High Court Kerala High Court

Viswanathan vs Santhamma Balan on 16 February, 2009

Kerala High Court
Viswanathan vs Santhamma Balan on 16 February, 2009
       

  

  

 
 
  IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM

Crl.Rev.Pet.No. 476 of 2007()


1. VISWANATHAN,
                      ...  Petitioner
2. RADHAKRISHNAN,
3. SANTHOSH, S/O.SIVANKUTTY,
4. SARADA,

                        Vs



1. SANTHAMMA BALAN,
                       ...       Respondent

2. STATE OF KERALA REPRESENTED BY

                For Petitioner  :SRI.P.HARIDAS

                For Respondent  :SRI.LOVEJITH K.ANAND

The Hon'ble MR. Justice V.RAMKUMAR

 Dated :16/02/2009

 O R D E R
                          V. RAMKUMAR, J.
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                        Crl.R.P.No.476 of 2007
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              Dated this the 16th day of February, 2009

                               O R D E R

In this revision filed under Sec. 397 read with Sec.401 Cr.P.C.

the petitioners, who are the accused in C.C. No. 352 of 2002 on the

file of the J.F.C.M-II, Pathanamthitta for offences punishable under

Sections 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, challenge the conviction

entered and the sentence passed against them concurrently by the

courts below for the aforesaid offence.

2. The case of the prosecution is that the petitioners obtained

10 cents of land and made an additional demand of Rs.One lakh for

the petitioner marrying the niece of the de facto complainant. They

have thereby committed the aforementioned offence.

3. Pending this revision the revision petitioners and the 1st

respondent/complainant have settled the matter and the petitioners

are alleged to have disgorged whatever they had received in

consideration of the marriage. They have also filed

Crl.M.A.No.541/2009 under Section 482 Cr.P.C requesting to

Crl.R.P.No.476 of 2007
2

compound the offence and acquitting the petitioners .

4. Since the matter was a private dispute between the accused

persons and the de facto complainant, applying the ratio in Madan

Mohan Abbot v. State of Punjab (2008(4) SCC 582), the offence is

permitted to be compounded and it will have the effect of acquitting

the revision petitioners of the offence punishable under Section 4 of

the Dowry Prohibition Act.

In the result, this Revision is disposed of as above.

Dated this the 16th day of February, 2009

V.Ramkumar, Judge.

sj