Abhishek Kumar vs The State Of Bihar on 18 June, 2025

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Patna High Court

Abhishek Kumar vs The State Of Bihar on 18 June, 2025

Author: Chandra Shekhar Jha

Bench: Chandra Shekhar Jha

          IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                   CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.6089 of 2025
           Arising Out of PS. Case No.-94 Year-2024 Thana- KHAJEKALA District- Patna
     ======================================================
     Abhishek Kumar S/O Sri Moti Lal Verma Resident Of Village- Sugaon P.S.-
     Tehta, Dist- Jehanabad (Bihar)At Present Address- Badaoda Pali, P.S.- Baroda
     City Junction, Dist- Baroda (Gujrat)

                                                                      ... ... Petitioner/s
                                           Versus
1.   The State of Bihar
2.   Jyoti Kumari D/o Krishna Prasad R/o Sadar Gali, Patna City, P.S.-
     Khajekalan, Distt.- Patna

                                            ... ... Opposite Party/s
     ======================================================
     Appearance :
     For the Petitioner/s     :       Mr. Sanchay Srivastava, Adv
                              :       Mr. Sushant Srivastava, Adv
                              :       Mr. Ashish Kumar Palit, Adv
     For the Opposite Party/s :       Mr. Anant Kumar 1, APP
     For the O.P. No. 2       :       Mr. Raju Giri, Sr. Adv
                              :       Mr. Harsh Vardhan, Adv
                              :       Mr. Shamsher Prasad, Adv
     ======================================================
     CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE CHANDRA SHEKHAR JHA
                     C.A.V. JUDGMENT

     Date : 18-06-2025


                            Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and

      learned counsel for the respondents.

                       2. The present quashing petition has been

      preferred to quash the order dated 07.06.2024 passed in

      G.R. No. 1427 of 2024 arising out of Khajekalan P.S. Case

      No. 94 of 2024, where learned Judicial Magistrate 1 st Class,

      Patna City, has passed an order for the initiation of

      proceedings under Section 82 of the Cr.P.C., which has been
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         issued on 18.06.2024 against the petitioner/accused.

                         3. The allegation against the petitioner as per FIR

         is to commit rape upon O.P. No. 2 on the false pretext of

         marriage, subsequent to his acquaintance with O.P. No. 2 at

         a wedding function in Gujarat. It is alleged that all instances

         of the purported physical relationship took place at Patna

         during the petitioner's visits.

                         4. The main question which requires adjudication

         in the present quashing petition is whether the issuance of

         proceedings by learned Trial Court under Section 82 of the

         Cr.P.C. against the petitioner was justified or not.

                         5. Learned counsel appearing on behalf of the

         petitioner submitted that before the issuance of proceedings

         under Section 82 of Cr.P.C. compliance with mandatory

         provisions as available under Sections 61-69 of Cr.P.C.

         (Chapter VI-A) and Sections 71-75 of Cr.P.C. (Chapter VI-B)

         not appear to be followed in the present case. It is submitted

         that the proceeding of this case was not in the knowledge of

         the petitioner, and, therefore, the issuance of process under

         Section 82 is appearing bad in the eyes of the law. While
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         concluding his argument learned counsel relied upon the legal

         reports of this Hon'ble Court as available through Krishna

         Murari Yadav Vs. The State of Bihar reported through

         2005 SCC OnLine Pat 712 & Pinki Kumari and Another

         Vs. The State of Bihar and Others reported through

         Cr.W.J.C. No. 712 of 2022 dated 26.08.2022.

                         6. At this stage, it would be appropriate to

         reproduce Section 82 of the Cr.P.C. for the better

         understanding of the case:-

                         82.        Proclamation           for   person
                         absconding.-(1) If any Court has reason to
                         believe (whether after taking evidence or not)
                         that any person against whom a warrant has
                         been issued by it has absconded or is
                         concealing himself so that such warrant
                         cannot be executed, such Court may publish a
                         written proclamation requiring him to appear
                         at a specified place and at a specified time not
                         less than thirty days from the date of
                         publishing such proclamation.
                         (2) The proclamation shall be published as
                         follows:
                         (i) (a) it shall be publicly read in some
                         conspicuous place of the town or village in
                         which such person ordinarily resides;
                         (b) it shall be affixed to some conspicuous
                         part of the house or homestead in which such
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                         person     ordinarily    resides    or   to   some
                         conspicuous place of such town or village;
                         (c) a copy thereof shall be affixed to some
                         conspicuous part of the Court-house;
                         (ii) the Court may also, if it thinks fit, direct a
                         copy of the proclamation to be published in a
                         daily newspaper circulating in the place in
                         which such person ordinarily resides.
                         (3) A statement in writing by the Court issuing
                         the proclamation to the effect that the
                         proclamation     was     duly     published   on   a
                         specified day, in the manner specified in
                         clause (i) of sub-section (2), shall be
                         conclusive evidence that the requirements of
                         this section have been complied with, and that
                         the proclamation was published on such day.
                         [(4) Where a proclamation published under
                         sub-section (1) is in respect of a person
                         accused of an offence punishable under
                         section 302, 304, 364, 367, 382, 392, 393,
                         394, 395, 396, 397, 398, 399, 400, 402,
                         436, 449, 459 or 460 of the Indian Penal
                         Code (45 of 1860), and such person fails to
                         appear at the specified place and time
                         required by the proclamation, the Court may,
                         after making such inquiry as it thinks fit,
                         pronounce him a proclaimed offender and
                         make a declaration to that effect.
                         (5) The provisions of sub-sections (2) and (3)
                         shall apply to a declaration made by the Court
                         under sub-section (4) as they apply to the
                         proclamation published under sub-section
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                         (1).]


