Supreme Court: Wrong practice of converting civil disputes into criminal cases rampant in many states

The bench asked the counsel appearing for the respondent no. 2 i.e., the original complainant if any civil suit had been filed on the present facts, the counsel answered that only a criminal case was filed considering that the petitioner had shifted to another residence.

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The Supreme Court in the case Rikhab Birani Versus The State Of Uttar Pradesh observed and has expressed concerns over the "wrong and rampant practice" of converting civil disputes into criminal cases in several states.

The bench comprising of Chief Justice of India, CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar was hearing the present matter.

In the present case, the court was hearing the plea filed seeking to quash charges under Section 420, Section 406, Section 354, Section 504, Section 506 of Indian Penal Code, IPC filed against the petitioner by the complainant who alleged foul play in the transfer of the sale deed of certain property.