# MD. GULAM ABBAS & ORS v. MD. IBRAHIM & ORS

- **Citation:** [1978] 2 S.C.R. 419
- **Court:** Supreme Court of India
- **Decided:** 1977-12-16
- **Case number:** Civil Appeal No. 941-A of 1976
- **Bench:** M. H. Beg, P. N. Bhagwati, Jaswant Singh
- **Source:** https://unisonlegal.in/judgment/supreme-court-of-india/md-gulam-abbas-ors-v-md-ibrahim-ors-7392
- **Pages:** 3

## Headnote

H
Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, (Act II of 1974), S. 144-Princip/ea on
which jurisdiction is to be exercised u /s 144 of thtl Cr/. P.C. by magistrate,
.explained.
In Md. Ibrahim v. State of U.P. etc. (C.A. No. 941A of 1976 etc. etc.
decided on 6-12-1976), this Court set aside the' judgment of the Allahabad High
·Court passed in the Writ Petition quashing the orders of the City Magistrate
and Session Judge u/s. 144 Cr!. P.C., holding that High Court committed an
C
error in pronouncing views on the orders passed by the criminal courts when
they ceased to be operative and in giving finding on rights, title and property
in a petition u/ A 226 and 227 of the Constitution.
In the Review Petition, the Review Petitioners contended that unless the
court mentioned the correct principles on which jurisdiction is to be exercised
u/s 144 Crl. P.C. by Magistrates, they may continue to exercise them on wrong
principles.
DismWing the Petition the Court,
HELD : 1. No hard and fast rules can be laid down for
guidance
in
exercising a J?Ower on which decisions must necessarily be governed
by the
existing situation in each case. It bas to be judged on facts and circumstances
existing at a particular place at a particular time. (421CD]
D
2. S. 144 confers a jurisdiction "to direct any person to abstain from a
certain act or to take certain order with certain property in his possession or
E
under his management".
(420C]
3. The kind of orders u/s 144(3) which "may be directed to a particular
individual or to the public generally when frequenting or visiting a particular
place" are intended only to prevent dangers to life health, safety or peace and
tranquility of members of the public. A person may be prevented from doing
something even upon his. own property provided that the doing of a perfectly
legal act constitutes a danger to human life, health or safety of others or to
·public peace and tranquility. They are only temporary orders which
cannot
F
last beyond two months from the making thereof. [420C-D]
4. Questions of title .cannot be decided for the first time either in a Writ
Petition or in a proceeding u/s 144 Cr!. P.C. at all, as the remedy lies by way
of a Civil Suit for an injunction.
But, previous judgments on them may have
a hearing on the question whether, and, if so, what order should be passed
u/s. 144 Cr!. P.C. The magistrate is not concerned with individual rights in
performing his duty u/s 144 Cr!. P.C. but he has to determine what may rea-
·sonably necessary or expedient in a situation of which he is the best judge.
G
[420DE, 421A]
Clv!L APPLLATE JURISDICTION : Review Petition No. 36 of 1977.
Application for review of this Court's Judgment dated 6th of De-
·cember 76.
IN
Civil Appeal No. 941-A of 1976
A. K. Sen, M. C. Bhandare, (Mrs.)
Urimi/a
Kapoor,
(Miss)
Kam/esh Bansal and (Mrs.) Shobha Dikshit for the Petitioners.
H
A
B
c
D
F
G
H
420
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
[1978] 2 S.C.R.
Bashir Ahmed, K. L. Hathi and P. C. Kapoor for the Respondent,.
The Order of the Court was delivered by
BEG, CJ.-This review application seems quite unnecessary. Since,
however, learned Counsel for the petitioners have earnestly tried to
impress upon us that, unless we mentioned the correct principles on
which jurisdiction is to be exercised under Section 144 of the Criminal
Procedure Code by Magistrates, they may continue to exercise them on
wrong principles, we may clear up these possibly imaginary difficulties.
We find it hard to bi;)ieve that Magistrates will deliberately shut iheir
eyes to the requirements of law as laid down clearly in Section 144, Cr.
P.C., but, as what is not easily conceivable sometimes docs happen,
we will explain the provisions of Section 144 Criminal Procedure Code
a little.
This provision confers a jurisdiction to "direct any person to abstain from a certain act or to take certain order with certain property in
his possession or under his management" with the object, inter alia,
of preventing "a disturbance of the public tranquil

