Basu Dev Sharma vs Sunita Sharma on 13 July, 2026

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    Himachal Pradesh High Court

    Basu Dev Sharma vs Sunita Sharma on 13 July, 2026

                                                                                         2026:HHC:28289
    
    
    
    
          IN THE HIGH COURT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH, SHIMLA
                                                  Cr. MMO No. 629 of 2026
                                                  Reserved on: 22.06.2026
    
    
    
    
                                                                                       .
                                                  Date of Decision: 13.07.2026
    
    
    
    
    
        Basu Dev Sharma                                                              ...Petitioner
    
    
    
    
    
                                                Versus
    
        Sunita Sharma                                                         ...Respondent
    
    
    
    
                                                        of
        Coram
    
        Hon'ble Mr Justice Rakesh Kainthla, Judge.
    
    
        For the Petitioner
                            rt
        Whether approved for reporting?1
                                                    :
                                                           No.
                                                           Mr Deepak Sharma, Advocate.
    
        For Respondent                              :      Nemo
    
    
    
        Rakesh Kainthla, Judge
    

    The petitioner has filed the present petition for setting

    aside the order dated 06.04.2026, passed by the learned Additional

    SPONSORED

    Sessions Judge-II, Shimla (Camp at Theog), District Shimla, H.P.

    (learned Revisional Court), vide which the order dated 02.11.2023

    passed by the learned Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Theog,

    District Shimla (learned Trial Court), was upheld. (The petitioner

    hereinafter be referred to in the same manner as they were arrayed

    before the learned Trial Court for convenience).

    1

    Whether reporters of Local Papers may be allowed to see the judgment? Yes.

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    2. Briefly stated, the facts giving rise to the present

    petition are that the respondent (Complainant before learned Trial

    .

    Court) filed a complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable

    Instruments Act (NI Act) before learned Additional Chief Judicial

    Magistrate, Theog, District Shimla, HP., which was registered as

    Criminal Case No. 183 of 2020. The learned Trial Court held vide

    of
    judgment dated 18.01.2023 that the complaint was premature, and

    dismissed the complaint.

    3.
    rt
    The complainant filed a fresh complaint before the

    Learned Trial Court along with an application under Section 142 of

    the NI Act for condonation of the delay in filing the complaint. It

    was asserted that the earlier complaint was held to be premature

    and the complainant was entitled to file a fresh complaint in terms

    of the judgment of Hon’ble Supreme Court in Yogendra Pratap

    Singh vs. Savitri Pandey 2014(10) SCC 713 and Gajanand Burange v.

    Laxmi Chand Goyal, 2022 SCC OnLine SC 1711. The delay occurred

    because of the prosecution of the earlier complaint. Hence, it was

    prayed that the delay be condoned.

    4. Notice of the application was issued to the accused (the

    petitioner in the present petition), who filed a reply asserting that

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    the complaint was to be filed within one month from the date of

    the decision in the earlier complaint and only then the delay in

    .

    filing the complaint would be treated to have been condoned

    under Proviso (b) of Section 142 of the N.I. Act. In the present case,

    the complaint was filed on 21.02.2023, beyond one month. There

    was a delay of 34 days from the date of the decision, and the fresh

    of
    complaint was time-barred. Therefore, it was prayed that the

    present application be dismissed.

    5.
    rt
    Learned Trial Court held that the complainant was

    diligently prosecuting the earlier complaint with effect from

    11.03.2020 till 18.01.2023. The time between 19.01.2023 and

    27.01.2023 was spent in preparing the certified copy and was to be

    excluded. The complainant had a sufficient cause for the

    condonation of the delay. Hence, the delay was condoned.

    6. Being aggrieved by the order passed by the learned

    Trial Court, the accused filed a revision, which was decided by the

    learned Additional Session Judge No. II, Shimla, (Camp at Theog),

    District Shimla, H.P. (learned Revisional Court). Learned

    Revisional Court held that the complainant could have filed a

    complaint within one month of the dismissal of her earlier

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    complaint. The application was filed on 04.02.2023, which was

    within one month. Learned Trial Court had rightly condoned the

    .

    delay. Hence, the revision was dismissed.

    7. Being aggrieved by the orders passed by the learned

    Courts below, the petitioner/accused has filed the present

    petition, asserting that the learned Courts below failed to properly

    of
    appreciate the material on record. The complaint was dismissed

    on 18.01.2023, and no liberty was granted to file a fresh complaint.

    rt
    Learned Trial Court erred in entertaining a fresh complaint in the

    absence of liberty. The complainant had failed to disclose any

    sufficient cause for condonation of the delay. The complaint was

    filed on 21.02.2023, and the delay was mechanically condoned.

