Rasikbhai Shamjibhai Chovatiya vs State Of Gujarat on 31 July, 2026

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    Rasikbhai Shamjibhai Chovatiya vs State Of Gujarat on 31 July, 2026

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                              R/CR.MA/22270/2021                                   JUDGMENT DATED: 31/07/2026
    
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                                       IN THE HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT AT AHMEDABAD
    
                                R/CRIMINAL MISC.APPLICATION (FOR QUASHING & SET ASIDE
                                              FIR/ORDER) NO. 22270 of 2021
    
                          FOR APPROVAL AND SIGNATURE:
    
                         HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE P. M. RAVAL
                          ==========================================================
    
                                       Approved for Reporting                    Yes           No
    
                         ==========================================================
                                                   RASIKBHAI SHAMJIBHAI CHOVATIYA
                                                                Versus
                                                      STATE OF GUJARAT & ANR.
                         ==========================================================
                         Appearance:
                         APURVA K JANI(7057) for the Applicant(s) No. 1
                         KM ANTANI APP for the Respondent(s) No. 1
                         VAIBHAVI D RAVAL(8466) for the Respondent(s) No. 2
                         ==========================================================
                            CORAM:HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE P. M. RAVAL
    
                                                             Date: 31/07/2026
    
                                                            ORAL JUDGMENT

    1. Issue Rule. By consent, rule is fixed forthwith. Learned APP
    waives service of Rule on behalf of Respondent State. Learned
    Advocate Ms. Vaibhavi D Raval waives service of rule for
    Respondent No. 2.

    1.1 By way of the present petition filed under Section 482 of
    the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the petitioner has prayed
    to quash and set aside the FIR being CR No. 37/2019 lodged with
    Manavadar Police Station, District Junagadh, for the offences
    punishable under Section 306 and 114 of the Indian Penal Code,
    1860 alongwith Section 5,40 and 42 of the Gujarat Money
    Lenders Act, 2011 and Criminal proceeding arising out thereof
    being Criminal Case No. 128/2020 pending before Ld. Judicial
    Magistrate First Class, Manavadar.

    SPONSORED

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    2. Brief facts of the FIR are as follows:-

    The original Complainant appearing in person at Manavadar
    Government Hospital, and give his complaint in writing that:-

    “I have been residing at the above-mentioned address in Rajkot
    along with my parents for the last twenty years. My father’s children
    consist of myself and my younger sister Rusha (aged 14 years). My father
    and I run a scrap business in Rajkot. My father has been in this business
    for about the last fifteen years, and I assist him in it.

    For about the last five years, certain merchants and financiers in
    Rajkot were lending their capital on interest to other people at the rate of
    3%. Therefore, they used to contact my father to lend their money out on
    interest. My father acted as a mediator and got money financed through
    his contacts. Upon receiving interest on the financed money, my father
    would sometimes hand it over to the principal party, and sometimes the
    parties directly managed the interest transactions. Thus, my father acted
    as an intermediary.

    Sometimes, when the loaned money was not returned, the principal
    parties used to call my father and sometimes come in person to torture
    him. Regarding this matter, Ramnikbhai Virjibhai Vikani, a resident of
    Rajkot, had come to our office, at which time I was also present. At that
    time, he quarreled with my father and threatened to implicate him in a
    police case. As a result, my father was under constant mental tension.
    Money owed to us by merchants in Rajkot city was also not being
    returned, while creditors were frequently demanding recovery. Among
    them, there was continuous mental harassment for the last two years
    from: 1. Ramnikbhai Virjibhai Vikani (Residing in Rajkot) 2. Rasikbhai
    Shamjibhai Chovatiya (Residing in Rajkot) 3. Narendrabhai alias
    Munnabhai Ghetiya (Residing in Rajkot)

    Yesterday, on 05/08/2019, until around 1:30 to 2:00 AM at night,
    my father was present at our house in Rajkot. When my mother woke up
    from her sleep, my father was sitting in the room writing something. My
    mother asked him to go to sleep, and then she went back to sleep. This
    morning, when we woke up, my father was not found at home. Upon
    searching nearby and calling my father, his mobile phone was found to
    be switched off.

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    I then called my elder uncle’s son, Tusharbhai, and learned that
    my father had gone to Jilana because our grandmother in the family had
    passed away. Therefore, my mother and I immediately left for Jilana and
    reached there at around 12:30 PM. Upon reaching, we came to know
    that my father had committed suicide by hanging himself with a rope tied
    to a crossbeam inside a room at our farm/field, and his body had been
    taken to Manavadar Government Hospital for a post-mortem
    examination. Hence, I immediately came to the hospital, and upon seeing
    my father, he was dead, with hanging marks visible around his neck.

