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Neutral Citation No. - 2025:AHC:83722 Court No. - 74 Case :- APPLICATION U/S 528 BNSS No. - 12162 of 2025 Applicant :- Deena Nath Prajapati Opposite Party :- State of U.P. and Another Counsel for Applicant :- Pramod Kumar Dubey Counsel for Opposite Party :- G.A. Hon'ble Saurabh Srivastava,J.
1. Heard learned counsel for the applicant and learned A.G.A. for the State. 2. The instant application has been preferred with the prayer to quash the charge-sheet dated 28.05.2024 along with cognizance/summoning order dated 22.07.2024 and the entire proceeding of S.C. No.1114 of 2024 (State vs. Kamlesh and Others) arising out of Case Crime No.222 of 2023, under sections 3(1), 2(B)(1) of U.P. Gangster and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, P.S. AIIMS, District- Gorakhpur, pending in the court of learned Additional Session Judge, Court No.6/Special Judge (Gangster Act), Gorakhpur. 3. In the earlier occasion, specific instructions has been called for apprising the Court in respect of minutes of meeting, if held, on the date of approval or before the same. Learned A.G.A. returned with the instructions with specific wordings that the minutes of meeting are not available. 4. Precise grounds for challenging the entire proceedings after taking cognizance by learned court concerned is that there is hardly any compliance of Rule 5 of Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Rules, 2021 which clearly demonstrate that the gang chart will not be approved summarily but after due discussion in a joint meeting of the Commissioner of Police/District
Magistrate/Senior
Superintendent
of Police/Superintendent of Police which has already been prepared by concerned In-charge of Police Station/Station House Officer/Inspector who present before Additional Superintendent of Police and after seeking his due recommendation the same has been present before the District Head of Police and thereafter the same was to be approved in joint meeting with the authorities who are mentioned under Rule 5 who recommended the same and
thereafter at the time of approval, the same has to be jointly finally approved. The approval which is appended along with application is available at page no.34, wherein the different dates have been mentioned by the different authorities which is strictly in terms of provision available under Rule 5 but there is hardly any compliance in respect of Rule 5(3)(a) of Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti Social Activities (Prevention) Rules, 2021. 5.
Learned counsel for the applicant specifically submitted that although the gang chart prepared by concerned Officer was duly recommended but at the time of approving the same there must be a joint meeting as mentioned in the Rule 5(3)(a) and the same has never been disclosed or mentioned at the time of approving the gang chart by concerned District Magistrate/Commissioner of Police. 6. Per contra, learned A.G.A. vehemently opposed the prayer as made in the application and rebutted the stand taken up by learned counsel for the applicant, but from the specific instructions called from this Court, learned A.G.A. returned with the instructions with specific wordings that the minutes of meeting are not available and as such arguments raised by learned counsel for applicant is purely justified and the entire proceedings is liable to be set-aside for non- compliance of provisions contained under Rule 5(3)(a) of Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti Social Activities (Prevention) Rules, 2021 as well as Rules 16 and 17 of the same. 7. After hearing rival submissions extended by learned counsel for the parties, this Court finds that the rules are crystal clear at the initial stage which is mentioned under Rule 5(3)(a) of the Rules of 2021 for holding joint meeting of the authorities concerned which includes the presenting officer, forwarding officer and thereafter the discussion shall be made with the approving authority.
The rules mentioned below to Rule 5 of the Rules of 2021 although clarified the wording and the orders which ought to be passed by the approving authority but the missing of joint meeting/discussion is not necessarily to be reproduced time and again since the legislature and law makers are conscious not to repeat the procedure in each and every rules/sections in the concerned Act/Rules since the study of the sections available in the rules framed under the Act has to be read in a procedural manner where it is written in subsequential order and as such the provision contained under the Rule 5(3)(a) of Rules of 2021 has to be given preference while reading other rules which are mentioned below to Rule 5 of the Rules of 2021 and as such the specific provision for holding joint meeting is mandatory on the part of all the officers
who are involved in forwarding the gang chart and finally it is incumbent upon the approving authority to hold meeting under Section 5(3)(a) of the Rules of 2021. The said procedure which is mandated on the part of the approving authority is missing in the instant matter and as such entire proceedings arising out of approval of the gang chart which culminated into preferring the charge sheet on dated 28.05.2024, thereafter the order passed by learned concerned court by way of summoning the applicant on dated 22.07.2024 is hereby quashed and set aside. 8. However, the above mentioned order will not preclude re- initiation of the proceedings as mentioned in Rule 5(3)(a) of the Rules of 2021 to the authorities concerned, if required further. 9. The application stands allowed accordingly. Order Date :- 19.5.2025 Saif Digitally signed by :- SHAIKH SAIF ABDIN High Court of Judicature at Allahabad