                         7. Learned senior counsel appearing on behalf of

         O.P. No. 2, while opposing the aforesaid prayer, submitted

         that the petitioner was working with Indian Railways and was

         posted at Vadodara in the state of Gujarat. It is submitted

         that the aforesaid act was within the knowledge of the learned

         Trial Court, and accordingly a non-bailable warrant was issued

         against the petitioner, through the Superintendent of Police,

         City East, Patna vide Letter No. 1766 dated 03.05.2024

         addressed to the DRM, Ahmedabad Division, Gujarat. The

         aforesaid letter was received by DRM Office on 11.05.2024.

         It is submitted that thereafter, under Section 70 of the

         Cr.P.C. 1973, notice of non-bailable warrant was issued

         against this petitioner. It is further submitted that Khajekalan

         Police Station by letter dated 10.05.2024, requested the GRP

         Police Station in Viramgam Gujarat to help Bihar Police to

         arrest the petitioner. It is further submitted that vide letter

         dated 11.05.2024, the police made a request to the Senior

         Section Engineer (Signal), Viramgam, Western Railway,

         pursuant to which it was informed that the petitioner was on
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         sanctioned leave from 10.05.2024 to 14.05.2024.

                         8. It is further submitted that, with an intent to

         frustrate the execution of the NBW, the petitioner proceeded

         on leave on medical ground after rejoining duty on

         10.05.2024

, despite being aware of the issuance of the said

warrant. It is also submitted that to make a prayer of

anticipatory bail petition maintainable, proceedings under

Section 82 of Cr.P.C. were challenged in view of Srikant

Upadhyay and Others Vs. State of Bihar and Another,

2024 SCC OnLine SC 282.

9. It would be apposite to reproduce the para

no(s). 18 & 19 of the Krishna Murari Yadav Case (supra),

which reads as under:-

18. Another order which has been challenged
by the petitioner is the order dated 4.8.2005
passed by the C.J.M., Patna on a petition filed
by the Investigating Officer on 3.8.2005. In
this petition composite prayer has been made
by the Investigating Officer for issuance of the
order of proclamation under Section 82 Cr.

P.C. as well as the order of attachment under
Section 83 Cr. P.C. This unaffidavited petition
has been brought on the record of the case as
Annexure-3. In this petition it has been stated
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that the accused persons are absconding and
there is an apprehension that after disposing of
their movable and immovable property, they
may abscond. The C.J.M., has passed order
under Section 82 Cr. P.C. for proclamation, in
the margin of the petition itself. Counsel for the
petitioner has brought on record the complete
order-sheet of the case as Annexure-4. The
proclamation order under Section 82 Cr. P.C.
has been passed by-the Chief Judicial
Magistrate do not indicate that the court had
any reason to believe that the person against
whom such prayer has been made are either
absconding or concealing themselves even
after issuance of warrant of arrest. Section
82(1)
Cr. P.C. reads as follows:–

“If any Court has reason to believe (whether
after taking evidence or not) that any person
against whom a warrant has been issued by it
has absconded or is concealing himself so that
such warrant cannot be executed, such Court
may publish a written proclamation requiring
him to appear at a specified place and at a
specified time not less than thirty days from the
date of publishing such proclamation.”

19. The expression “Reason to believe”

occurring in this section suggests that the
Magistrate must be substantively satisfied that
the person has absconded or has concealed
themselves on the materials before him. Under
Section 82 Cr. P.C. the Magistrate issuing
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proclamation must record his satisfaction that
the accused has absconded or concealed
himself, the Magistrate can grant permission
for proclamation only on being fully satisfied
and it should never been allowed in a routine
manner. The order which has been passed by
the Magistrate neither shows his satisfaction
nor indicates that he had any reason to believe
for passing such order. The order passed by the
Magistrate is illegal also because on an
unaffidavited petition filed by the I.O. such
order has been passed.

Conclusion:

10. I have perused the materials available on

record and considered the arguments canvassed by learned

counsel appearing on behalf of the parties.

11. In view of the foregoing factual and legal

submissions, it is submitted that the proceedings were well

within the knowledge of the petitioner, and he was duly

informed at all official levels regarding the pendency of the

present matter. However, he intentionally and deliberately

failed to make himself available for arrest, thereby willfully

evading the due process of law. In view of the above the

initiation of proceedings under Section 82 of the Cr.P.C., not
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appear bad in the eyes of the law.

12. Accordingly, this Court does not find any

illegality in the order dated 07.06.2024 as passed by learned

Judicial Magistrate, 1st Class, Patna City, in connection with

G.R. No. 1427 of 2024 arising out of Khajekalan P.S. Case

No. 94 of 2024 and, therefore, the same does not require

interference by this Court.

13. Hence, the present quashing petition stands

dismissed as being devoid of any merit.

14. Office is directed to sent a copy of this judgment

to the learned Trial Court, forthwith.

15. Pending petitions, if any, disposed of

accordingly.

(Chandra Shekhar Jha, J.)
S.Tripathi/-

AFR/NAFR                  NAFR
CAV DATE                  16.05.2025
Uploading Date            18.06.2025
Transmission Date         18.06.2025
 



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