    The reason for this incident is that through my father’s contacts,
    merchants and financiers of Rajkot were lending money on interest.
    When the borrowers failed to return the money, the principal parties
    repeatedly tortured and threatened my father. In this matter,
    approximately 1,00,00,000 (Rupees One Crore) belonging to (1)
    Rasikbhai Shamjibhai Chovatiya, (2) Ramnikbhai Virjibhai Vikani, and
    (3) Narendrabhai alias Munnabhai Ghetiya (all three residents of
    Rajkot) was stuck. These people were frequently making recovery
    demands from my father, and money had also been facilitated to other
    people through him. Due to the severe mental harassment by these
    people, my father was forced to come to our village, Jilana, and died by
    hanging himself in a room at the farm. Therefore, it is my complaint to
    take appropriate legal action against the above-mentioned individuals.

    This much is the fact of my complaint, which is correct and true as
    narrated by me.”

    3. Learned advocate Mr. Apurva K Jani, would submit that:-

    3.1 That the complainant had borrowed money to the tune of
    Rs. 25 lakhs on account of a friendly relationship with the present
    applicant, and, in fact, a promissory note was also executed for
    the said amount between the parties. The deceased himself had
    issued five cheques towards repayment of the aforesaid amount
    upon the assurance that the said amount would be returned to
    the applicant within a period of two months. Owing to the friendly
    relationship, the applicant did not demand repayment

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    immediately. However, even after seven months, when the
    cheques came to be deposited, the same were dishonoured on
    account of insufficiency of funds, for which demand notices under
    Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, were
    issued.

    3.2 It is further argued that statement of the complainant dated
    10.07.19 was also recorded based on a premise that he found out
    a suicide note, and while the complainant had originally named
    three persons responsible for the death of the deceased, in fact,
    there were as many as 11 persons who were responsible, as
    noted in the suicide note, wherein various persons had lent
    money through the deceased to different borrowers, and
    ultimately, when the original borrowers were unable to pay the
    deceased and was being pressurized to return the money, there
    was pressure from the said money lenders, and thus, the suicide
    note, the deceased implicated all the accused all the persons
    stated in the said suicide note in a like manner.

    3.3 Thus, it is apparent from the aforesaid statement given by
    the complainant that he attempted to coerce a settlement with
    the accused in one manner or another and thereafter gave them
    a clean chit. However, since the petitioners and the other two
    accused did not succumb to the alleged illegal demands made by
    the complainant, the petitioner came to be named in the FIR. It is
    further submitted that there was no proof of any writing or any
    other accounts with regard to the eight persons named in the
    suicide note, except in respect of the three persons named in the
    FIR.

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    3.4 However, he further stated that his father acted as a
    mediator and that he did not know who had lent such money or
    for what purpose, coupled with the fact that his father had two
    firms, namely, Bhumi Lamination and Bhumi Enterprise. However,
    after demonetisation, the business was badly affected. Under
    such circumstances, when the complainant could not settle the
    dispute with the three accused named in the FIR and, having
    given a clean chit to the other persons named in the suicide note,
    the present applicant and the other two accused stood on the
    same footing as the other persons named in the suicide note. As
    the complainant also did not possess any writing, proof, account,
    or any other evidence in respect of the alleged transactions
    involving the applicant, he included the name of the present
    petitioner in the FIR with mala fide intention to pressurize him.

    3.5 It is further submitted that the complainant is facing
    prosecution under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act,
    1881, wherein the present petitioner is the complainant, and is
    facing five criminal cases pending before the learned 5th
    Additional Senior Civil Judge and Additional Chief Judicial
    Magistrate, Rajkot. It is further submitted that the aforesaid cases
    were filed on 28.08.2019 after issuance of the statutory demand
    notice. However, the FIR in question was lodged on 09.08.2019,
    whereas the further statement of the complainant was recorded
    on 21.01.2020 in order to avoid the liability arising from the
    proceedings under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments
    Act, 1881, which were initiated by the present petitioner.

    3.6 Thus, the present case of the petitioner squarely falls within
    the criteria laid down by the Honourable Supreme Court in the

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    case of State of Haryana vs. Bhajan Lal, reported in AIR
    1992 SC 604.

    3.7 Learned advocate would further submit that the deceased,
    having borrowed money from the present petitioner and having
    allegedly failed to repay the amount, under the circumstances,
    even assuming for the moment, for the sake of argument, that
    the petitioner was constantly demanding repayment of the
    money and was also threatening the deceased, such conduct
    would not bring the case within the four corners of Section 306 of
    the Indian Penal Code. It is, therefore, submitted that the present
    petition deserves to be allowed.

