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Supreme Court of India

ASIAN RESURFACING OF ROAD AGENCY P. LTD. AND ANR.versusCENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

Citation
2018 INSC 413
Decided
25 April 2018
Disposal
Disposed off

Holding

The Supreme Court held that there was no ground to interfere with the High Court’s order framing charge, and the trial court must proceed with the matter.

Summary

Asian Resurfacing of Road Agency Ltd. and another appealed to the Supreme Court against a Delhi High Court order that stayed the framing of a charge under Section 19(3)(c) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The principal issue was whether the High Court had jurisdiction to grant such a stay in a challenge to the charge‑framing order. The Supreme Court, relying on its own three‑judge decision of 28 March 2018 (reported in [2018] 2 SCR 1045), found no merit in the petitioners' contentions and declined to interfere with the High Court’s order. Consequently, the trial court was directed to proceed with the case. The Court also issued procedural directions that, when an appellate or revisional court summons the original trial record, a photocopy or scanned copy may be retained for reference while the original is returned to the trial court, and similar guidance for future summonses. The appeals were therefore disposed of.

Issues considered

  • Whether the Delhi High Court had jurisdiction to stay an order framing a charge under Section 19(3)(c) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
  • What procedure should be followed when an appellate or revisional court summons the original trial court record?

Legislation cited

Subjects

Prevention of Corruption Actjurisdictionstay of chargecriminal procedurerecord handlingappellate court

Judgment

1106                      [2018]REPORTS
                SUPREME COURT    2 S.C.R. 1106              [2018] 2 S.C.R.


 A     ASIAN RESURFACING OF ROAD AGENCY P. LTD. AND ANR.
                                         v.
                  CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
                    (Criminal Appeal Nos. 1375-1376 of 2013)
 B                               APRIL 25, 2018
           [ADARSH KUMAR GOEL AND R. F. NARIMAN, JJ.]
             Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 – s.19(3)(c) – Jurisdiction
       of High Court in granting stay in challenge against order framing
       charge under the 1988 Act – Held: In view of judgment of three
 C
       Judge Bench dtd. 28th March, 2018 reported in [2018] 2 SCR 1045,
       and after considering the material on record, no ground to interfere
       with the order framing charge – Trial Court to proceed with the
       matter pending before it.
             Practice and Procedure – Summoning of records by appellate/
 D
       revisional court– Held: Wherever original record has been
       summoned by appellate/revisional court, photocopy/scanned copy
       of the same may be kept for its reference and original returned to
       the trial courts forthwith – If in future the trial court record is
       summoned, the trial courts may send photocopy/scanned copy of
 E     the record and retain the original so that the proceedings are
       not held up – In cases where specifically original record is required
       by holding that photocopy will not serve the purpose, the appellate/
       revisional court may call for the record only for perusal and the
       same be returned while keeping a photocopy/scanned copy of the
       same.
 F
             CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Criminal Appeal
       Nos. 1375-1376 of 2013.
              From the Judgment and Order dated 29.03.2011 and 07.04.2011
       of the High Court of Delhi at New Delhi in Crl. W. P. No. 352 of 2010.
 G           Ms. Vibha Datta Makhija, Sr. Advs., Ms. Tatini Basu, S. S.
       Shamshery, Ms. Kiran Bhardwaj, Ms. Rukmini Bobde, Ms. Binu Tamta,
       V. V. Pattabhi Ram, Sumit Teterwal, Mukesh Kumar Maroria, Ms. B.
       V. Balaram Das, Ashok K. Mahajan, Senthil Jagadeesan, Amarjit Singh
       Bedi, Sarvesh Singh Baghel, Advs. for the appearing parties.
 H
                                       1106
ASIAN RESURFACING OF ROAD AGENCY P. LTD. AND ANR. 1107
       v. CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

       The following Order of the Court was delivered:                              A
                              O R D E R
       1. Heard learned counsel for the parties.
      2. In view of judgment of three Judge Bench dated 28th March,
2018 and after considering the material on record, we do not find any               B
ground to interfere with the order framing charge.
       3. Accordingly, the trial court is directed to proceed with the matter
pending before it. All contentions of the parties are left open which may
be gone into by the trial court. Parties are directed to appear before the
trial court on 14th May, 2018.                                                      C
                                                                               th
        4. To give effect to directions in judgment of this Court dated 28
March, 2018, noted above, we direct that wherever original record has
been summoned by an appellate/revisional court, photocopy/scanned copy
of the same may be kept for its reference and original returned to the
trial courts forthwith.                                                             D
       5. We also direct that if in future the trial court record is summoned,
the trial courts may send photocopy/scanned copy of the record and
retain the original so that the proceedings are not held up. In cases
where specifically original record is required by holding that photocopy
will not serve the purpose, the appellate/revisional court may call for the
                                                                                    E
record only for perusal and the same be returned while keeping a
photocopy/scanned copy of the same.
       6. A copy of this order be sent to all the High Courts.
       The appeals are disposed of.
                                                                                    F

Divya Pandey                                                Appeals disposed of.




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