Cheating explained
5. Having heard learned counsel appearing on behalf of the appellant and learned counsel appearing on behalf of the respondent-State and having gone through the averments in the complaint and the chargesheet, even if the averments made in the complaint are taken on their face, they do not constitute the ingredients necessary for the offence under Sections 419 & 420 IPC. As observed and held by this Court in the case of Prof. R.K. Vijayasarathy (supra), the ingredients to constitute an offence under Section 420 are as follows:
i) a person must commit the offence of cheating under Section 415; and
ii) the person cheated must be dishonestly induced to
a) deliver property to any person; or
b) make, alter or destroy valuable security or anything signed or sealed and capable of being converted into valuable security.
Thus, cheating is an essential ingredient for an act to constitute an offence under Section 420 IPC. Cheating is defined under Section 415 of the IPC. The ingredients to constitute an offence of cheating are as follows:
i) There should be fraudulent or dishonest inducement of a person by deceiving him:
The person who was induced should be intentionally induced to deliver any property to any person or to consent that any person shall retain any property, or
The person who was induced should be intentionally induced to do or to omit to do anything which he would not do or omit if he were not so deceived.
Thus, a fraudulent or dishonest inducement is an essential ingredient of the offence under Section 415 IPC. A person who dishonestly induced any person to deliver any property is liable for the offence of cheating.
Complaint does not contains any averments inducing appellant to give money for job
6. Now, keeping in mind the relevant ingredients for the offences under Sections 419 & 420 IPC, as noted hereinabove, it is required to be considered whether the averments in the complaint taken on their face do constitute the ingredients necessary for the offences under Sections 419 & 420 IPC, as alleged.
Having gone through the complaint/FIR and even the chargesheet, it cannot be said that the averments in the FIR and the allegations in the complaint against the appellant constitute an offence under Section 419 & 420 IPC. Whatever allegations are made for the offence with respect to inducement and/or even giving Rs.5,00,000/- for obtaining the job, are made against the appellant’s husband, co-accused. There are no allegations at all that the appellant herein induced the complainant to get the job and the amount of Rs.5,00,000/- was given to the appellant herein. Therefore, even if all the allegations in the complaint taken at the face value are true, in our view, the basic essential ingredients of cheating are missing. Therefore, this was a fit case for the High Court to exercise the jurisdiction under Section 482 Cr.P.C. and to quash the criminal proceedings against the appellant herein for the offences under Section 419 & 420 IPC. The High Court has failed to exercise the jurisdiction vested in it by not quashing the criminal proceedings against the appellant herein for the offences under Sections 419 & 420 IPC.
Only Allegations against cheating was quashed.
Party
Archana Rana vs. State of Uttar Pradesh – CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 167 OF 2021 – March 01, 2021
https://main.sci.gov.in/supremecourt/2020/70/70_2020_36_1503_26554_Judgement_01-Mar-2021.pdf
