the return of the Ye1dict, and in other cases before the judgment i~ pronounced, withdraw from the prosecution _o(_ any person either generally or in respect of any one or more of the offences for which he is tried ; and upon such withdrawal.-( a) if it is made before a charge has been framed, the accused shall be discharged in respect of such offence or offences ; (h) if it is made after a charge h1s been framed. or when under this Code no charge is required, he shall be acquitted in respect of such offence or offences." The prosecution of M. and others was bunched on the first information of the first respondent, and when the matter was pending before the Magistrate in the committal stage and before any evidence was actually taken, an application for the withdrawal of M. from the prosecution wa.s made by the Public Prosecutor under s. 494 of the Code of Criminal Procedure on the ground that "on the evidence aYailable it would not be just and expedient to proceed with the prosecution of M.'' The Magistrate was of the opinion tha~ there Was no reason to withhold the consent that was applied for and accordingly he discharged the accused. This order was upheld by the Sessions Judge, but on 4-100 S. C. lndia/59 1957 #### 1- _Ratan_ _Rai_ v. _State_ _of Bihar_ _Bhagwatij._ 1957 _January_ 31. 1957 _Tiu Stat•_ _of Bihar_ v. _Ram Nartsh Pandt)'_ 280 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1957] rcv1sron, filed· by the respondents, the High Court set aside the order and directed the Magistrate to record the evidence and then consider whether it establishe:d a _prima facie_ case against the accused. The State appealed against the order of the High Court by special leave, while the respondents sought to support the order on the grounds ( l) that where the application for withdrawal of the prosecution is made on the ground of no evidence or no adequate or reliable evidence the Magistrate must hold a preliminary enguiry into the relevant evidence, and (2) that in a case tried by jury by a Court of Session, an application by the Public Prosecutor under s. _594_ of the Code does not lie in the committal stage. _Held_ : ( l) Though the function of the Court in giving the consent under s. 594 of the Code is a judicial one, it is not neces~ sary that the discretion is to be exercised only with reference to 1naterial gathered by the judicial 1nethod, and what the Court has to do is to satisfy itself that the executive function of the Public Prosecutor in applying for withdrawal of the prosecution has not been improperly exercised, or that it is not an attempt to inter~ fere with the nonnal course of justice for illegitimate reasons or purposes. (2) The word "tried" in s. 494 of the Code is not used in any limited sense and the section is wide enough 'to cover every kind of inquiry and trial, and applicable to all cases which are capable of terminating either in a discharge or in an acquittal according to the stage at which the application for withdrawal is made. An order of committal which terminates the proceeding so far as the inquiring Court is concerned is a "judgment" within the meaning of s. 494 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. _Giribala_ _Dasu_ v. _Mad<1·_ _Gazi,_ {1932) I.L.R. 60 Cal. 233, and _Viswanadham_ v. _Madan Singh,_ I.L.R. (1949) Mad. 64, approved. CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISD!crION: Criminal Appeals Nos. 53 and 54 of 1956. Appe~ls by special leave from the judgment and order dated May 31, 1955, of the Patna High Court in Criminal Revision No. 102 of 1955, arising out of the judgment and order dated January 10, 1955, of the Court of the Sessions Judge of Manbhum-Singhbhum of Purulia in Criminal Revision No. 43 of 1954. _Mahabir_ _Prasad,_ _Advocate-General_ _of_ _Bih11r,_ _T arakesh-_ _111ar_ _Nath_ and _S._ _P._ _Verma,_ for the appellant in Appeal No. 53 and for respondent No. 3 in Appeal No. 54. S.C.R. SUPREME COURT REPORTS 281 _H._ /. _Umrigar_ and _A._ _G._ _Ratnaparkhi,_ for the appellant in Appeal No. 54. _Jai_ _Gopal_ _Sethi_ and _Govind_ _Saran_ _Singh,_ for the respondents in Appeal No. 53 and for respondents Nos. 1 and 2 in Appeal No. 54. 1957. January 31. The Judgment of the Court was delivered by ]AGANNADHADAS J.