    Therefore, it was prayed that the present petition be allowed and

    the orders passed by the learned Courts below be set aside.

    8. Mr Deepak Sharma, learned counsel for the

    petitioner/accused, submitted that the learned Trial court erred in

    condoning the delay in filing the second complaint. No liberty was

    granted to the complainant to file a fresh complaint, and the

    second complaint was not maintainable. The term sufficient cause

    has to be strictly construed, and there was no sufficient cause in

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    the present case. Hence, he prayed that the present petition be

    allowed and the order passed by the learned Courts below be set

    .

    aside. He relied upon the following judgments in support of his

    submissions: –

     N. Mohandoss vs. The Management of Darasuram
    & anr. W.P. No. 37399 of 20024, decided on
    08.07.2021;

    of
     K.B.Lal (Krishna Bahadur Lal) vs. Gyanendra Pratap
    & ors. 2024: INSC 281;

     State (NCT of Delhi) vs. Ahmed Jaan 2008(14)SCC
    rt582;

     Pathapati Subba Reddy (died) by LRs & Ors. vs. The
    special Deputy Collector (LA) 2024 INSC 286;

     Sarguja Transport Service vs. State Transport
    Appellate Tribunal
    1987 SCC (1) 5; and
     Gajanand Burange v. Laxmi Chand Goyal, 2022 SCC
    OnLine SC 1711.

    9. I have given a considerable thought to the submissions

    made at the bar and have gone through the records carefully.

    10. It is undisputed that the petitioner had filed a revision

    before the learned Revisional Court, which was dismissed by the

    learned Revisional Court. It was laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme

    Court in Krishnan Vs. In Krishnaveni (1997) 4 SCC 241 that the High

    Court can intervene under Section 482 of CrPC (corresponding to

    Section 528 of BNSS) when there is a grave miscarriage of justice

    or abuse of the process of the Court. It was observed:

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    “10. Ordinarily, when revision has been barred by Section
    397(3) of the Code, a person — accused/complainant —

    cannot be allowed to take recourse to the revision to the
    High Court under Section 397(1) or inherent powers of the

    .

    High Court under Section 482 of the Code since it may

    amount to circumvention of the provisions of Section
    397(3) or Section 397(2) of the Code. It is seen that the High
    Court has suo motu power under Section 401 and continuous

    supervisory jurisdiction under Section 483 of the Code. So,
    when the High Court on examination of the record finds
    that there is a grave miscarriage of justice or abuse of the

    of
    process of the courts or the required statutory procedure
    has not been complied with or there is failure of justice or
    order passed or sentence imposed by the Magistrate
    requires correction, it is but the duty of the High Court to
    rt
    have it corrected at the inception lest grave miscarriage of
    justice would ensue. It is, therefore, to meet the ends of
    justice or to prevent abuse of the process that the High

    Court is preserved with inherent power and would be
    justified, under such circumstances, to exercise the
    inherent power and, in an appropriate case, even revisional
    power under Section 397(1) read with Section 401 of the

    Code. As stated earlier, it may be exercised sparingly to
    avoid needless multiplicity of procedure, unnecessary delay
    in trial and protraction of proceedings. The object of a

    criminal trial is to render public justice, to punish the
    criminal and to see that the trial is concluded expeditiously

    before the memory of the witness fades out. The recent
    trend is to delay the trial and threaten the witness or to win
    over the witness by promise or inducement. These

    malpractices need to be curbed, and public justice can be
    ensured only when the trial is conducted expeditiously.

    11. In Madhu Limaye v. State of Maharashtra [(1977) 4 SCC
    551: 1978 SCC (Cri) 10], a three-judge Bench was to consider
    the scope of the power of the High Court under Section 482
    and Section 397(2) of the Code. This Court held that the bar
    on the power of revision was put to facilitate expedient
    disposal of the cases, but in Section 482, it is provided that

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    nothing in the Code, which would include Section 397(2)
    also, shall be deemed to limit or affect the inherent powers
    of the High Court. On a harmonious construction of the said
    two provisions on this behalf, it was held that though the

    .