## Text

419
MD. GULAM ABBAS & ORS.
A
v.
MD. IBRAHIM & ORS.
December 16, 1977
[M. H. BEG, C.J., P. N. BHAGWATI AND JASWANT SINGH, JJ.J
H
Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, (Act II of 1974), S. 144-Princip/ea on
which jurisdiction is to be exercised u /s 144 of thtl Cr/. P.C. by magistrate,
.explained.
In Md. Ibrahim v. State of U.P. etc. (C.A. No. 941A of 1976 etc. etc.
decided on 6-12-1976), this Court set aside the' judgment of the Allahabad High
·Court passed in the Writ Petition quashing the orders of the City Magistrate
and Session Judge u/s. 144 Cr!. P.C., holding that High Court committed an
C
error in pronouncing views on the orders passed by the criminal courts when
they ceased to be operative and in giving finding on rights, title and property
in a petition u/ A 226 and 227 of the Constitution.
In the Review Petition, the Review Petitioners contended that unless the
court mentioned the correct principles on which jurisdiction is to be exercised
u/s 144 Crl. P.C. by Magistrates, they may continue to exercise them on wrong
principles.
DismWing the Petition the Court,
HELD : 1. No hard and fast rules can be laid down for
guidance
in
exercising a J?Ower on which decisions must necessarily be governed
by the
existing situation in each case. It bas to be judged on facts and circumstances
existing at a particular place at a particular time. (421CD]
D
2. S. 144 confers a jurisdiction "to direct any person to abstain from a
certain act or to take certain order with certain property in his possession or
E
under his management".
(420C]
3. The kind of orders u/s 144(3) which "may be directed to a particular
individual or to the public generally when frequenting or visiting a particular
place" are intended only to prevent dangers to life health, safety or peace and
tranquility of members of the public. A person may be prevented from doing
something even upon his. own property provided that the doing of a perfectly
legal act constitutes a danger to human life, health or safety of others or to
·public peace and tranquility. They are only temporary orders which
cannot
F
last beyond two months from the making thereof. [420C-D]
4. Questions of title .cannot be decided for the first time either in a Writ
Petition or in a proceeding u/s 144 Cr!. P.C. at all, as the remedy lies by way
of a Civil Suit for an injunction.
But, previous judgments on them may have
a hearing on the question whether, and, if so, what order should be passed
u/s. 144 Cr!. P.C. The magistrate is not concerned with individual rights in
performing his duty u/s 144 Cr!. P.C. but he has to determine what may rea-
·sonably necessary or expedient in a situation of which he is the best judge.
G
[420DE, 421A]
Clv!L APPLLATE JURISDICTION : Review Petition No. 36 of 1977.
Application for review of this Court's Judgment dated 6th of De-
·cember 76.
IN
Civil Appeal No. 941-A of 1976
A. K. Sen, M. C. Bhandare, (Mrs.)
Urimi/a
Kapoor,
(Miss)
Kam/esh Bansal and (Mrs.) Shobha Dikshit for the Petitioners.
H
A
B
c
D
F
G
H
420
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
[1978] 2 S.C.R.
Bashir Ahmed, K. L. Hathi and P. C. Kapoor for the Respondent,.
The Order of the Court was delivered by
BEG, CJ.-This review application seems quite unnecessary. Since,
however, learned Counsel for the petitioners have earnestly tried to
impress upon us that, unless we mentioned the correct principles on
which jurisdiction is to be exercised under Section 144 of the Criminal
Procedure Code by Magistrates, they may continue to exercise them on
wrong principles, we may clear up these possibly imaginary difficulties.
We find it hard to bi;)ieve that Magistrates will deliberately shut iheir
eyes to the requirements of law as laid down clearly in Section 144, Cr.
P.C., but, as what is not easily conceivable sometimes docs happen,
we will explain the provisions of Section 144 Criminal Procedure Code
a little.
This provision confers a jurisdiction to "direct any person to abstain from a certain act or to take certain order with certain property in
his possession or under his management" with the object, inter alia,