-These appeals arise out of an order of discharge passed by the Subordinate JudgeMagistrate of Dhanbad under s. 494 of the Code of Criminal Procedure on his consenting to the withdrawal of the Public Prosecutor from a prosecution pending before him in so far as it was against the appellant Mahesh Desai, one of the accused therein. The prosecution wa~ launched on the first information of one Ram Naresh Pandey as against 28 persons about the commission of the murder of one Nand Kumar Chaubey, a peon of a colliery in Bagdigi, committed in the course of a serious riot on February 20, 1954. This was said to have resulted from differences between two rival labour-unions in connection with a strike. The prosecution as against most of the other persons is under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including _s._ 302, on the ground of their actual participation iu the commission of the murder. But as against the appellant, Mahesh Desai, it is only under s. 302/109 of the Indian Penal Code, the part ascribed to him in the first information report being that he abetted the murder by reason of certain speeches and exhortations at meetings or group-talks the day previous to the murder. The application for withdrawal as against the appellant was made on December 6, 1954, when the matter was pending before the Magistrate in the committal stage and before any evidence was actually taken. It was made by the Public Prosecutor on the ground that "on the evidence available it would _not_ be just and expedient to proceed with the prosecution of Sri Mahesh Desai and that therefore it was necessary _to_ withdraw the case against Sri Mahesh Desai only". It was elicited in the course of the arguments before the learned Magistrate that the position of the Public 1957 _Th• State_ _of Bihar_ v. _Ram N aresh_ _Pant!ey_ 1957 _**The**_ _**State**_ _**of Bihar**_ v. _**Ram**_ _**NartJh**_ _**Pandey**_ _**JagnnaJhadas**_ _**J.**_ 282 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1957j Prosecutor was, that the evidence regarding the complicity of this accused was meagre and that there was only a single item of evidence of a dubious nature against him which was not likely to establish a _prima_ _facie_ case. The learned Magistrate dealt with the matter in a fairly reasoned order and was of the opinion that there was no reason to withhold the consent that was applied for. He accordingly dis,harged the accused. That order was upheld by the learned Sessions Judge on a revision petition against it filed jointly by the first informant in the case and by the widow of the murdered person. These private parties pursued the matter further and applied to the High Court in revision. The iearned Chief Justice who dealt with it was of the opinion that the consent should not have been granted. Accordingly, .he set it aside. The learned Chief Justice recognised that normally in a matter of this kind the High Court should not interfere. But he felt called upon to set aside the order on the ground. that "there was no judicial exercise of discretion in the present case." He, therfore, directed that the Magistrate should record the evidence and then consider whether it establishes a _prima_ _facie_ case against the appellant, Mahesh Desai. The AdvocateGeneral of the State has come up before this Court against the order' of the learned Chief Justice. Leave was granted because it was urged that the view taken by the learned Chief Justice was based on an erroneous appreciation of - the legally permissible approach in a matter of this kind and that the decision of the learned Chief Justice was likely to have repercussions in the State beyond what was involved in the particular case. The aggrieved party, Mahesh Desai, also has come· up by special leave and both these appeals are disposed of by this judgment. The question of law involved may be gathered from the following extracts from the learned Chief Justice's judgment. ' "This is not a case where there is no evidence ; on the contrary, this is a case where there is evidence which requires judicial consideration ........ The procedure which the learned Special Magistrate followed was S.C.R. SUPREME COURT REPORTS 283 tantamount to considering the sufficiency or otherwise of evidence before the evidence has been heard ....... . The function of the Court would be surrendered to the Public Prosecutor. I do not think that s. 494 of the Code of Criminal Procedure justifies such a procedure." 1957 _The_ _State of Bihar_ v. _Ram N aresh_ _Pandty_ _Jagannadhadas_ J. The legal question that arises from the above . is whether where an application for withdrawal under s. 494 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is made on the ground . of insufficiency or meagreness of reliable evidence that is available, it is an improper exercise of discretion for the Court to grant consent before evidence is taken, if it was reasonably satisfied. otherwise, that the evidence, if actually taken, is not likely to result in conviction. Section 494 of the Code of Criminal Procedure runs as follows :, "Any Publi0 Prosecutor may, with the consent of the Court, in cases tried by jury before the return of the verdict, and in other cases before the judgment is pronounced, withdraw from the prosecution of any person