    3.8 Lastly, the learned advocate for the petitioner has placed
    on record a further affidavit of the original complainant,
    respondent No. 2, inter alia stating that, on account of the
    intervention of mutual friends and well-wishers, and having found
    no other material against the petitioner in respect of the alleged
    offences, the disputes between the complainant and the
    applicant have been amicably settled. The complainant has also
    agreed to have the conviction set aside by recording a settlement
    in the proceedings under Section 138 of the Negotiable
    Instruments Act, 1881, and has filed the present affidavit stating
    that the FIR in question be quashed and set aside.

    4. Per contra, learned advocate Mr. Vaibhavi D. Raval for the
    complainant would submit that she has no objection if the FIR is
    quashed and set aside in view of the settlement arrived at
    between the parties.

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    5. Per contra, the learned APP would submit that grave
    offences under the Gujarat Money Lenders Act, 2011 and Section
    306
    of the Indian Penal Code are alleged against the present
    petitioner, which fall within the category of heinous and serious
    offences and are to be treated as crimes against society rather
    than against an individual. Therefore, the offence under Section
    306
    of the Indian Penal Code cannot be quashed in the exercise
    of powers under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure
    merely on the ground that the complainant and the petitioner
    have resolved their entire dispute among themselves. The
    learned APP has, therefore, argued that the present petition
    deserves to be rejected.

    6. The affidavit of the original respondent No. 2, tendered
    across the Bar before this Court, is taken on record. The fact that
    the Honourable Supreme Court in the case of State of M.P. vs.
    Laxminarayan
    reported in (2019) 5 SCC 688 has held as
    follows:

    “15. Considering the law on the point and the other decisions of this
    Court on the point, referred to hereinabove, it is observed and held as
    under:

    15.1 that the power conferred under Section 482 of the Code
    to quash the criminal proceedings for the non-compoundable
    offences under Section 320 of the Code can be exercised
    having overwhelmingly and predominantly the civil character,
    particularly those arising out of commercial transactions or
    arising out of matrimonial relationship or family disputes and
    when the parties have resolved the entire dispute amongst
    themselves;

    15.2 such power is not to be exercised in those prosecutions
    which involved heinous and serious offences of mental

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    depravity or offences like murder, rape, dacoity, etc. Such
    offences are not private in nature and have a serious impact on
    society;

    15.3 similarly, such power is not to be exercised for the
    offences under the special statutes like Prevention of
    Corruption Act
    or the offences committed by public servants
    while working in that capacity are not to be quashed merely on
    the basis of compromise between the victim and the offender;

    15.4 offences under Section 307 IPC and the Arms Act etc.
    would fall in the category of heinous and serious offences and
    therefore are to be treated as crime against the society and not
    against the individual alone, and therefore, the criminal
    proceedings for the offence under Section 307 IPC and/or the
    Arms Act etc. which have a serious impact on the society
    cannot be quashed in exercise of powers under Section 482 of
    the Code, on the ground that the parties have resolved their
    entire dispute amongst themselves. However, the High Court
    would not rest its decision merely because there is a mention of
    Section 307 IPC in the FIR or the charge is framed under this
    provision. It would be open to the High Court to examine as to
    whether incorporation of Section 307 IPC is there for the sake
    of it or the prosecution has collected sufficient evidence, which
    if proved, would lead to framing the charge under Section 307
    IPC. For this purpose, it would be open to the High Court to
    go by the nature of injury sustained, whether such injury is
    inflicted on the vital/delegate parts of the body, nature of
    weapons used etc. However, such an exercise by the High
    Court would be permissible only after the evidence is collected
    after investigation and the charge sheet is filed/charge is
    framed and/or during the trial. Such exercise is not permissible
    when the matter is still under investigation.Therefore, the
    ultimate conclusion in paragraphs 29.6 and 29.7 of the
    decision of this Court in the case of Narinder Singh (supra)
    should be read harmoniously and to be read as a whole and in
    the circumstances stated hereinabove;

    15.5 while exercising the power under Section 482 of the
    Code to quash the criminal proceedings in respect of non-

    compoundable offences, which are private in nature and do not

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    have a serious impart on society, on the ground that there is a
    settlement/compromise between the victim and the offender, the
    High Court is required to consider the antecedents of the
    accused; the conduct of the accused, namely, whether the
    accused was absconding and why he was absconding, how he
    had managed with the complainant to enter into a compromise,
    etc.”

    In view of the aforesaid principles, without considering the
    settlement, this Court is now deciding the present petition on the
    merits.