    High Court has no power of revision in an interlocutory

    order, still the inherent power will come into play when
    there is no provision for redressal of the grievance of the
    aggrieved party. In that case, when allegations of

    defamatory statements were published in the newspapers
    against the Law Minister, the State Government decided to
    prosecute the appellant for an offence under Section 500

    of
    IPC. After obtaining the sanction, on a complaint made by
    the public prosecutor, cognisance of the commission of the
    offence by the appellant was taken to trial in the Sessions
    Court. Thereafter, the appellant filed an application to
    rt
    dismiss the complaint on the ground that the court had no
    jurisdiction to entertain the complaint. The Sessions Judge
    rejected all the contentions and framed the charges under

    Section 406. The Order of the Sessions Judge was
    challenged in revision in the High Court. On a preliminary
    objection raised on maintainability, this Court held that the
    power of the High Court to entertain the revision was not

    taken away under Section 397 or inherent power under
    Section 482 of the Code.

    12. In V.C. Shukla v. State through CBI [1980 Supp SCC 92: 1980
    SCC (Cri) 695: (1980) 2 SCR 380] (SCR at p. 393), a four-judge

    Bench per majority held that sub-section (3) of Section 397,
    however, does not limit at all the inherent powers of the
    High Court contained in Section 482. It merely curbs the

    revisional power given to the High Court or the Sessions
    Court under Section 397(1) of the Code. In the Rajan Kumar
    Machananda case [1990 Supp SCC 132: 1990 SCC (Cri) 537],
    the case related to the release of a truck from attachment,
    obviously on the filing of an interlocutory application. It
    was contended that there was a prohibition on the revision
    by operation of Section 397(2) of the Code. In that context,
    it was held that it was not reviewable under Section 482 in
    the exercise of inherent powers by operation of sub-section

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    (3) of Section 397. On the facts in that case, it was held that
    by provisions contained in Section 397(3), the revision is
    not maintainable. In the Dharampal case [(1993) 1 SCC 435:

    1993 SCC (Cri) 333], which related to the exercise of power to

    .

    issue an order of attachment under Section 146 of the Code,

    it was held that the inherent power under Section 482 was
    prohibited. On the facts, in that case, it could be said that
    the learned Judges would be justified in holding that it was

    not revisable since it was a prohibitory interim order of
    attachment covered under Section 397(2) of the Code but
    the observations of the learned Judges that the High Court

    of
    had no power under Section 482 of the Code were not
    correct in view of the ratio of this Court in Madhu Limaye
    case [(1977) 4 SCC 551: 1978 SCC (Cri) 10] as upheld in V.C.
    Shukla
    case [1980 Supp SCC 92: 1980 SCC (Cri) 695 : (1980) 2
    rt
    SCR 380] and also in view of our observations stated earlier.
    The ratio in the Deepti case [(1995) 5 SCC 751: 1995 SCC (Cri)
    1020] is also not apposite to the facts in the present case. To

    the contrary, in that case, an application for discharge of
    the accused was filed in the Court of the Magistrate for an
    offence under Section 498-A IPC. The learned Magistrate
    and the Sessions Judge dismissed the petition. In the

    revision at the instance of the accused, on a wrong
    concession made by the counsel appearing for the State that
    the record did not contain allegations constituting the

    offence under Section 498-A, the High Court, without
    applying its mind, had discharged the accused. On appeal,

    this Court, after going through the record, noted that the
    concession made by the counsel was wrong. The record did
    contain the allegations to prove the charge under Section

    498-A IPC. The High Court, since it failed to apply its mind,
    had committed an error of law in discharging the accused,
    leading to the miscarriage of justice. In that context, this
    Court held that the order of the Sessions Judge operated as a
    bar to entertain the application under Section 482 of the
    Code. In view of the fact that the order of the High Court
    had led to the miscarriage of justice, this Court had set aside
    the order of the High Court and confirmed that of the
    Magistrate.

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    13. The ratio of the Simrikhia case [(1990) 2 SCC 437: 1990
    SCC (Cri) 327] has no application to the facts in this case.
    Therein, on a private complaint filed under Sections 452
    and 323 IPC, the Judicial Magistrate, First Class, had taken

    .

    cognisance of the offence. He transferred the case for

    inquiry under Section 202 of the Code to the Second-Class
    Magistrate, who, after examining the witnesses, issued a
    process to the accused. The High Court, exercising the

    power under Section 482, dismissed the revision. But
    subsequently, on an application filed under Section 482 of
    the Code, the High Court corrected it. The question was

    of
    whether the High Court was right in reviewing its order. In
    that factual backdrop, this Court held that the High Court
    could not exercise inherent power for the second time. The
    ratio therein, as stated above, has no application to the
    rt
    facts in this case.

