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Sunil Kumar vs. The State of Uttar Pradesh & Anr.

Criminal Appeal · 2023 INSC 668Decided 3 Aug 2023
Criminal Appeal No. 2255 of 2023
Sanjiv Khanna · Bela M. Trivedi

Background

The appellant, an Assistant Engineer in the U.P. Power Corporation, had an altercation with a peon (respondent no. 2) at their office over an item to be handed to a customer. Both men filed FIRs against each other the same week in 2014, and a chargesheet was eventually filed against the appellant under Sections 323, 504 and 506 IPC. The Allahabad High Court refused to quash these proceedings, so the appellant approached the Supreme Court.

Decision Breakdown

The Supreme Court noted that the case had remained pending without trial since 2015 with no progress, and that respondent no. 2, though served, did not even appear to contest the appeal. Looking at the cross-complaints, the Court found the allegations against the appellant to be of a very trivial nature: the kind of everyday office spat that should have been resolved on the spot rather than dragged through years of criminal litigation. Holding that continuing the prosecution would amount to persecution and harassment of the appellant, the Court allowed the appeal and quashed the criminal proceedings pending before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Fatehpur.

Lesson Learnt

Courts can and will step in to quash criminal cases arising from trivial workplace or personal disputes, especially where the case has stagnated for years without any real progress: criminal law is not meant to be used to prolong minor personal quarrels.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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