    6.1 From a reading of the entire FIR, what is stated by the
    informant, namely the son of the deceased, is that due to severe
    mental harassment by the three accused persons, namely the
    present petitioner, Rasikbhai Shamjibhai Chovatia, and two other
    persons, namely Ramanikbhai Virjibhai Vikani and Narendrabhai
    alias Munnabhai Ghetia, his father was forced to come to Village
    Jilana and committed suicide by hanging, as he owed
    approximately ₹1 crore to these persons. It is alleged that these
    persons repeatedly taunted and threatened his father when the
    borrowers failed to repay the money. From the charge-sheet
    papers and the further statement of the informant dated
    21.01.2020, it is stated that the present petitioner and the two
    other persons, who had advanced money to the father of the
    informant at interest, used to constantly demand repayment of
    the money and are alleged to have threatened or otherwise
    harassed the deceased. However, the nature of the alleged
    torture is not stated in a single word by the informant, either in
    the FIR or in his further statement dated 21.01.2020.

    6.2 As far as the statement dated 21.01.2020 is concerned,

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    apart from the three original accused named in the FIR, there
    were eight other persons from whom his father had borrowed
    money, which was further advanced to other persons who
    required financial assistance. In the said statement dated
    21.01.2020, the informant further stated that the entire
    transactions were between his father and the aforesaid persons,
    and that he did not have any proof or accounts with regard to the
    money transactions between them, including how much money
    was advanced to other persons and how such money was utilized
    by his father.

    6.3 It is also stated in the said statement that Bhumi
    Lamination and Bhumi Enterprise were the two firms facing
    financial constraints after demonetisation, and their businesses
    were also badly affected. They were carrying on very meagre
    business during that period. In 2019, on the date of declaration of
    the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the GST Department also
    conducted a raid, after which the business was completely shut
    down. According to the informant, it was because of the present
    petitioner and two other persons, namely Ramanik Virji and
    Narendra Ghetia, that his father died by suicide. However, there
    is no proof with regard to the involvement of other persons, but
    in the suicide note itself, his father had written the names of
    these three persons.

    6.4 Even if the suicide note is taken into account, what has
    been stated is that Rasikbhai Chovatia, Ramnikbhai Vikani, and
    Narendrabhai Ghetia have compelled him to commit suicide.
    What has been further stated is that Rasikbhai Chovatia has
    lodged a case on his 23-years-old son for 25 lakh rupees, and

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    also threatens that his son Meet will be killed. Lastly, it is stated
    that, “I am committing suicide because of the torture of the
    lenders.”

    6.5 Even from the reading of the suicide note, what did the
    lenders torture is not coming on record.

    6.6 The Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of Mahendra Awase
    vs The State Of Madhya Pradesh
    reported in (2025) 4 SCC 801
    has held in para 10 to 19 as under:-

    “10. Section 306 of the IPC reads as under:-

    “306. Abetment of suicide. If any person commits suicide,
    whoever abets the commission of such suicide, shall be
    punished with imprisonment of either description for a term
    which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to
    fine.”

    11. Section 107 of the IPC reads as under:-

    “107. Abetment of a thing.-A person abets the doing of a
    thing, who-

    First. – Instigates any person to do that thing; or Secondly. –
    Engages with one or more other person or persons in any
    conspiracy for the doing of that thing, if an act or illegal
    omission takes place in pursuance of that conspiracy, and
    in order to the doing of that thing; or Thirdly. – Intentionally
    aids, by any act or illegal omission, the doing of that thing.”

    12. As is clear from the plain language of the Sections to
    attract the ingredient of Section 306, the accused should have
    abetted the commission of a suicide. A person abets the doing of
    a thing who Firstly – instigates any person to do that thing or
    Secondly – engages with one or more other person or persons in
    any conspiracy for the doing of that thing, if an act or illegal
    omission takes place in pursuance of that conspiracy, and in
    order to the doing of that thing or Thirdly – intentionally aids, by
    any act or illegal omission, the doing of that thing.

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    13. In Swamy Prahaladdas vs. State of M.P. and Another, the
    appellant remarked to the deceased that ‘go and die’ and the
    deceased thereafter, committed suicide. This Court held that:- (SCC
    p.439, para 3)
    “3. …Those words are casual nature which are often
    employed in the heat of the moment between quarrelling
    people. Nothing serious is expected to follow thereafter. The
    said act does not reflect the requisite ‘mens rea’ on the
    assumption that these words would be carried out in all
    events. …”

    14. In Madan Mohan Singh vs. State of Gujarat and Another, (2010)
    8 SCC 628, this Court held that in order to bring out an offence
    under Section 306 IPC specific abetment as contemplated by Section
    107
    IPC on the part of the accused with an intention to bring about
    the suicide of the person concerned as a result of that abetment is
    required. It was further held that the intention of the accused to aid
    or to instigate or to abet the deceased to commit suicide is a must for
    attracting Section 306.