either generally· or in respect of any .one or more of the,c 1ffences for which he is tried ; and upon such withdrawal,( a) if it is made before a charge has been framed, the accused shall be discharged in respect of such offence •>r offences ; (b) if it is made after a charge has been framed, or when under this Code no charge is required, he shall be acquitted in respect of such offence or offences". The section is an enabling one and vests in the Public Prosecutor the discretion to apply to the Court for its consent to withdraw from the prosecution of any person. The consent, if granted, has to be followed up by his discharge or acquittal, as the case may be. The section gives no indication as to the grounds on which the Public Prosecutor may make thr. application, or. the considerations on which the Court is to grant its consent. There can be no doubt, however, that the resultant order, on the granting of the consent, being an order of 'discharge' or 'acquittal', **would** :.ttract the applicability of correction by the 1957 _**The**_ _**State**_ _**of**_ _**Bihar**_ _v._ _**Ram N are sh**_ _**Pandey**_ _**Jagannadhadas**_ _**j ..**_ 284 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1957} High Court under ss. 435, 436 and 439 or 417 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The function of the Court, therefore, in granting its consent may well be taken to be a judicial function. It follows that in granting the consent the Court must exercise a judicial discretion. But it does not follow that the discretion is to be exercised only with reference to material gathered by the judicial method. Otherwise the apparently wide language of s. 494 would become considerably narrowed down in its application .. In understanding and applying the section, two main features thereof have to be kept in mind. The initiative is that of the Public Prostcutor and what the Court has to do is only to give its _consent_ and not _to_ _determine_ any matter _judicially._ As the Privy Council has pointed out in _Bawa Faqir Singh_ v. _The_ _King Emperor( '),_ "It (section 494 of the Code of Criminal Procedure) gives a general executive discretion (to the Public Prosecutor) to withdraw from the prosecution subject to the consent of the Court, which may be determined on many possible grounds." The judicial function, therefore, implicit in the exercise of the judicial discretion for granting the consent would normally mean that the Court has to satisfy itself that the executive function of the Public Prosecutor has not been improperly exercised, or that it is not an attempt to interfere with the normal course of justice for illegitimate reasons .,,.or purposes. In this context it is right to remember th.at the Public Prosecutor (though an executive officer. as stated by the Privy Council in _Bawa Faqir Singh_ v. _The King_ _Emperor('_ ) is, in a larger sense, also an officer of the Court and that he is bound to assist the Court with _his_ fairly-considered view and the Co\)rt is entitled to have the benefit of the fair exercise of _his_ function. It has also to be appreciated that in tlu&; .1:ountry the scheme of the administration of criminal justice is that the primary responsibility of prosecuting serious offences (which are classified as cognizable offences) is on the executive authorities. Once information of the commission of any such offence reaches the constituted (1) (1938) L.R. 65 I.A. 388, 395· S.C.R. SUPREME COURT REPORTS 285 authorities, the investigation, including collection of the requisite evidence, and the prosecution for the offence with reference to such evidence, are the functions of the executive. But the Magistrate also has his allotted functions in the course of these stages. For instance, in the course of investigation, a person arrested must be brought before him within 24 hours (s. 61 of the Code of Criminal Procedure). Continuance of the arrested person in detention for purposes of investigation from time to time . has to be authorised by him (s. 167). A search can be conducted on the issue of warrant by him (s. 96). Statements of witnesses and confessions may be recorded by him (s. 164). In an appropriate case he can order investigation or further investigation (ss. 155(2) and 202). In all these matters he exercises discretionary functions in respect of which the initiative is that of the executive but the responsibility is his. His discretion in such matters has necessarily to be exercised with reference to such material as is by then available and is not a _prima_ ### f acie judicial determination of any specific issue. The Magistrate's functions in these matters are not only supplementary, at a higher level, to those of the executive but are intended to prevent abuse. Section 494 