Jeet Kumar Singh and 2 Others Vs State of U.P. and Another — Dowry and Cruelty | Allahabad HC (2025)

Jeet Kumar Singh and 2 Others Vs State of U.P. and Another — Dowry and Cruelty | Allahabad HC (2025)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Application allowed; charge-sheet No. 143/2024 dated 20.05.2024, summoning order dated 04.07.2024 and the entire criminal proceedings in Criminal Case No. 9398/2024 (arising out of Case Crime No. 176/2024) quashed.

Issue for consideration

Whether the charge-sheet No. 143/2024 dated 20.05.2024, the summoning order dated 04.07.2024 and the entire criminal proceedings in Criminal Case No. 9398/2024 (arising out of Case Crime No. 176/2024, under Sections 498A, 506, 323 IPC and Sections 3/4 Dowry Prohibition Act, P.S. Hari Parwat, District Agra) should be quashed in view of the settlement arrived at between the parties.

Court's answer

The criminal proceedings were essentially an outcome of a matrimonial dispute; with the parties having entered into a settlement, there were no overbearing circumstances warranting prosecution, there was practically no chance of conviction even if the case went to trial, the trial would be an exercise in futility, and quashing was in the interest of justice.

Ratio / Principle

Continuation of the criminal proceeding despite settlement between the victim and the wrongdoer would be unfair, contrary to the interest of justice, and tantamount to abuse of process of law; to secure the ends of justice, the criminal case ought to be put to an end.

Key takeaways

Since the parties did not wish to pursue the case any further and the matter was mutually settled vide settlement agreement dated 29.07.2025, no useful purpose would be served in proceeding with the matter further.ratio¶13
In view of the well-settled principles of law laid down by the Hon'ble Apex Court in Parbatbhai Aahir v. State of Gujarat, Gian Singh v. State of Punjab and State of M.P. v. Laxmi Narayan, the proceedings of Criminal Case No. 9398/2024 were quashed and the Section 482 application was allowed.ratio¶14

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Allahabad High Court (Vikram D. Chauhan, J.) allowed a Section 482 application and quashed charge-sheet No. 143/2024 dated 20.05.2024, the summoning order dated 04.07.2024 and the entire criminal proceedings in Criminal Case No. 9398/2024 (State Versus Jeet Kumar Singh & others), arising out of Case Crime No. 176/2024 under Sections 498A, 506, 323 IPC and Sections 3/4 Dowry Prohibition Act, Police Station Hari Parwat, District Agra. The dispute was essentially matrimonial and stood settled before the Mediation Centre of the Court vide agreement dated 29.07.2025; with no realistic prospect of conviction, continued prosecution was held to be an exercise in futility and an abuse of process, following the principles in Parbatbhai Aahir v. State of Gujarat (2017) 9 SCC 641, Gian Singh v. State of Punjab (2012) 10 SCC 303 and State of M.P. v. Laxmi Narayan (2019) 5 SCC 688.

Neutral Citation No. - 2025:AHC:130619

Court No. - 76

Case :- APPLICATION U/S 482 No. - 42117 of 2024

Applicant :- Jeet Kumar Singh And 2 Others Opposite Party :- State of U.P. and Another Counsel for Applicant :- Kamlesh Kumar Dwivedi,Saurabh Dwivedi Counsel for Opposite Party :- G.A.

Hon'ble Vikram D. Chauhan,J.

Heard learned counsel for the applicants and learned A.G.A. for the State.

This application has been filed for quashing the charge-sheet No. 143/2024 dated 20.05.2024 and summoning order dated 04.07.2024 passed by learned Chief Judicial Magistrate, Agra, as well as, entire criminal proceedings in Criminal Case No. 9398/2024: State Versus Jeet Kumar Singh & others, arising out of Case Crime No. 176/2024, under Section 498A, 506, 323 I.P.C. & 3/4 Dowry Prohibition Act, Police Station Hari Parwat, District Agra, pending in the Court of learned Chief Judicial Magistrate, Agra.

Learned counsel for the applicants submitted that the settlement agreement has already been entered between the parties before the Mediation Centre of this Court on 29.07.2025, therefore, the present case be finally decided.

Learned AGA does not dispute the fact that parties have entered into settlement agreement before the Mediation Centre of this Court. It is further submitted that he would have no objection in case criminal proceedings are put to an end. He further submits that in view of settlement there is virtually no chance of any conviction being recorded in the criminal proceedings.

Having examined the matter in its totality, this Court is of the view that the criminal proceedings in the present case had essentially been an outcome of a matrimonial dispute; and there are no such over bearing circumstances for which the applicants ought to be prosecuted even after the parties has entered into a settlement. Needless to observe that with the present stand of the parties in terms of their settlement, there is practically no chance of recording conviction, even if the case under the F.I.R. in question is put to trial. In other words, entire exercise of trial

would only be an exercise in futility. On the contrary, looking to the nature of dispute and the fact that the disputants have settled the dispute and want to proceed peacefully ahead, it would be in the interest of justice that criminal proceedings in question are quashed.

It would be unfair or contrary to the interest of justice to continue with the criminal proceeding or continuation of the criminal proceeding would tantamount to abuse of process of law despite settlement between the victim and the wrongdoer and to secure the ends of justice, it is appropriate that the criminal case is put to an end.

In view of the fact that the parties do not want to pursue the case any further as stated by them and the fact that matter has been mutually settled between the parties in view of the settlement agreement dated 29.07.2025, no useful purpose would be served in proceeding with the matter further.

Thus, in view of the well settled principles of law as laid down by the Hon'ble Apex Court in Parbatbhai Aahir Vs. State of Gujarat (2017) 9 SCC 641, Gian Singh Vs. State of Punjab (2012) 10 SCC 303 and State of M.P. Vs. Laxmi Narayan, (2019) 5 SCC 688 , the proceedings of the aforesaid case is hereby quashed.

9. The present application is, accordingly, allowed .

Order Date :- 4.8.2025 S.Prakash

Digitally signed by :- SHASHI PRAKASH High Court of Judicature at Allahabad