Case Law Details
Surinder Singh Deswal Vs Virender Gandhi & Anr. (Supreme Court)
Court was considering provisions of Section 143A of the N.I. Act which was inserted by the same Amendment Act 20 of 2018 by which Section 148 of the N.I. Act has been inserted. This Court took the view that Section 143A is prospective in nature and confined to cases where offences were committed after the introduction of Section 143A i.e. after 01.09.2018. It was held in Criminal Appeal No.1160 of 2019 (G.J. Raja vs. Tejraj Surana)–
“22. In our view, the applicability of Section 143A of the Act must, therefore, be held to be prospective in nature and confined to cases where offences were committed after the introduction of Section 143A, in order to force an accused to pay such interim compensation.”
The Bench deciding G.J. Raja’s case has noticed the judgment of this Court in the appellants’ case i.e. Surinder Singh Deswal’s case and has opined that the decision of this Court in Surinder Singh Deswal’s case was on Section 148 of the N.I. Act which is a stage after conviction of the accused and distinguishable from the stage in which the interim compensation was awarded under Section 143A of the N.I.Act. When the Bench deciding G.J. Raja’s case(supra) itself has considered and distinguished the judgment of this Court in appellants’ own case i.e. Surinder Singh Deswal’s, reliance by the learned counsel for the appellants on the judgment of this Court in G.J. Raja’s case is misplaced. It is useful to refer to paragraph 23 of the judgment in G.J. Raja’s case which is to the following effect:
“23. We must, however, advert to a decision of this Court in Surinder Singh Deswal and Ors. v. Virender Gandhi (2019) 8 SCALE 445 where Section 148 of the Act which was also introduced by the same Amendment Act 20 of 2018 from 01.09.2018 was held by this Court to be retrospective in operation. As against Section 143A of the Act which applies at the trial stage that is even before the pronouncement of guilt or order of conviction, Section 148 of the Act applies at the appellate stage where the Accused is already found guilty of the offence Under Section 138 of the Act. It may be stated that there is no provision in Section 148 of the Act which is similar to Sub-Section (5) of Section 143A of the Act. However, as a matter of fact, no such provision akin to Sub-section (5) of Section 143A was required as Sections 421 and 357 of the Code, which apply post-conviction, are adequate to take care of such requirements. In that sense said Section 148 depends upon the existing machinery and principles already in existence and does not create any fresh disability of the nature similar to that created by Section 143A of the Act. Therefore, the decision of this Court in Surinder Singh Deswal (2007) 13 SCC 492 stands on a different footing.”
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