Supreme Court Slams Unwarranted FIRs in Civil Disputes

The Supreme Court fined two Uttar Pradesh police officials Rs 50,000 for filing an FIR in a civil property dispute, criticizing the practice as a violation of numerous judgments. The court emphasized the unacceptable nature of converting civil disputes into criminal cases and directed recovery of the fine amounts from the officers.

The Supreme Court imposed a Rs 50,000 fine on two police officials from Uttar Pradesh for registering an FIR in a property dispute of civil nature, a decision critiqued by the bench as a contravention of many previous judgments.

Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, with Justice Sanjay Kumar concurring, emphasized that criminal charges stemming from civil matter allegations are impermissible and stood firm against waiving the penalties placed on these officials despite arguments from the state counsel.

Highlighting the case details, the Supreme Court bench pointed out that despite lower court rejections, the police lodged an FIR against Rikhab Birani and Sadhna Birani, although the dispute was strictly civil. A subpar transaction resulted in a subsequent sale of lower value by the Biranis, and multiple unsuccessful attempts to prosecute criminal charges were recorded against them.

(With inputs from agencies.)