Sajjan Ali @ Shafiq Ahmed and 2 Others Vs State of U.P… — Dowry and Cruelty | Allahabad HC (2025)

Sajjan Ali @ Shafiq Ahmed and 2 Others Vs State of U.P… — Dowry and Cruelty | Allahabad HC (2025)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Application under Section 482 Cr.P.C. disposed of (not immediately quashed): criminal proceedings in case crime no. 358 of 2022 stayed for three months qua the present applicants; trial court to verify any compromise filed before it after issuing notices to all signatories for personal presence, prepare a verification report making the compromise part of the record, and ensure presence of all chargesheeted parties with a report accompanying the verification order; upon verification, applicants may obtain certified copies and re-approach this Court for quashing; Office directed to return the original compromise deed to the applicants' counsel within a week.

Issue for consideration

Whether the chargesheet No. 01/2023 dated 17.01.2023 and the summoning order dated 12.12.2023 (and the resulting criminal proceedings in case crime no. 358 of 2022) should be quashed on the applicants' plea that the parties have amicably compromised their dispute by a written compromise deed dated 21-07-2025.

Court's answer

Whether the parties have in fact compromised the matter can best be ascertained by the court below, since such a compromise has to be duly verified in the presence of the parties concerned before the Court; this Court does not itself certify the compromise.

Ratio / Principle

The application is disposed of with a direction that, if the compromise is filed before the court concerned, it shall issue notices to all signatories to the compromise requiring their personal presence and thereafter proceed to verify the compromise.

Key takeaways

Once the compromise is verified, a report to that effect shall be prepared by the court and the compromise will be made part of the record.ratio¶20
After verification, the parties may obtain certified copies of the report and the compromise, and it will remain open to the applicants to approach this Court again for quashing of the proceedings.ratio¶21
Interim protection: for a period of three months, the criminal proceedings arising out of case crime no. 358 of 2022 (sections 498-A, 323, 504, 506, 354 I.P.C.; section 3/4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act; section 3/4 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Right on Divorce) Act; P.S. Sarojini Nagar, District Lucknow) shall remain stayed so far as the present applicants are concerned.

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench), Court No. 14 — Shree Prakash Singh, J. (order dated September 24, 2025) — disposed of an application under Section 482 Cr.P.C. by applicants Sajjan Ali @ Shafiq Ahmed and two others seeking quashing of chargesheet No. 01/2023 dated 17.01.2023 and the summoning order dated 12.12.2023 passed by the Judicial Magistrate-IIIrd, Lucknow, in Criminal Case no. 142659 of 2023 arising out of case crime no. 358 of 2022 (P.S. Sarojini Nagar, District Lucknow) under sections 498-A, 323, 504, 506 and 354 I.P.C., section 3/4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act and section 3/4 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Right on Divorce) Act. Counsel for both sides asserted an amicable written compromise dated 21-07-2025 (annexure no. 5), with no grievance remaining. Holding that whether the parties have in fact compromised is best ascertained by the court below through due verification before it, the Judge disposed of the application with directions to the trial court to summon all signatories for personal presence and verify any compromise filed, to prepare a verification report making the compromise part of the record, and to ensure the presence of all chargesheeted parties, sending a report alongwith the verification order. Criminal proceedings in case crime no. 358 of 2022 were stayed for three months qua the applicants; on verification, the parties may obtain certified copies and the applicants may approach the High Court again for quashing. Office was directed to return the original compromise deed to the applicants' counsel within a week.