The Patna High Court has recently fined lower court judges for wrongly convicting a man. Justice Chaudhuri directed the sub-divisional judicial magistrate of Dalsinghsarai and the additional sessions judge III of Samastipur to pay a nominal fine of Rs 100 each. The fines were to be deposited in the “criminal cash section” of the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court.
Patna: On Thursday, April 25, the Patna High Court took strong action against two lower court judges in Bihar, imposing fines on them for convicting an individual in a case that was deemed “not maintainable.” The judgment came in response to a petition filed by Sunil Pandit of Dalsinghsarai sub-division in Samastipur district, challenging his conviction by the lower courts.
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The petitioner, Sunil Pandit, appealed against the three-year rigorous imprisonment sentence imposed on him by the additional sessions court in Samastipur. The conviction was related to a dowry harassment case in which Pandit was named in an FIR filed by a woman residing in the same village.
The complainant had accused her husband of dowry harassment, and Pandit was mentioned as an “advisor of other accused persons” in the complaint. However, it was established that he was not a relative of the husband, which rendered the charges under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) inapplicable.
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Justice Bibek Chaudhuri, presiding over the case, reviewed the FIR and observed that the petitioner’s involvement did not warrant the charges brought against him. Consequently, Justice Chaudhuri acquitted Sunil Pandit of the charges under Section 498A and the Dowry Act. The court emphasized that it is the duty of all courts to carefully examine complaints before taking cognizance and proceeding against the accused individuals in accordance with the law.
Justice Chaudhuri emphasized,
“All courts have a solemn and obligatory duty to meticulously review the complaint before taking cognizance and initiating proceedings against the accused individuals in accordance with the law.”
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Furthermore, to address the mental agony, trauma, and social stigma suffered by the petitioner due to the “lackadaisical approach” of the lower courts, Justice Chaudhuri directed the sub-divisional judicial magistrate of Dalsinghsarai and the additional sessions judge III of Samastipur to pay a nominal fine of Rs 100 each. The fines were to be deposited in the “criminal cash section” of the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court.