    15. In Amalendu Pal vs. State of West Bengal, this Court held as
    under:- (SCC p.712, para 12)

    “12. Thus, this Court has consistently taken the view that
    before holding an accused guilty of an offence under
    Section 306 IPC, the court must scrupulously examine the
    facts and circumstances of the case and also assess the
    evidence adduced before it in order to find out whether the
    cruelty and harassment meted out to the victim had left the
    victim with no other alternative but to put an end to her life.
    It is also to be borne in mind that in cases of alleged
    abetment of suicide there must be proof of direct or indirect
    acts of incitement to the commission of suicide. Merely on
    the allegation of harassment without there being any
    positive action proximate to the time of occurrence on the
    part of the accused which led or compelled the person to
    commit suicide, conviction in terms of Section 306 IPC is not
    sustainable.

    [Emphasis supplied]

    16. In order to bring a case within the purview of Section 306
    IPC there must be a case of suicide and in the commission of the

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    said offence, the person who is said to have abetted the
    commission of suicide must have played an active role by an act
    of instigation or by doing certain act to facilitate the commission
    of suicide. Therefore, the act of abetment by the person charged
    with the said offence must be proved and established by the
    prosecution before he could be convicted under Section 306 IPC.

    17. M. Mohan vs. State, (2011) 3 SCC 626 followed Ramesh
    Kumar vs. State of Chhattisgarh
    , (2001) 9 SCC 618, wherein it
    was held as under:-

    41. This Court in SCC para 20 of Ramesh Kumar has
    examined different shades of the meaning of “instigation”.

    Para 20 reads as under: (SCC p. 629)

    “20. Instigation is to goad, urge forward, provoke, incite or
    encourage to do ‘an act’. To satisfy the requirement of
    instigation though it is not necessary that actual words
    must be used to that effect or what constitutes instigation
    must necessarily and specifically be suggestive of the
    consequence. Yet a reasonable certainty to incite the
    consequence must be capable of being spelt out. The
    present one is not a case where the accused had by his
    acts or omission or by a continued course of conduct
    created such circumstances that the deceased was left
    with no other option except to commit suicide in which case
    an instigation may have been inferred. A word uttered in
    the fit of anger or emotion without intending the
    consequences to actually follow cannot be said to be
    instigation.”

    In the said case this Court came to the conclusion that there is no
    evidence and material available on record wherefrom an inference of
    the appellant- accused having abetted commission of suicide by
    Seema (the appellant’s wife therein) may necessarily be drawn.”

    18. Thereafter, this Court in Mohan (supra) held:-

    “45. The intention of the legislature and the ratio of the
    cases decided by this Court are clear that in order to
    convict a person under Section 306 IPC there has to be a
    clear mens rea to commit the offence. It also requires an
    active act or direct act which led the deceased to commit
    suicide seeing no option and this act must have been
    intended to push the deceased into such a position that

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    he/she committed suicide.”

    [Emphasis supplied]

    19. As has been held hereinabove, to satisfy the requirement of
    instigation the accused by his act or omission or by a continued
    course of conduct should have created such circumstances that
    the deceased was left with no other option except to commit
    suicide. It was also held that a word uttered in a fit of anger
    and emotion without intending the consequences to actually
    follow cannot be said to be instigation.”

    6.7 The complainant himself has failed to point out as to what
    amount was borrowed by the deceased in his capacity as a
    mediator, which his deceased father, in turn, had lent to other
    persons who were not repaying the money, coupled with the fact
    that he himself, in his further statement dated 21.01.2020, has
    stated that he did not have any proof. However, merely because
    his father had named these three persons in the suicide note, he
    has lodged the FIR. Under such circumstances, the provisions of
    Sections 5, 40 and 42 of the Gujarat Money Lenders Act, 2011,
    are also not attracted.

    7. In view of the above, the captioned petition stands allowed.
    The impugned FIR being CR No. 37/2019 lodged with Manavadar
    Police Station, District Junagadh, for the offences punishable
    under Section 306 and 114 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
    alongwith Section 5,40 and 42 of the Gujarat Money Lenders Act,
    2011 along with all consequential proceedings arising therefrom
    qua the present petitioner, stands quashed and set aside.

    8. Rule is made absolute to the aforesaid extent.

    (P. M. RAVAL, J)
    MMP

    Page 14 of 14

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