# LALTA AND ORS v. STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH

- **Citation:** [1969] 2 S.C.R. 526
- **Court:** Supreme Court of India
- **Decided:** 1968-10-25
- **Case number:** Criminal Appeal No. 185 of 1966
- **Bench:** J. C. Shah, V. Ramaswami, A. N. Grover
- **Source:** https://unisonlegal.in/judgment/supreme-court-of-india/lalta-and-ors-v-state-of-uttar-pradesh-4561
- **Pages:** 7

## Headnote

Code of Criminal Procedure
(5 of 1898), s. 403-Rule of issueestoppel-Applicahility.
B
The first appellant filed a suit on a promissory note.
Prior to the
institution of the suit, the executant of the promissory note had filed a
complaint against the appellants alleging that they had forcibly taken his
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thumb impressions on a number of blank forms of promissory notes.
The Magistrate
·acquitted the appellants. Thereafter.
the suit on the
promis·sory note was dismissed on the ground that the promissory note
was a forgery because, the stamps affixed were of a date later than that
of the, promissory note.
The Court then filed a complaint against the
appellants for the offence of forgery.
The appellants were convicted for
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forgery and abetment of forgery.
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In appeal to this Court,
HELD : In the earlier criminal case, the allegation that the executant's thumb impressions on blank forms were obtained by force, was
found to be false.
That finding was final and could not be reopened
because of the rule as to issue-estoppel. Therefore, the sub-stratum of
the present case failed and the appellants could not be convicted for the
offence of forgery and its abetment. [532 D-F]
E
The rule of issue-estoppel is not covered by s. 403, Criminal Procedure
Code, which deals with the principle of autrefois acquit : but that section
does not preclude the applicability of the rule. The rule is in accordance
with sound principle and was applied in two decisions· of
this Court,
namely, Pritam Singh v. State of Punjab1 A.LR.
1956 S.C. 415
and
Manipur Administration v. Thockechom Bira Singh, [1964] 7 S.C.R. 123.
There is no reason for castin.g any doubt on its soundness or for taking
a different view. [532 B-D]
·

## Text

LALTA AND ORS.
v.
STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH
October 25, 1968
(J. C. SHAH, V. RAMASWAMI AND A. N. GROVER, JJ.]
Code of Criminal Procedure
(5 of 1898), s. 403-Rule of issueestoppel-Applicahility.
B
The first appellant filed a suit on a promissory note.
Prior to the
institution of the suit, the executant of the promissory note had filed a
complaint against the appellants alleging that they had forcibly taken his
C
thumb impressions on a number of blank forms of promissory notes.
The Magistrate
·acquitted the appellants. Thereafter.
the suit on the
promis·sory note was dismissed on the ground that the promissory note
was a forgery because, the stamps affixed were of a date later than that
of the, promissory note.
The Court then filed a complaint against the
appellants for the offence of forgery.
The appellants were convicted for
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I ... _
. ""
forgery and abetment of forgery.
._.,
•
D
In appeal to this Court,
HELD : In the earlier criminal case, the allegation that the executant's thumb impressions on blank forms were obtained by force, was
found to be false.
That finding was final and could not be reopened
because of the rule as to issue-estoppel. Therefore, the sub-stratum of
the present case failed and the appellants could not be convicted for the
offence of forgery and its abetment. [532 D-F]
E
The rule of issue-estoppel is not covered by s. 403, Criminal Procedure
Code, which deals with the principle of autrefois acquit : but that section
does not preclude the applicability of the rule. The rule is in accordance
with sound principle and was applied in two decisions· of
this Court,
namely, Pritam Singh v. State of Punjab1 A.LR.
1956 S.C. 415
and
Manipur Administration v. Thockechom Bira Singh, [1964] 7 S.C.R. 123.
There is no reason for castin.g any doubt on its soundness or for taking
a different view. [532 B-D]
·
CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Criminal Appeal No.
185 of 1966.
Appeal by special leave from the judgment and order dated
June 3, 1966 of the Allahabad High Court, Lucknow Bench in
Criminal Revision Applications No. 410 ~nd 413 of 1964.
R. K. Garg, S. C. Agarwala, S. Chakravarti and S. S. Shukla,
for the appellants.
O. P. Rana and Ravindra Bana, for the respondent.
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
Ramaswami, J. This appeal is brought, by special leave, from
the judgment of the Allahabad High Court dated June 3, 1966
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LALTA v. u. P. STATE (Ramaswami, J.)