    14. In view of the above discussion, we hold that though the

    revision before the High Court under sub-section (1) of
    Section 397 is prohibited by sub-section (3) thereof,
    inherent power of the High Court is still available under
    Section 482 of the Code and as it is paramount power of

    continuous superintendence of the High Court under
    Section 483, the High Court is justified in interfering with
    the order leading to miscarriage of justice and in setting

    aside the order of the courts below. It remitted the case to
    the Magistrate for a decision on the merits after

    consideration of the evidence. We make it clear that we have
    not gone into the merits of the case. Since the High Court
    has left the matter to be considered by the Magistrate, it

    would be inappropriate at this stage to go into that
    question. We have only considered the issue of power and
    jurisdiction of the High Court in the context of the
    revisional power under Section 397(1) read with Section
    397(3) and the inherent powers. We do not find any
    justification warranting interference in the appeal.”

    11. This position was reiterated in Rajinder Prasad v.

    Bashir, (2001) 8 SCC 522, wherein it was held:

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    “…though the power of the High Court under Section 482 of
    the Code is very wide, the same must be exercised sparingly
    and cautiously, particularly in a case where the petitioner is
    shown to have already invoked the revisional jurisdiction

    .

    under Section 397 of the Code. Only in cases where the High

    Court finds that there has been a failure of justice or misuse
    of judicial mechanism or procedure, a sentence or order was
    not correct, the High Court may, in its discretion, prevent

    the abuse of the process or miscarriage of justice by
    exercise of jurisdiction under Section 482 of the Code. It
    was further held, “Ordinarily, when revision has been

    of
    barred by Section 397(3) of the Code, a person –
    accused/complainant – cannot be allowed to take recourse
    to the revision to the High Court under Section 397(1) or
    inherent powers of the High Court under Section 482 of the
    rt
    Code since it may amount to circumvention of provisions of
    Section 397(3) or Section 397(2) of the Code.”

    12. A similar view was taken in Kailash Verma v. Punjab

    State Civil Supplies Corporation, (2005) 2 SCC 571, and it was held:

    “5. It may also be noticed that this Court in Rajathi v. C.
    Ganesan
    [(1999) 6 SCC 326: 1999 SCC (Cri) 1118] said that the
    power under Section 482 of the Criminal Procedure Code

    has to be exercised sparingly and such power shall not be
    utilised as a substitute for second revision. Ordinarily, when

    a revision has been barred under Section 397(3) of the Code,
    the complainant or the accused cannot be allowed to take
    recourse to revision before the High Court under Section

    397(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code, as it is prohibited
    under Section 397(3) thereof. However, the High Court can
    entertain a petition under Section 482 of the Criminal
    Procedure Code when there is a serious miscarriage of
    justice and abuse of the process of the court or when
    mandatory provisions of the law are not complied with and
    when the High Court feels that the inherent jurisdiction is
    to be exercised to correct the mistake committed by the
    revisional court.”

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    13. This position was reiterated in Shakuntala Devi v.

    Chamru Mahto, (2009) 3 SCC 310: (2009) 2 SCC (Cri) 8: 2009 SCC

    .

    OnLine SC 292, wherein it was observed: –

    “24. It is well settled that the object of the introduction of
    sub-section (3) in Section 397 was to prevent a second

    revision to avoid frivolous litigation, but, at the same time,
    the doors to the High Court to a litigant who had lost before
    the Sessions Judge were not completely closed, and in

    of
    special cases, the bar under Section 397(3) could be lifted.
    In other words, the power of the High Court to entertain a
    petition under Section 482 was not subject to the
    prohibition under sub-section (3) of Section 397 of the
    rt
    Code and was capable of being invoked in appropriate cases.
    Mr Sanyal’s contention that there was a complete bar under
    Section 397(3) of the Code, debarring the High Court from

    entertaining an application under Section 482 thereof, does
    not, therefore, commend itself to us.

    25. On the factual aspect, the Magistrate came to a finding

    that the appellants were entitled to possession of the
    disputed plot. It is true that while making such a declaration
    under Section 145(4) of the Code, the Magistrate could have

    also directed that the appellants be put in possession of the
    same.

    26. The question which is now required to be considered is
    whether the High Court was right in quashing the order
    passed by the Magistrate, which was confirmed by the

    Sessions Judge, on the ground that the application made by
    the appellants under Section 145(6) of the Code was barred
    firstly by limitation under Article 137 of the Limitation Act
    and also by virtue of Section 6 of the Specific Relief Act,
    1963.

