Govind Badrinarayan Khandelwal v. the State of Maharashtra and Others
Case brief
What is this about?
Section 156(3) Cr.P.C. directions to register FIR refused; pre-FIR verification of complainant upheld; civil dispute versus cognizable offence; soyabean warehouse storage dispute (164 bags, 2015 transaction); offences under ss.406/409/420/465/467/468/471 r/w 34 IPC; quashing of JMFC and Sessions Court orders refused; police closure report dated 04.11.2021; Full Bench Butani v. State of Maharashtra [2010 ALL MR (Cri.) 244]; Supreme Court (2023) 6 SCR 135; Bombay High Court, Aurangabad Bench; Sushil M. Ghodeswar, J.; Criminal Writ Petition No.129/2024; decided 03.10.2025; petition rejected/dismissed.
What did the court decide?
The dispute between the parties is purely civil in nature; the police, after detailed investigation, arrived at the conclusion that a civil dispute arises between the parties, and consequently no case was made out for grant of relief u/s 156(3) of the Cr.P.C. directing police investigation of the alleged crime of 2015.