Gauhati High Court: Reiterating that mere likelihood of suspicion cannot be a reason to charge someone for an offence, Rumi Kumari Phukan, J. allowed a criminal petition and quashed the FIR registered against the petitioners under Section 120-B, 32 and 307 IPC.
The matter related to a long pending land dispute between the petitioners on one hand and the injured and the informant on the other hand. The injured was shot from the backside while riding his motorcycle. The informant, the wife of the injured, lodged an FIR against the petitioners on suspicion that the attack was committed by them in response to their land dispute.
J.J. Borbhuiya, I., Mohan, R. Ali and K.H. Choudhary, Advocates, representing the petitioners vehemently submitted that the criminal proceeding could not stand and continue on sheer suspicion. Per contra, T. Sarma and H.K. Sarma, Advocates, for the informant asserted that the proceedings should continue till the end. However, D. Das, Additional Public Prosecutor, submitted that the injured himself could not identify the assailants.
Perusing the record, the High Court noted that the informant tried to project the case only on suspicion and there was no supporting evidence to suggest the complicity of the petitioners. It was observed: “Criminal prosecution cannot be permitted to continue on the whims and pleasure of the litigants unless cogent, clear and convicting evidence collected in course investigation.” Holding that the same was very much lacking in the present case, the Court was of the view that continuance of the criminal proceeding against the petitioners would cause a miscarriage of justice. Thus, the prayer made by the petitioners was allowed and the impugned FIR was quashed. [Anuradha Gogoi v. State of Assam, 2019 SCC OnLine Gau 2296, decided on 14-05-2019]