    14. Delhi High Court also took a similar view in Surender

    Kumar Jain v. State, ILR (2012) 3 Del 99 and held: —

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    “5. The issue regarding the filing of a petition before the
    High Court after having availed the first revision petition
    before the Court of Sessions has come up before the
    Supreme Court and this Court repeatedly. While laying that

    .

    section 397(3) Cr. P.C. laid the statutory bar of the second

    revision petition, the courts have held that the High Court
    did enjoy inherent power under section 82 (sic) Cr. P.C. as
    well to entertain petitions even in those cases. But that

    power was to be exercised sparingly and with great caution,
    particularly when the person approaching the High Court
    has already availed a remedy of first revision in the Sessions

    of
    Court. This was not that in every case the person aggrieved
    by the order of the first revision court would have the right
    to be heard by the High Court to assail the same order which
    was the subject matter of the revision before the Sessions
    rt
    Court. It all depends not only on the facts and
    circumstances of each case but also on whether the

    impugned order brought about a situation that is an abuse
    of the process of the court, there was a serious miscarriage
    of justice or the mandatory provisions of law were not
    complied with. The power could also be exercised by this

    Court if there was an apparent mistake committed by the
    revisional court. Reference in this regard can be made to the
    judgments of the Supreme Court in Madhu Limave v. State of

    Maharashtra (1977) 4 SCC 551, State of Orissa v. Ram Chander
    Aggarwal, (1979) 2 SCC 305: AIR 1979 SC 87, Rai Kapoor v.

    State (Delhi Administration) 1980 Cri LJ 202, Krishnan v.
    Krishnaveni and Kailash Verma v. Punjab State Civil Supplies
    Corporation
    (2005) 2 SCC 571.”

    15. It is apparent from the judgments that the High Court

    has a limited jurisdiction, and it can rectify a serious miscarriage

    of justice or a breach of a mandatory provision of law while

    exercising its jurisdiction under Section 528 of BNSS

    corresponding to Section 482 of Cr.P.C.

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    16. The Hon’ble Supreme Court had held in Yogendra

    Pratap Singh (supra) that the payee or the holder in due course of

    .

    the cheque may file a fresh complaint within one month from the

    date of the decision in the criminal case, and the delay in filing the

    complaint would be treated as having been condoned under

    Proviso b of Section 142 of the NI Act. This position was

    of
    reiterated in Gajanand Burange (supra), wherein it was observed: –

    5. The issue which is raised in this appeal is no longer res
    integra and is covered by a three-Judge bench decision of
    rt
    this Court in Yogendra Pratap Singh v. Savitri Pandey (2014)
    10 SCC 713. Two issues were formulated for decision before
    the three-Judge Bench, which were:

    “1.1. (i) Can cognisance of an offence punishable under
    Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 be
    taken on the basis of a complaint filed before the expiry

    of the period of 15 days stipulated in the notice required
    to be served upon the drawer of the cheque in terms of
    Section 138(c) of the Act aforementioned? And,

    1.2. (ii) If the answer to Question 1 is in the negative, can
    the complainant be permitted to present the complaint

    again, notwithstanding the fact that the period of one
    month stipulated under Section 142(b) for the filing of
    such a complaint has expired?”

    6. The first issue was resolved by paragraph 35 of the
    judgment, which is extracted below:

    “35. Can an offence under Section 138 of the NI Act
    be said to have been committed when the period
    provided in clause (c) of the proviso has not expired?
    Section 2(d) of the Code defines “complaint”.

    According to this definition, a complaint means any
    allegation made orally or in writing to a Magistrate

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    with a view to taking his action against a person who
    has committed an offence. Commission of an offence
    is a sine qua non for filing a complaint and for taking
    cognisance of such offence. A bare reading of the

    .

    provision contained in clause (c) of the proviso makes

    it clear that no complaint can be filed for an offence
    under Section 138 of the NI Act unless the period of 15
    days has elapsed. Any complaint filed before the

    expiry of 15 days from the date on which the notice
    has been served on the drawer/accused is no
    complaint at all in the eyes of the law. It is not the

    of
    question of prematurity of the complaint where it is
    filed before the expiry of 15 days from the date on
    which notice has been served on him; it is no
    rt complaint at all under the law. As a matter of fact,
    Section 142 of the NI Act, inter alia, creates a legal bar
    on the court from taking cognisance of an offence

    under Section 138 except upon a written complaint.
    Since a complaint filed under Section 138 of the NI Act
    before the expiry of 15 days from the date on which
    the notice has been served on the drawer/accused is

    no complaint in the eye of the law, obviously, no
    cognisance of an offence can be taken on the basis of
    such a complaint. Merely because at the time of

    taking cognizance by the court, the period of 15 days
    has expired from the date on which notice has been

    served on the drawer/accused, the court is not
    clothed with the jurisdiction to take cognizance of an
    offence under Section 138 on a complaint filed before

    the expiry of 15 days from the date of receipt of notice
    by the drawer of the cheque.”

