LexaceLexace Ask the AI ›
βš–οΈ Ask the AI about your situation:πŸš— Car AccidentπŸ’Ό Work / Job🏠 Housing / EvictionπŸ‘ͺ Family / DivorceπŸ“‹ Contract DisputeπŸ’° Money Owed

SHATRUGHNA ATMARAM PATIL & ORS. versus VINOD DODHU CHAUDHARY & ANR.

Citation: [2024] 1 S.C.R. 1128 · Decided: 30-01-2024 · Supreme Court of India · Bench: VIKRAM NATH

Open in Lexace · Ask the AI about this case

Judgment (excerpt)

* Author
[2024] 1 S.C.R. 1128 : 2024 INSC 75
Shatrughna Atmaram Patil & Ors. 
v. 
Vinod Dodhu Chaudhary & Anr.
(Special Leave Petition (Crl.) No. 14585 of 2023)
30 January 2024
[Vikram Nath* And Satish Chandra Sharma, JJ.]
Issue for Consideration
One R (owner) sold premises in dispute to five persons. Thereafter, 
R committed suicide and left behind a suicide note, naming the 
tenants, who were in possession of premises in question, as 
abettors. On the strength of the same, a complaint was made to 
the local police. The tenants were held in police station and the 
premises in question were demolished with the help of local police. 
Thereafter, two tenants filed complaint u/s. 156(3) Cr.P.C., which 
was forwarded to the concerned Police Station for registration 
and investigation. The High Court approved the order of the 
investigation.
Headnotes
Settlement – During the pendency of the petitions, a settlement 
was arrived between the parties:
Held: During the pendency of the petitions, it appears that some 
settlement has been arrived at between the complainants and 
the 13 accused – The subsequent purchasers (of the premises 
in question) have paid an amount of Rs. 10 lacs to each of the 
tenants, and in lieu thereof, the tenants have filed their affidavits 
stating that they do not wish to further prosecute their complaint 
– The details of the bank drafts have also been mentioned in 
the affidavits filed by the tenants – Based on this settlement, it is 
prayed that these petitions may be allowed, and the proceedings 
arising out of the two criminal complaints u/s. 156(3) Cr.P.C. be 
quashed – Since, losses of tenants having been compensated, 
any further investigation or trial would be an exercise in futility. 
[Paras 7 and 8]
Cost – Imposition of – Role of the police personnel in 
conspiring and abetting the crime of the illegal detention of 
[2024] 1 S.C.R. 
1129
Shatrughna Atmaram Patil & Ors. v. Vinod Dodhu Chaudhary & Anr.
the tenants, coercing them to sign the document against their 
will, and getting the premises in question demolished without 
any order from a competent Court:
Held: It is directed that the six police personnel will suffer a cost 
of Rs. 6.0 lacs for each of the two complainants – Out of the six 
police personnel, three are constables, one is a Head Constable, 
one is a Sub-Inspector, and one is an Inspector – They shall suffer 
a cost of Rs. 50,000/- per Constable, Rs.1,00,000/- by the Head 
Constable, Rs. 1.50 lacs by the Sub-Inspector, and Rs. 2.0 lacs by 
the Inspector, totalling Rs. 6.0 lacs for each case with the above 
distribution. [Para 10]
List of Acts
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973; Penal Code, 1860.
List Keywords
Suicide; Suicide note; Tenants; Abettors; Demolition of property; 
Complaint; Investigation; Settlement; Compensation; Cost; 
Imposition of cost on Police Personnel.
Case Arising From
CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Special Leave Petition 
(Crl.) No.14585 of 2023.
From the Judgment and Order dated 23.10.2023 of the High Court 
of Judicature at Bombay at Aurangabad in CRLWP No.474 of 2023.
With
SLP. (Crl.) Nos.14572, 14734-14735, 15433 and 15294 of 2023
Appearances for Parties
Rahul Chitnis, Hersh Desai, Ms. Shwetal Shepal, Chander 
Shekhar Ashri, Sudhanshu S. Choudhari, Ms. Rucha A. Pande, M. 
Veeraragavan, Ms. Gautami Yadav, Ms. Pranjal Chapalgaonkar, 
Ravindra Keshavrao Adsure, Jitendra Patil, Sagar Nandkumar Pahune 
Patil, Yash Prashant Sonavane, Advs. for the Petitioners. 
Siddharth Dharmadhikari, Aaditya Aniruddha Pande, Bharat Bagla, 
Sourav Singh, Aditya Krishna, Ms. Raavi Sharma, Ms. Yamini Singh, 
Anish R. Shah, Advs. for the Respondents.
1130
[2024] 1 S.C.R.
Digital Supreme Court Reports
Judgment / Order of the Supreme Court
Judgment
Vikram Nath, J.
1.	
The premises in question were in the possession of three tenants. 
However, for the present, we are concerned with only two tenants, 
namely Vijaykumar Vishwanath Dhawale and Vinod Dodhu 
Chaudhary. As the third tenant had not filed any complaint and only 
the above two named complainants have filed the complaint, that is 
why the third tenant is not a party to the proceedings. 
2.	
The premises in dispute were owned by one Rajeev Ramrao Chavan. 
He sold the property to five persons, namely Sanjay Nathmal Jain, 
Sunil Mishrilal Jain, Manoj Mishrilal Jain, Ghanshyam Bansilal 
Agrawal and Prasannachand Sobhagmal Parakh, vide registered 
sale deed dated 27.10.2021. Unfortunately, Rajeev Ramrao Chavan, 
the v

Excerpt shown. Read the full judgment & AI analysis in Lexace.