requiring the consent of the Court for withdrawal by the Public Prosecutor is more in line with this scheme, than with the provisions of the Code relating to inquiries and trials by Court. It cannot be taken to place on the Court the responsibility for a _prima_ _facie_ determination of a triable issue. For instance the discharge that results therefrom need not alwavs conform to the standard of "no _prim a f acie_ case" under ss. 209(0 and 253(1) or of "groundlessness" under ss. 209(2) and 253(2). This is not to say that a consent is to be lightly given on the application of the . Public Prosecutor, without a careful and proper scrutmy of the grounds on which the application for consent is made. A large number of cases from the various High Courts have been cited before us. We have carefully gone through them. All of them recognise that the 1957 _T_ _ht_ _State_ _of Bihar_ v. _Ram_ _Naresh_ _Pandey_ _J_ _agannadhadas_ _J._ 1957 _**T ht State of iJihar**_ v. _**Ram ]'{ aresh**_ _**P«ndey**_ _,]agannadlj_adas_ _)_ ~ 286 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1957] function of the Magistrate in giving consent is a judicial one open to correction. But in some of them there is no sufficient appreciation of the respective pos1t10ns of the Public Prosecutor and the Court, in the discharge of their functions under s. 494 as we conceive them to be. There is, however, .a general concurrence-c-at least in the later cases-that the application for consent may legitimately be made by the Public Prosecutor for reasons not confined to the judicial prospects of the prosecution. [See _The_ _King_ v. _Moule_ _Bux_ ( [1] ) _and_ _The_ _King_ v. _Parmanand(').J_ If so, it is clear that, what the Court has to determine, for the exercise cif its discretion in granting or withholding consent, is not a triable issue on judicial evidence. Learned counsel for the respondents has strenuously urged before us that while this may be so where the consent is applied for on other grounds, or for .other reasons, the position would not be the same, where the application for consent is made on the ground of Ho evidence or no adequate or reliable evidence. It is urged that in such a case; the Court c.an exercise its judicial function, only with reference to judicially recorded evidence as in one or other of the appropriate situations contemplated by the Code for judicial inquiry or trial. If this argument means anything it must mean that in such a situation the Court before granting consent must hold a kind of preliminary inquiry into the relevant evidence in much the same way as, for instance, when a Magistrate acting under s. 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure may direct or it must mean that no consent · can at all be given on such a ground and that the Court must proceed with the prosecution, and either discharge or acquit under one or other of the other sections in the Code enabling thereunto. It appears to us that this would be engrafting on the wide terms of _s._ 494 an exception or a proviso limited to such a ·case. In our ·opinion, this would not be a permissible construction of the section. We are, therefore, unable, with grc~t respect, to subscribe to the view taken by the learned Chief (1) A.LR. 1949 Pat. •33 (F.B.). (o) A.LR. 1949 Pat. ••>, 226 (II. B.). #### " #### S.C.R. SUPREME COURT REPORTS 287 Justice whose judgment is under appeal, that where the application is on · · the ground of inadequacy of ev.idence requiring judicial consideration, . it would .. be manifestly improper for the Court to consent to withdrawal before · recording the evidence and taking it into . consideration. . We are · not to be understood, however, as implying that such evidence as may already have byen recorded by the time .the application is made · is not to be looked into and considered in such cases, in order tci determine the impropriety of the withdrawal as amounting to abuse or an improper iP.terference with the normal eourse of justice. Learned counsel for the respondents has raised a fresh point before . us for maintaining the order of the High Court setting aside the discharge of the appellant by the Magistrate. The po;nt being purely one of law, we have allowed it to be argued. His contention is that in a case triable by a Court of Session,. an application by the Public· Prosecutor for withdrawal with the consent of the Court does not lie in the committal stage. He lays . emphasis on the wording of s. 494 which says that "in .. cases _tried_ by jury, any Public Prosecutor may, with the consent of the Court, withdraw from · the prosecution of any person before the return of the verdict." This, according to him, clearly implies that such withdrawal cannot be made until the case reaches the trial stage in the Sessions Court. He also relies on the further phrase 'in the section "either generally 01 in respect of any one or more of the offences for which he is _tried."