    7. In the present case, while the notice was received by the
    appellant on 8 November 2005, the complaint was filed
    before the period of fifteen days was complete. The
    complaint could have been filed only after 23 November
    2005, but was filed on 22 November 2005. In view of the
    legal bar which is created by Section 142 of the NI Act, as
    explained in the three-Judge Bench decision of this Court,

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    taking of cognisance by the Court was contrary to the law
    and the complaint was not maintainable before the expiry
    of the period of fifteen days from the date of its receipt by
    the appellant.

    .

    8. However, on behalf of the respondent, it has been urged
    that the second issue, which was raised before the three-
    Judge Bench, has been dealt with in the following terms:

    “41… Now, since our answer to Question (i) is in the
    negative, we observe that the payee or the holder in
    due course of the cheque may file a fresh complaint

    of
    within one month from the date of decision in the
    criminal case and, in that event, delay in filing the
    complaint will be treated as having been condoned
    rtunder the proviso to clause (b) of Section 142 of the
    NI Act. This direction shall be deemed to apply to all
    such pending cases where the complaint does not

    proceed further in view of our answer to Question (i).
    As we have already held that a complaint filed before
    the expiry of 15 days from the date of receipt of notice
    issued under clause (c) of the proviso to Section 138 is

    not maintainable, the complainant cannot be
    permitted to present the very same complaint at any
    later stage. His remedy is only to file a fresh
    complaint, and if the same could not be filed within

    the time prescribed under Section 142(b), his

    recourse is to seek the benefit of the proviso,
    satisfying the court of sufficient cause. Question (ii) is
    answered accordingly.”

    9. We are of the view that the respondent would be entitled
    to the benefit of the determination on the second issue, as
    extracted above.

    17. Thus, it is apparent that the Hon’ble Supreme Court

    had itself granted the liberty to file a fresh complaint, where the

    complaint was found to be premature, and the submission that a

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    2026:HHC:28289

    fresh complaint was not maintainable in the absence of the

    permission cannot be accepted. The Code of Criminal Procedure

    .

    (CrPC) does not contemplate the granting of permission to file a

    fresh complaint, and the learned Trial Court could not have

    granted any such permission. However, the Hon’ble Supreme

    Court had a jurisdiction under Article 142 of the Constitution of

    of
    India to grant such a benefit, which was granted and would be

    available to the complainant in the present case as well. Thus, the
    rt
    judgment cited on behalf of the petitioner in Sarguja Transport

    Service (supra) does not apply to the present case.

    18. Both the learned courts below have concurrently held

    that the complaint was filed on 04.02.2023, and it was filed within

    one month from 18.01.2023, the date of dismissal of the earlier

    complaint. Thus, the submission that the complaint was filed

    beyond one month cannot be accepted, and the judgments in N.

    Mohandoss (supra), K.B. Lal (supra) and Ahmed Jaan (supra) dealing

    with the interpretation of the term ‘sufficient cause’ do not apply

    to the present case.

    19. An attempt was made before this Court to demonstrate

    from the data downloaded from the e-Courts that the complaint

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    17
    2026:HHC:28289

    was filed on 21.02.2023, which was beyond the period of one

    month. This document will not help the petitioner because the

    .

    date of filing is usually mentioned as the date when the Court

    applies its mind and not when the complaint is actually filed

    before the Court. Since, in the present case, the date when the

    complaint was actually filed is material, the findings recorded by

    of
    the learned Courts below have to be preferred to the endorsement

    made on the website of the e-Courts.

    20.
    rt
    Thus, the very basis of the petition that the complaint

    was beyond the period of one month is fallacious, and the learned

    Courts below had rightly rejected the objections preferred by the

    petitioner/accused. No interference is required with the

    judgments/orders passed by the learned Courts below.

    21. No other point was urged.

    22. In view of the above, the present petition fails, and it is

    dismissed. The pending application(s), if any, also stand disposed

    of.

    (Rakesh Kainthla)
    13th
    July, 2026. Judge
    (ravinder)

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