In a sharp rebuke to misuse of police machinery, the Bombay High Court on Friday quashed an FIR accusing Pune resident Anna Waman Bhalerao of cheating and breach of trust. The division bench said the complaint was “essentially a civil dispute dressed up as a criminal case,” and warned that criminal law must not be wielded as a weapon in private property disagreements.
Background
The case began when the complainant, a distant relative, alleged that Bhalerao sold ancestral land without consent. He claimed that she pocketed the proceeds and forged papers to keep him out. Police at Alankar station in Pune registered an FIR under cheating and forgery sections of the Indian Penal Code. Bhalerao moved the High Court under Section 482 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which allows quashing of criminal proceedings when there is an abuse of law.
Court’s Observations
During a packed hearing, the judges repeatedly asked the State why a family property quarrel required police intervention. “Every breach of agreement cannot become cheating,” the bench observed, pointing out that the documents showed a legitimate sale. The judges stressed that civil remedies-like filing a suit for ownership or partition-were available.
They added that dragging someone into criminal litigation without solid evidence not only wastes court time but also intimidates ordinary citizens. “The criminal process cannot be used to settle scores in a civil fight,” the court said, noting that even if allegations were accepted as true, they did not reveal a criminal offence.
Read also: Supreme Court Quashes Karnataka’s Seizure of ITC Classmate Notebooks, Flags Major Procedural Lapses
Decision
Concluding that the FIR was an “abuse of process,” the High Court ordered its immediate quashing. No further investigation or trial will continue against Anna Waman Bhalerao. The bench ended with a caution: “Complainants must not confuse breach of trust with a crime.”
Case: Anna Waman Bhalerao v. State of Maharashtra
Case Type: Criminal – Petition to quash FIR under Section 482 CrPC
Decision Date: 2025 (exact date from order)