527
dismissing the Criminal Revision Applications Nos. 410 and 413
of 1964.
The appellant, Lalta filed a money suit no. 54 of 1955 in
the Court of Civil Judge, Gonda against Swami Nath on the
basis of a pronote and receipt dated July l, 1952 on the _allegation that Swami Nath had taken a loan of Rs. 250 from hllil and
executed a promisory note and a receipt in lieu thereof. Swami
Nath filed a written statement in that suit denying to have taken
any loan or to have executed any pronote and receipt in favour
of Lalta.
It appears that prior to the institution of this suit
Swami Nath had filed a complaint on January 24, 1955 against
Lalta and others alleging that they had forcibly taken his thumb
impressions on a number of blank forms of pronotes and receipts.
The case arising out of the Criminal complaint came to be heard
by a Magistrate Second Class who by his judgment dated May
31, 1956 acquitted Lalta and the other persons complained
against. The Criminal case against Swami Nath proceeded on the
charges framed under ss. 342 and 384, Indian Penal Code. In
the Civil Suit which was filed by Lalla, the defendant Swami Nath
moved an application for a report being called from the Superintendent, Security Press, Nasik regarding the year of the revenue
stamps affixed on the pronote and the receipt. The matter was
accordingly referred to the Superintendent, Security Press, Nasik
and the report received was that the stamps in question had been
printed on December 21, 1953 and were issued for the first time
on January 16, 1954 to the Treasury. Subsequent to the receipt
of the report Lalta did not put in appearance and the suit was
dismissed for default on June 1, 1956.
The Civil Judge was
moved for filing a complaint against the appellants for committing
forgery.
The Civil Judge Gonda actually filed a complaint on
November 9, 1956 against Lalta for offences under ss. 193, 194,
209, 465, 467 and 471, Indian Penal Code and against Tribeni
and Ram Bharosey for an offence under s. 193, Indian Penal
Code. The complaint was enquired into by a First Class Magistr_ate_ who committed the appellants to the Court of Sessions. By
his 1udgment dated November 27, 1963, the Assistant Sessions
Judge, Gonda conv.icted Tribeni and Ram Bharosey under s. 467
read with s. 109, Indian Penal Code and sentenced them to 3
years rigorous imprisonment.
He found Lalta guility under s.
467,. Ind_ian Penal Code and sentenced him to 3 years rigorous 1mpnsonment. Lalta was also convicted under s. 471, Indian
Penal Code and sentenced to 2 years rigorous imprisonment. He
was also found guilty under s. 193, Indian Penal Code and
sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for two years.
The appellants too~ the matter in appeal to the Sessions Judge, Gonda
who by his order dated October 17, 1964 set aside the convic-
528
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
[1969) 2 S.C.R.
tion of Lalta under s. 193, Indian Penal Code but maintained
the conviction of the appellants under the other sections.
Tribeni, Lalta and Ram Bharosey filed Revision Applications before
the Allahabad High Court which by its order dated June 3, 1966
affirmed the order of the Sessions Judge, Gonda and dismissed
the Revision Applications.
In support of this appeal Mr. Garg put forward the argument
that in view of the fact that Swami Nath's complaint had been
dismissed by the Second Class Magistrate on May 31, 1956, the
prosecution case with regard to the act of forgery must fail and
the conviction of Lalta under s. 467 and s. 4 71, Indian Penal
Code was not sustainable.
It was also pointed out that the
charge of abetment against Ram Bharosey and Tribeni under s.
467 read with s. 109, Indian Penal Code and s. 471 read with
s. 109, Indian Penal Code must fail for the same reason.
In
our opinion, the argument put forward on behalf of the appellants
is well-founded and must be accepted as correct .
In Pritam Singh v. The State of Punjab('), it was pointed
out by this Court that the effect' of a verdict of acquittal passed
by a competent court OJl1 a lawful charge and after a lawful trial
is not completely stated by saying that the person acquitted cannot
be tried again for the same offence, but to that it must be added
that the verdict is binding and conclusive in ail subsequent proceedings between the parties to the adjudication.
In that case,
the appellant had been acquitted of the charge under s. 19 ( 0,
Arms Act for possession of a revolver. There was a subsequent
prosecution of the appellaint for an offence under s. 302, Indian
Penal Code and the possession of the revolver was a fact in issue
in the later case which had to be established by the prosecution.