of preventing "a disturbance of the public tranquility, or a riot, or an
affray".
Section 144(3) specifically lays down that the order under
this Section "may be directed to a particular
individual or to
the
public generally when frequenting or visiting a particular place".
The
kind of orders mentioned here are obviously intended only to prevent
dangers to life, health, safety or peace and tranquility of members of
the public.
They are only temporary
orders which
cannot last
beyond two months from the making thereof as is clear from Section
144(6) of the Code.
Questions of title cannot be decided here at all.
But, previous judgments on them may have a bearing on the question
whether, and, if so, what order should be passed under Section
144
Criminal Procedure Code.
It may sometimes happen that a person may be prevented
from
doing somethinng even upon his own property provided the doing ot
a perfectly legal act constitutes a danger to human life, health, or safety
of others or to public peace and tranquility.
An example ,if this can
be shouting of provocatlvr! siogans from one's own house top. Nevertheless, it is the duty of the authorities to aid and protect those who are
performing completely legal acts in a reasonable and perfectly lefal
manner or in accordance with what the law permits them to do.
It
is only where it is not practicable to allow them to do something which
is quite lega.J, having regard to the state of excited feelings of p~rsons
living in an area or frequenting a locality. that any action may
be
taken under Section 144 Criminal Procedure Code which may interfere with what are, otherwise, completely legal and permissible conduct
and speech.
It was asserted on behalf of the petitioners that in a representative
wit between Shia and Sunni sects of Muslims question of title to properties or places to which Magistrate's orders under Section 144 Criminal Procedure Code related has already been decided.
If that be so
we have no doubt that the Magistrate will respect that decision in making an order under Section 144 Cr. P.C. in the future.
Then it would
be easier for the Magistrate to see who should be allowed to exercise
,
-
I
•
GULAM ABBAS V. IBRAHIM
421
the legitimate right of holding a meeting on or occupying a particular
propt,>rty or doing anything else there.
It may however be noted that
the Magistrate is not concerned with individual rights in performing
his duty under Sectior. 144 but he has to determine what may he
reasonably necessary or expedient in a situation of which he is the best
judge.
If any community or sect is disposed to transgress the rights
of
'uiother in a particular property habitually, the remedy lies by way
of a civil suit for an injunction.
Both sides before us make conflictiJ1g assertions on such questions.
It is impossible to decide
them
for the first time either in a writ petition or in a proceeding under
Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
If public peace and
tranquility or other objects mentioned there are not in danger the
Vlagistrate concerned cannot act under Section 144.
He could only
direct parties to go to the proper forum.
On the other hand, if the
public safety. peace, or tranquility are in danger, it is left to the
Magistrate concerned to take proper action under Section 144 Criminal
Procedure Code. No hard ·and fast rules can be laid down for guidance
in exercising a power on which decisions must necessarily be governed
by the existing situation in each case.
It has to be judged on facts
and circumstances existing at a particular place at a particular time.
We have no doubt that, particularly after this brief and obvious
explanation of the provisions of Section I 44 Criminal Procedure Code,
no orders will be passed contrary to what the section itself so clearly
requires as conditions precedent to the passing of an order.
We are
not convinced at all that the applicants had any real ground for seeking
a review of our order<.
Consequently,
we dismiss this application.
We, however. make no orders as to costs.
S. R.
Review Petition dismissed.
A
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