_ The use of the word 'tried' in this phrase confirms, according to him, the contention that it is only when the case reaches the stage of trial that s. 494 can be availed of. He <!raws our attention to a passage in Ar.chbold's Criminal Pleading, Evidence and Practice (32nd Ed.), pp. 108, 109, s. 12, that "a _no/le prosequi_ to stay proceedings upon an indictment or information pending in any Court may be entered, by leave of the AttorneyGeneral, at the instance of either the prosecutor or the defendant, at any time after the bill of indictment is ·si~ne?, and before judgment." He urges that it is this prmc1ple that has been recognised in the first portion 1957 _The_ _State of_ _Bihar_ v. _RamNaresh Pandey_ _Jagannad,hadas_ _J._ 1957 _**The**_ _**State of**_ _**Bihar**_ v. _**Ram N art sh**_ _**Pantle**_ _**Jagannadhatfas**_ _**J.**_ 288 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1957] ### of s. 494 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. It appears to us that the analogy of the English practice would be misleading as an aid to the construction of s. 494. The scheme of our Criminal Procedure Code is substantially different. The provmon corresponding to the power of the Attorney-General to enter _nollr_ _prosequi_ is s. 333 of the Code of Criminal Procedure· which refers to jury trials in High Court. The procedure under s. 494 does not correspond to it. Thephrase "in other cases before the judgment is pro-· nounced" in s. 494 would, in the context,· clearly apply to all cases other than those tried by jury. Now, there can be no doubt that at least as regards these other cases, when the consent for withdrawal is given by the Court, the result is either a discharge or an acquittal, according to the stage to which that case has reached, having regard to the two alternatives (a) and (b) of s. 494 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. It follows that at least in every class of cases other than those tried by jury, the withdrawal .can be at any stage of the entire proceedings. This would include also the stage of preliminary inquiry in a Sessions case triable _without_ a jury. But if the argument of the learned counsel for the respondents is accepted, that power cannot be exercised at the preliminary inquiry stage, only as regards cases which must lead to a jury trial. We can find no conceivable reason for any such discrimination 'having been intended and prescribed by the Code. We · are unable to construe s. 494 as involving any such limitation. The wording is perfectly wide and general and would apply to all classes of cases which are capable of terminating either in a discharge or in an acquitt~l, according to the stage at which the section is invoked. The whole argument of the learned counsel is based upon the use of the word 'tried' and he emphasises the well-known distinction between 'inquiry' and 'trial' in the scheme of the Code. Our attention has also been drawn to the definition of the word 'inquiry' in s. 4 (k) of the Code which runs as· follows: " 'Inquiry' includes every inquiry other than a trial conducted under this Code by a Magistrate or Court." S.C.R. SUPREME COURT REPORTS 289 There is hardly anything in this definition which throws light, on the question whether the word 'trial' is used in the relevant section in a limited sense as excluding an inquiry. The word 'trial' is not defined in the code. 'Trial' according to Stroud's Judicial Dictionary means "the conclusion, by a competent tribunal, of questions in issue in legal proceedings, whether civil or criminal" (1 ) and according to Wharton's Law Lexicon means "the hearing of a cause, civil or criminal, before a judge who has jurisdiction over it, according to the laws of the land"(!). The words 'tried' and 'trial' appear to have no fixed or universal meaning. No doubt, in quite a number of sections in thr Code to which our attention has been drawn the words 'tried' and 'trial' have been used in the sense of reference to a stage after the inq~y. That meaning attaches to the words in those sections having regard to the context in which they are used. There is no reason why where these words are used in another context in the Code, they should necessarily be limited in their connotation and significance. They are words which must be considered with regard to the particular context in which they are used and with regard to the scheme and purpose of the provision- under consideration. An argument has also been advanced by the learned Counsel for the respondents before us. by referring to the word "judgment" in the phrase "in other cases before