It was held that the finding in the former trial on the issue of
prossession of revolver will constitute an estoppel against the
prosecution, 1t1ot as a bar to the trial and conviction of the appellant for a different offence but as precluding the reception of
evidence to disturb the finding of fact.
Section 403, Criminal Procedure Code embodies in statutory
form the accepted English rule of autrefois acquit. The section
reads as follows :
"403. (1) A person who has once been tried by a
Court of competent jurisdiction for an offence and convicted or acquitted of such offence shall, while such
conviction or acquittal remains in force, not ·be liable
to be tried again for the same offence, nor on the same
facts for any other offence for which a different charge
from the one made against him might have been made
(1 ) A.l.R. 1956 S.C. 415.
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LALTA v. v. P, STATE (Ramaswami, !.)
529
under section 23 6, or for which he might have been
convicted under section 23 7 .
.(2) A person acquitted or convicted of any offence
may be afterwards tried for any distinct offence for which
a separate charge might have been made against him on
the former trial under section 235, sub-section (1).
(3) A person convicted of any offence constituted
by any act causing consequences which, together with
such act, constituted a different offence from that of
which he was convicted, may be afterwards tried for
such last-mentioned offence, if the consequences had not
happened, or were not known to the Court to have happened, at the time when he was convicted.
( 4) A person acquitted or convicted of any offence
constituted by any acts may, notwithstanding such acquittal or conviction, be subsequently charged with, and
tried for, any other offence constituted by the same acts
which he may have committed if the Court by which
he was first tried was not competent to try the offence
with which he is subsequently charged.
(5) Nothing in this section shall affect the provisions
of section 26 of the General Clauses Act, 1897, or of
section 188 of this Code.
Explanation.-The dismissal of a complaint, the
stopping of proceedings m1der section 249, the discharge
of the accused or any entry made upon a charge under
section 273, is not an acquittal for the purposes of this
section."
Section 26 of the General Clauses Act which is referred to in
s. 403, Criminal Procedure Code enacts as follows :
"Where an act or omission constitutes an offence
under two or more enactments, then the offender shall
be liable to be prosecuted and punished under either or
any of those enactments but shall not be liable to be
punished twice for the same offence."
It is manifest in the present case that the appellants cannot
plead the bar enacted in s. 403(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
It is equally manifest that the prosecution of the appellants would
be permitted under sub-s. (2) of s. 403, Criminal Procedure Code.
The question ,presented for determination in this appeal is, however, different. The question is whether where an issue of fact
has been tried by a competent court on a former occasion and
a finding has been reached in favour of an accused, such a:
·530
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
[1969] 2 S.C.R.
.finding would constitute an estoppel or res judicata against the
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prosecution, not as a bar to the trial and conviction of the accus.:
·ed for a different offence but as precluding the reception of evi-
·dence to disturb that finding of fact when the accused is tried
subsequently even for a different offence which might be permitted by the terms of s. 403(2), Criminal Procedure Code.
The
distinction between the principle of autrefois acquit and the rule
B
as to issue-estoppel; in other words, the objection to the reception of evidence to prove an identical fact which has been the
subject-matter of an earlier finding between the same parties is
I,
clearly brought out in the following passage from the judgment
of Wright, J. in The Queen v. Ollis('):
"The real question is whether this relevant evidence
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of the false pretence on July 5 or 6 ought to have been
excluded on the ground that it was part of the evidence
given for the prosecution at the former trial, at which
the .prisoner was charged with having obtained money
from Ramsey on that false pretence, and was acquitted
of that charge.''
D
.Speaking of this type of estoppel, Dixon, J. stated in The King v .
.Wilkes('):
"Whilst there is not a great deal of authority upon
the subject, it appears to me that there is nothing
wrong in the view that there is an issue estoppel, if it
appears by record of itself or as explained by proper evidence, that the same point was determined in favour of a
prisoner in a previous criminal trial which is brought in
issue on a second criminal trial of the same prisoner.
That seems to be implied in the language used by Wright,
J. in R. v. Ollis which in effect I have adoptde in the
foregoing statement. .............. There must be a
prior proceeding determined against the Crown necessarily involving an issue which again arises in a subsequent proceeding by the Crown against the same prisoner. .The alle~ation of the Crown in the subsequent
proceeding must itself be inconsistent with the acquittal
·of the prisoner in the previous proceeding.
But if such
a condition of affairs arises I see no reason why the
ordinary rules of issue-estoppel should not apply. Such
rules are not to be confused with those of res judicata,
which in criminal proceedings are expressed in the pleas
of a'utrefois acquit and autrafois convict. · They
are
pleas which are concerned with the judicial determination of an alleged criminal liability and in the case of
'(!) [1900] 2 Q.B. 758, 768-769.
