The Manipur High Court has quashed the criminal case against Cabinet Minister Thongam Biswajit Singh following a settlement between Singh and the complainant.
T Biswajit Singh, the MLA from Thongju Assembly Constituency in Manipur, holds the portfolios for the Power Department, Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department, Agriculture Department, and Science & Technology Department in the Government of Manipur.
The complainant, Singh’s former wife, who married him on January 31, 2018, and lived with him until November 26, 2019, had filed a complaint alleging that Singh had committed voluntarily causing grievous hurt, attempted murder under Section 307 IPC, causing miscarriage without consent under Section 313 IPC, grievous hurt under Section 325 IPC, criminal force to a woman under Section 354 IPC, theft under Section 378 IPC, cruelty under Section 498A IPC, as well as offences under Sections 511 and 34 IPC.
During the case’s pendency, Singh and the complainant reached a compromise agreement, stating they would cooperate in withdrawing all cases by filing the necessary applications before the appropriate court. They further agreed to move higher courts if necessary to quash all other non-compoundable cases pending against each other.
In light of this agreement, Singh and his wife approached the High Court to quash the non-compoundable case registered against them by the complainant. Justice Golmei Gaiphulshillu, upon hearing the counsel for both parties, noted that although the offence arising from the FIR falls under non-compoundable offences, it pertains to a matrimonial dispute between the parties. Given that the case was filed by Singh’s wife against him, the court, exercising its inherent powers under Section 482 CrPC, quashed the pending criminal case against Singh.
The Court relied on the Supreme Court’s judgment in Jitendra Raghuvanshi & Ors. v. Babita Raghuvanshi & Anr. (2013) 4 SCC 58, which held that the High Court can quash FIRs in matrimonial disputes of a non-compoundable nature under Section 482 CrPC if the parties have amicably settled their disputes. Consequently, the petition was granted, and the pending criminal case against Singh was quashed.
