News Citation : 2026 LN (HC) 33
Ranchi, January 07, 2026 : The High Court of Jharkhand has quashed criminal proceedings against three accused in a Dhanbad-linked dispute after noting that the parties had reached a full settlement and that the case carried a predominantly civil character.
The order was passed by Justice Anil Kumar Choudhary on January 6, 2026, while allowing Cr.M.P. No.3796 of 2025. The petition was filed by Richa Goyal, Ravi Kumar Verma, and Udit Kumar Sinha seeking quashing of Kotwali Police Station Case No.268 of 2025, which was pending before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Ranchi.
The criminal case had been registered under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. During the hearing, counsel for both sides jointly pointed out that the dispute had been amicably resolved. Separate affidavits filed by the petitioners and the informant confirmed that the settlement covered the entire subject matter of the case. The State, represented by the Special Public Prosecutor, also raised no objection to quashing the proceedings.
The court took note of the fact that the investigation was still at a preliminary stage and that no charge sheet had been filed. More importantly, it found that the allegations did not involve heinous offences or issues of public policy, but stemmed from a private dispute with a clear civil flavour. In such circumstances, the continuation of criminal proceedings would amount to an abuse of the process of law, the court observed.
While arriving at this conclusion, Justice Choudhary relied on settled principles laid down by the Supreme Court of India in Parbatbhai Aahir v State of Gujarat, which recognises the High Court’s inherent power to quash criminal cases where parties have settled disputes that are essentially private in nature and where the likelihood of conviction is remote.
The court held that forcing the accused to face trial despite a complete compromise would cause unnecessary hardship and injustice. On this reasoning, it quashed the entire criminal proceedings against the petitioners and disposed of the connected interlocutory application as well.
Case Reference: Cr.M.P. No. 3796 of 2025, Richa Goyal, Dhanbad and Others vs. State of Jharkhand and Another; Counsels: for the Petitioners, Mr. Vipul Poddar, Advocate; for the State, Mr. Vineet Kr. Vashistha, Special Public Prosecutor; for Opposite Party No. 2, Mr. Amitabh Prasad, Advocate.