(2) 77 C.L.R. 511, 518.
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LALTA v. v. P. STATE (Ramaswami, J.)
531
conviction with the substitution of a new liability. Issue-
,estoppel is concerned with the judicial establishment of,
a proposition of law or fact between parties. It depends
upon well-known doctrines which control the relitigation
of issues which are settled by prior litigation."
The same question was the subject-matter of consideration by the
High Court of Australia in a later case Marz v. The Queen(').
The question at issue was the validity of a conviction for rape
after the accused had been acquitted on the charge of murdering
the woman during the commission of the act.
In a unanimous
judgment by which the appeal of the accused was allowed, the
High Court stated as follows :-
·
"It is a negation in the alternative upon which, so
long as the verdict stood in its entirety, the applicant
was entitled to rely as creating an issue estoppel against
the Crown.
He was entitled to rely upon it because
when he pleaded not guilty to the indictment of murder
the issues which were thereby joined between him and
the Crown necessarily raised for determination the existence of the three elements we have mentioned and the
verdict upon those issues must, for the reasons we have
given, be taken to have affirmed the existence of the
third and to have denied the existence of one or other
of the other two elements. It is nothing to point that
the verdict may have been the result of a mis-direction
of the judge and that owing to the misdirection the jury
may have found the verdict without understanding or
intending what as a matter of law is its necessary meaning or its legal consequences.
The law which gives
effect to issue estoppels is not concerned with the correctness or incorrectness of the finding wh;ch amounts
to an estoppel, still less with the processes of reasoning by which the finding was reached in fact; it does not
matter that the finding may be thought to be due to
the jury having been put upon the wrong track by some
direction of the presiding judge or to the jury having got
on the wrong track unaided. It is enough that an issue
or issues have been distinctly raised and found., Once
that is done, then, so long as the finding stands, if
t~ere be any su?sequent litigation between the same.parties, no allegations legally inconsistent with the finding
may be made by one of them against the other."
It is therefore clear that s. 403, Criminal Procedure Code
does not preclude the applicability of this rule of issue-estoppel.
(1) 96 C.L.R. 62, 68-69.
532
· SUPREME COURT REPORTS
[1969] 2 s.c.R.
It was contended by Mr. Rana on behalf of the respondent that.
the decision of this Court in Pritam Singh's case(') was based
on the observatiqns of the Judicial Committee in Sambasivam v.
Public Prosecutor, Federation of Mala,Ya(2 ) and the decision in
Pritam Singh's case(') required reconsideration because the principle could have no application to India where the principle of
autrefois acquit is covered by a statutory provision viz., s.
403, · B
Criminal Procedure Code which must be taken to be exhaustive
in character.
We are unable to accept this contention as
right. We have already pointed out that s. 403, Criminal Pro-·
cedure Code does not preclude the applicability of the rule of
issue-estoppel. In any event, the rule is one which is in accordance with sound principle and supported by high authority and
there are already two decisions of this Court, viz., Pritam Singh's
case(') and a later case Manipur Administration v. Thokchom,
Bira Singh(')-which have accepted the rule as a proper one
to be adopted.
We therefore do not see any reason for casting
any doubt on the soundness of the rule or for taking a different
view from that adopted in the two earlier decisions of this Court
referred to.
If the rule of issue-estoppel is applied to the present case, it
follows that the charge with regard to forgery must fail against
all the appellants.
The reason is that the case of Swami Nath
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is solely based upon the allegation that his thumb impressions were
obtained on blank forms of promissory notes and receipts on
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January 7, 1955 by the use of force. If the finding of the Second
Class Magistrate on this issue is final and cannot be reopened,
the substratum of the present prosecution case fails and the charges
of forgery under ss. 467 and 471, Indian Penal Code cannot be
established against any of the appellants.
For these reasons we hold that this appeal must be allowed,
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the judgment of the Allahabad High Court dated June 3, 1966
must be set aside and the convictions .of each of the appellants
and the sentence imposed upon them should be quashed. If ·
the appellants are still in jail they should be set at liberty forth·
with.
·
V.P.S.
(1) A.l.R. 1956 S.C. 415.
(2) [1950! A.C. 458.
(3) [1964] 7 S.C.R. 123.
L3Sup.C.I/69-2,500-l9-l-70-GIPF.
Appeal allowed.