the judgment is pronounced" in s. 494 as indicating that the phrase "in other cases" .can refer only to proceedings which end in a regular judgment and not in any interim order like commitment. Here- again the ,diffi-:ulty in the way of the contention of the learned couns~x being accepted, is that the word "judgment" is not de#ned. It is a word of general import and means on h "jun~cial determination or decision of a Court". (Sre Whaf.t;on's Law Lexicon, 14th Ed., p. 545). There is no reason to think in the context of this section that it is not applicable to an order of committal whi~h terminates the proceeding so far as the inquiring Court 11) Stroud'sjudicial'D,ictionary, 3rd Ed. Vol. 4, p. 3ogi. fa.i V."harton's Law Lexicon, 14th Ed., p. 1011. 1957 _T ht_ _tale_ _if_ _Bi har_ v. _Ram_ _Nartsh_ _Pandty_ _Jagannadhadas_ _J._ 1957 _**Tht**_ _**State**_ _**of Bihar**_ v. _**Ram**_ _**JYaresh**_ _Pande_y_ _Jagannadhadas_ _]._ 290 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1957] is concerned. It may be, that in the context of Chapter XXVI of the Code 'judgment' may have a limited meaning. In any view, even if 'judgment' in this context is to be understood in a limited sense, it does not follow that an application during preliminary inquiry-which is necessarily prior to judgment in the trial-is excluded. The history of s. 494 of the present Code of Criminal Procedure (Act V of 1898) confirms the above view. The provision for withdrawal by the Public Prosecutor with the consent of the Court appears, for the first rime, in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1872 (Act X of 1872) as s. 61 thereof and runs as follows : "The public prosecutor may, with the consent of the Court, withdraw any charge against any person in any case of which he is in charge ; and upon such withdrawal, if it is made whilst the case is under inquiry, the accused person shall be discharged. · If it is made when he is under trial, the accused person shall be acquitted." In the next Code of 1882 (Act X of 1882) this appears as s. 494 thereof and runs as follows : "Any Public Prosecutor appointed by the Governor-General in Council or the Local Government may, with the consent of the Courts, in cases tried by jury before the return of the verdict, and in other cases before the judgment is pronounced, withdraw from the prosecution of any person ; and, upon such withdrawal, (a) if it is made before a charge has been framed, the accused shall be discharged ; ( b) if it is made after a charge has been framed, or when under this Code no charge is required, he shall be acquitted." It may be noticed that there has been a complete redrafting of the section which brings about two alterations. This section seems to have remained as such in the 1898 Code (Act V of 1898). The next modification in the section appears to have been made by Act XVIII of 1923 which inserted the phrase "either generally or in respect of any one or more of the offences for which he is tried" in the appropriate place S.C.R. SUPREME COURT REPORTS· 291 in s. 494 as it stood in the 1882 Code (in addition to omitting the phrase "appointed by the GovernorGeneral in Council or Local Government"). The present _s._ 494 is the corresponding section in the 1882 Code as so altered. It will be thus seen there are altogether three substantial changes in between 1872 and 1923 in the corresponding s. 61 of the 1872 Code. The first two changes made in 1882 were obviously intended to indicate that the result by way of discharge or acquittal should depend not on the distinction between inquiry and trial but on the fact of a charge having been framed or not having been framed. The second was to clarify that the application can be made generally up to the point when judgment is pronounced but to provide for an exception thereto in respect of cases which in fact have gone up for a jury trial, in which case the application can be made only up to the point of time before the verdict is pronounced. The third change in 1923 was to make it clear that the withdrawal need not be in respect of the entire case against a particular individual but in respect of one or more only of the charges for which he is being prosecuted. These three changes, therefore. were introduced for specific purposes which are obvious. The section as it originally stood in 1872 was quite wide enough to cover all classes of cases not excluding even jury cases when it is in the stage of preliminary inquiry. There is absolutely no reason to think that these successive changes were intended to exclude such a preliminary inquiry from the scope of s. 494 as it has finally emerged. It may also be mentioned that the words 'inquiry' and 'trial' were both defined in the Code of 1872 but that the definition of the word 'trial' was omitted in the 1882 Code and that later on in the 1898 Code the definitio).). of the word 'inquiry' was slightly altered by adding the phrase "other than a trial" leaving the word 'trial' undefined. These various legislative changes from time to time with reference to s. 494 and the definition of the word 'inquiry' confirm the view above taken that s. 494 is wide enough to cover every kind of inquiry and trial and that the word 'trial' in the section 1957 _T he:state of Bihar_ v. _Ram Naresh_ _Pandey_ _JagannadhadaJ_ _]._ 1957 _**Tiu StaJt**_ _**of Bihar**_ v. _**Ram Naresh**_ _**Pandey**_ _**Jagannadhadas**_ _**J.