Criminal Procedure Code, 1973


Section 340

It cannot also be lost sight of that in criminal prosecution there is waste of public funds and time of courts. For this reason also in every case of perjury the court would not mechanically take cognizance or direct prosecution. Prosecution should beordered only when it is considered expedient and in the interest of justice to punish the delinquent. Every incorrect or false statement does not make it incumbent on the court to order prosecution. 

This court in Rawal Singh v. Quality Stores, AIR 1986 (Delhi) 236 in spite of finding a document having been fabricated, yet dismissed the application under Section 340 of the Cr.PC finding it not to be a fit case for recourse to any such action. In my view, the application under Section 340 of the Cr.PC at this stage if allowed would give a handle to the defendants against the plaintiff and would give unfair advantage to the defendants over plaintiff in the suit proceedings. It is still to be investigated and found out by this court as to whether the plaintiff had devised improvements I modifications over and above the drawings of CMERI and if so whether the defendants have copied I infringed the said drawings of the plaintiff. Allowing the application at this stage would tantamount to this court returning finding that the drawings of the plaintiff are the same as that of the CMERI. While the proposition in R. Karuppan (Supra) & Mahila Vinod Kumari (Supra) cannot be disputed, it cannot also be lost sight of that too frequent prosecutions for such offences tend to defeat its very object. It is only in glaring cases of falsity where conviction is highly likely that the court should direct prosecution. 

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