Punjab and Haryana High Court: In a recent appeal before the High Court, it has held that a compromise between the parties is never a concrete ground to quash the criminal proceedings against the accused. The appellant in this case was sentenced to a RI of two years for offence under Sections 326, 323 and 324 IPC by the trial court.
The appellant prayed before the Court that it was a family dispute which had been resolved amicably. On hearing both the parties and also making sure from the opposite party that it was ready to give effect to compromise, the Bench of Jitendra Chauhan, J. brought attention to Narinder Singh v. State of Punjab, (2014) 6 SCC 466 in which the Apex Court had observed that the High Court may be somewhat liberal in accepting the settlement and quashing the proceedings/investigation keeping in mind the timing of the settlement.
The Court elucidated that it was not bound to quash the proceedings even if the compromise has been effected between the parties. However, it considered the fact that the appellant had already been suffering the agony of criminal trial and this very fact would act as the mitigating circumstance to reduce the sentence awarded to the appellant to the period already undergone further directing the parties to remain bound by the terms of the compromise. [Jagmohan Singh v. State of Punjab, 2017 SCC OnLine P&H 1798, decided on 03.07.2017]