**_ 292 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [19571 has not been used in any limited sense. Substantially the same view has been taken in _Giribala Dasee_ v. _Madar_ _Gazi(')_ and _Viswanadham_ v. _Madan_ _Singh(')_ and we are in agreement with the reasoning therein as regards this question. As regards the merits of the appeals, the matter lies in a short compass. As already stated the application by the Public Prosecutor was made before any evidence was taken in the committal stage. The only materials then available to the Public Prosecutor or to the Court were the contents of the first information report and any statements of witnesses that may have been taken by the police during investigation. What is alleged against the appellant, Mahesh Desai, in the fir,t information report can be gathered from the following: "These persons, _viz.,_ Mahesh Desai and others, regularly held meetings and advocated for closing Bagdigi cable plant and coke plant and assaulting the 'dalals'. Yesterday, Friday morning when some labourers were going to resume their work in 8 No. pit at Lodna the striking labourers created disturbance there and the labourers of that place who were going to resume work could not do so. At about 11 a. m. Mahesh Desai the leader of the Koyala Mazdoor Panchayat came to Bagdigi and told the labourers of this place to stop all work, to hold on to their posts and to see that no one worked. At the instance of Mahesh Desai the labourers stopped the work. Last night at about 11-30 p.m. when I was in my quarter at Lodna, Jadubans Tiwary, the overman of Bagdigi Colliery, said that Sheoji Singh and Ramdhar Singh had told him that in _the_ evening at about _6-30_ p.m. Mahesh Desai came to Bagdigi _Mahabir Asthan Chala._ collected 120 to 125 labourers and . held a meeting and Mahesh Desai said that he had come to know that the company and its dalals would take some labourers to pit No. 10 this morning to resume the work and they would get _the_ work resumed by them. In this morning Phagu Dusadh, Jalo Dusadh, Chamari Dusadh and others were (sic) took part. Mahesh Desai said to (1) [1932) I.L.R. 6o Cal. 233. (2) I.L.R. [1949] Mad. 64. S.C.R. SUPREME COURT REPORTS 293 them "You go to your respective works and see that no one works there happen what may. You remain prepared in every respect. The labourers of Lodna will also . come to your help. The police will not be able to do any harm to you". The meeting dispersed at about 7-30 o'clock. Mahesh Desai went by his Jeep from _Mahabir Asthan_ to pit No. 10 and told the labourers there to stick to their strike. Then Phagu, Jalo and · Haricharan Dusadh of Bagdigi . began to talk with him near the Jeep. Jadubans Tewary heard Mahesh Desai saying "It is necessary for us to finish the dalals for achieving victory. You remain prepared for this". Saying this he boarded his Jeep and at the end Mahesh Desai said to Phagu, Haricharan and Jalo Dusadh "Finish all. What will happen will be seen". Thereafter Mahesh Desai went away by his Jeep and Phagu, Jalo and Haricharan came back." The first information report continues to state what all happened the next day by way of rioting, etc. in the course of which Phagu, Jalo and Haricharan Dusadh, along with others were said to have chased Nand Kumar Chaubey and wherein Phagu gave a _pharsa_ blow and Haricharan a _lathi_ blow to him and Nand Kumar Cliaubey fell down dead. In the closing portion of the first information report the informant states as follows : "I make this statement before . you that (having instigated) yesterday evening in the meeting and having instigated Phagu Dusadh, Jalo Dusadh and Haricharan Dusadh near pit No. 10, and having got a mob of about one thousand persons collected to-day in the morning by Harbans Singh and other workers of his union Mahesh Desai got the murder of Nand Kumar Chaubey committed by Phagu Dusadh, Jalo Dusadh and Haricharan Dusadh to-day at 8-15 a.m. with lathi and pharsa." It is clear from this that what is ascribed to Mahesh Desai is that he is alleged to have exhorted the #### labourers once in tlie morning at 11 a.m. and again in the night at 6-30 p.m. as also at 7-30 p.m. As regards the exhortation at 11 a.m. it is not quite clear from the first information report whether the 1957 _The State_ _of Bihar_ v. _Ram_ _Naresh_ _Pandey_ _Jagannadhadas_ J. ## 294 SUPREME COURT REPORTS f 1957} 1957 informant speaks to his personal knowledge or what he _The_ _State_ _of_ _Bihar_ heard from the labourers. As regards what is said v. to have transpired at. 6-30 p.m. and 7-30 p.m., it _**Ram Pandey NartJh**_ appears to be reasonably clear that the person who gave the information to the informant was Jadubans _**Jagannadhadas**_ _**J.