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TMI Blog2022 (5) TMI 71X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ORDER JASJIT SINGH BEDI , J. ( Oral ) The prayer in the present petition under Section 482 Cr.P.C. is for the quashing/setting aside the order dated 03.02.2022 passed by the Court of Additional Sessions Judge, Amritsar (Annexure P-1) in a case bearing No.CRA 6/2022 arising out of the judgment dated 06.01.2022 passed by the Judicial Magistrate Ist Class, Amritsar in complaint No.7779 of 2017 (annexure P-2) to the extent whereby the petitioner was directed to deposit 20% of the compensation amount as a pre-condition for suspension of his sentence during the pendency of the appeal. The brief facts of the case are that the petitioner came to be convicted by the Court of Judicial Magistrate Ist Class, Amritsar in a case titled as Raajz Enterprises Versus Babita Sharma and another on 06.01.2022. He was convicted and sentenced as under:- Offence under Sections Sentence RI Compensation amount to be paid to the complainant under Section 357(3) Cr.P.C. RI in default of payment of compensation 138 N.I. Act One Year Rs.7,00,000/- alongwith ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... erein the Orders passed by the Trial Court under Section 143-A of the Act are under challenge and the CRM-M-49024-2018, CRM-M-49216- 2018, CRM-M-49054-2018, CRM- M-49055-2018, CRM-M- 49182-2018, CRM-M-12625-2019, CRM-M- 15297-2019, CRM-M-61716-2018, CRR-721-2019, CRR-746-2019 are the petitions where in the Orders passed by the Appellate Court under Section 148 of the Act are under challenge. 3. It deserves to be noted that there is no dispute on facts of the case in either of the petitions. The Orders have been impugned in all these petitions only on purely legal ground that under Section 143-A and Section 148 of the Act, the Courts below cannot be deemed to have any authority, retrospectively, to pass the Order imposing the liability of payment of the amounts, mentioned in the impugned orders, in the pending trial or in the pending appeals. 4. Another aspect which deserves to be clarified at the outset is that the Orders impugned in these petitions have been passed by the Courts below by virtue of the powers conferred under Section 143-A of the Act during the trial, and under Section 148 of the Act during the pendency of appeal. Both these sections were not in existenc ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... published by the Reserve Bank of India, prevalent at the beginning of the relevant financial years, within sixty days from the date of the order, or within such further period not exceeding thirty days as may be directed by the Court on sufficient cause being shown by the complainant. (5) The interim compensation payable under this section may be recovered as if it were a fine under section 421 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973(2 of 1974). (6) The amount of fine imposed under section 138 or the amount of compensation awarded under section 357 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), shall be reduced by the amount paid or recovered as interim compensation under this section. 34. In view of the above discussion, it is quite clear that the procedure of recovery of fine or compensation from a convictappellant of pending appeal already existed in CR.P.C; before advent of the provision as contained in Section 148 of the Act. Hence, no new aspect of coercive recovery of fine or compensation from the appellant is being created through this amended provision. On the contrary, this provision provides more breathing space to the convict/appellant; as compa ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... te Court makes such judicial discretion subject to a statutory provision relating to deposit of interim compensation, then no fault could be found with such exercise of discretion. Moreover such a course of action even forms part of procedure prescribed under Section 424 Cr.P.C, 1973 though relating to a different type of suspension of sentence. But it shows that if the Appellate Court makes suspension of sentence subject to payment of statutory interim compensation or fine then such an order is in commensurance with the statutory provisions contained in Cr.P.C and the intention of legislatures as contained in Section 148 of the Act. 36. Accordingly all the petitions, wherein the order of the Trial Courts, directing the accused to deposit up to 20% of the cheque amount as interim compensation; are challenged, are allowed. Consequently, the Orders challenged in those petitions are set-aside. 37. The petitions where the challenge is to the order of the Appellate Court, directing the appellant to deposit 20% or more of the amount of fine or compensation as awarded by the Trial Court, are dismissed. Consequently, the Orders impugned in these petitions are upheld. In Su ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ustrated, the Parliament has thought it fit to amend Section 148 of the N.I. Act, by which the first appellate Court, in an appeal challenging the order of conviction under Section 138 of the N.I. Act, is conferred with the power to direct the convicted accused appellant to deposit such sum which shall be a minimum of 20% of the fine or compensation awarded by the trial Court. By the amendment in Section 148 of the N.I. Act, it cannot be said that any vested right of appeal of the accused appellant has been taken away and/or affected. Therefore, submission on behalf of the appellants that amendment in Section 148 of the N.I. Act shall not be made applicable retrospectively and more particularly with respect to cases/complaints filed prior to 1.9.2018 shall not be applicable has no substance and cannot be accepted, as by amendment in Section 148 of the N.I. Act, no substantive right of appeal has been taken away and/or affected. Therefore the decisions of this Court in the cases of Garikapatti Veeraya (supra) and Videocon International Limited (supra), relied upon by the learned senior counsel appearing on behalf of the appellants shall not be applicable to the facts of the case ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... by the Appellant Accused under Section 389 of the Cr.P.C., 1973 to suspend the sentence. The aforesaid is required to be construed considering the fact that as per the amended Section 148 of the N.I. Act, a minimum of 20% of the fine or compensation awarded by the trial court is directed to be deposited and that such amount is to be deposited within a period of 60 days from the date of the order, or within such further period not exceeding 30 days as may be directed by the appellate court for sufficient cause shown by the appellant. Therefore, if amended Section 148 of the N.I. Act is purposively interpreted in such a manner it would serve the Objects and Reasons of not only amendment in Section 148 of the N.I. Act, but also Section 138 of the N.I. Act. Negotiable Instruments Act has been amended from time to time so as to provide, inter alia, speedy disposal of cases relating to the offence of the dishonoured of cheques. So as to see that due to delay tactics by the unscrupulous drawers of the dishonoured cheques due to easy filing of the appeals and obtaining stay in the proceedings, an injustice was caused to the payee of a dishonoured cheque who has to spend considerable time a ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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