**_ d h h f f b b Tiwary an t at is in ormation itsel was pro a ly based on what Sheoji Singh and Ramdhar Singh had told him. It would be seen, therefore, that the prosecution must depend upon the evidence of Jadubans Tiwary, and possibly of Sheoji Singh and Ramdhar Singh and that what these three persons could speak to was at best only as to the exhortation made by Mahesh Desai at the various stages. Presumably, these witnesses were examined by the police in the course of the investigation. Now, on this material, we find it difficult to appreciate why the opinion arrived at by both the trial court and the Sessions Court that the view taken of that material by the Public Prosecutor, _viz.,_ that it was meagre evidence on which no conviction could be asked for, should be said to be so improper that the consent of the Court under s. 494 of the Code of Criminal Procedure has to be withheld. Even the private complainant wJ.io was allowed to participate in these proceedings in all #### its .. stages, does not, in his objection petition, or rev1s1on pet1t10ns, indicate the availability of any other material or _better material. Nor, could the complainant's counsel, in the course of arguments before us inform us that there was any additional material available. In the situation, therefore, excepting · for the view that no order. to withdraw should he passed in such cases either as a matter of law or as a matter of propriety but that the matter should be disposed of only after the evidence is judicially taken, we . apprehend that the learned Chief Justice himself . would not have felt called upon to interfere with the order of the Magistrate in the exercise of his revisional jurisdiction. We are, therefore, clearly 0£ the opinion, for all the above reasons, that the order of the High Court should be set aside .and the appeals allowed. Accordingly, the order of the· trial court is hC£eby restored. S.C.R. SUPREME COURT REPORTS 295 There was some question raised before us as to whether the private complainants could be allowed to participate in these proceedings at the various stages. Nothing that we have said is intended to indicate that the private complainant has a _locus_ _standi._ It is unfortunate that this prosecution which is still pending at its very early stages has got to be proceeded with against all the rest of the accused, after the lapse of nearly three years from the date of the murder. It is to be hoped that the proceedings which must follow will be speeded up. _Appeals allowed._ _]agannatl.hatl.as_ _J._ 1957 _January,_ SI. . 1957 _Thi_ _St611 of Biluir_ v. _Ram_ _Nares/!_ _Pandey_ THE ST ATE OF ASSAM _v._ A. N. KIDW Al, COMMISSIONER OF HILLS DIVISION AND APPEALS, SHILLONG. (with connected appeals) # [ s. R. DAS c. J., BHAGWATI, VENKATARAMA AYYAR, #### B. P. S1NHA and S. K. DAs JJ.] _Revenue Tribunal,_ _11·ansfe1·_ _of powers_ _of-Enactment_ _authoris-_ _ing_ _Provincial_ _Government_ _to_ _appoint_ _Appellate_ _Authority-_ _Legality-lf_ _an_ _excessive_ _delegation of_ _legislative_ _power-Notifi-_ _cation_ _by_ _Government_ _making_ _such_ _appointment-Validity-_ _Repugnancy-Assam Revenue_ _T1-ibunal_ _(Transfer of Powers) Act,_ _1948_ _(Assam_ _IV_ _of_ _1948),_ _s._ _3(3)-Government_ _of India Act,_ _!93S_ (25 & 26 _Geo._ 5. _Ch._ 42), _s._ _296-Eastern Bengal and Assam_ _fa:cise_ _Act (Eastern Bengal and Assam_ _1_ _of_ _1910),_ s~ _9_ (2). These appeals by the State of Assam and some other parties from a number of judgments of the High Court of Assam, passed under Art. 226 of the Constitution, quashing certain orders of the Appellate Authority appointed by the Governor of Assam by a Notification under s. 3(3) of the Assam Revenue Tribunal (Transfer of Powers) Act, 1948, dated July 5, 1955, raised the common question of the _vires_ of that section and the validity of the Notification by which the Commissioner of Hills Division. and Appeals was appointed the Appellate Authority. In 1955 rival claimants applied for the grant of licenses and settlement of country spirit shops for -the year 1956-57 and parties dissatisfied with the orders of the Deputy Commissioner :µid those of the 5-100 S. C. Indi~/59 .