ESSAR TELEHOLDINGS LTD Vs. CBI

Tags Corruption

Supreme Court of India (Full Bench (FB)- Three Judge)

Appeal (Crl.), 1273 of 2015, Judgment Date: Sep 29, 2015

In the end I may add that it is not obligatory on the  Court  to
hold a joint trial and  provisions  of  these  sections  are  only  enabling
provisions.  An accused cannot insist with  ulterior  purpose  or  otherwise
that he be tried as co-accused with other accused, that too in  a  different
case.  It is only a  discretionary  power  and  Court  may  allow  it  in  a
particular  case  if  the  interest  of  justice  so  demands   to   prevent
miscarriage of  justice.   In  the  instant  case,  neither  the  facts  and
allegations are common, nor evidence is common nor the accused  were  acting
with a commonality of purpose and, as such, there is no ground  for  holding
a joint trial.  I may also add that holding a joint trial at this stage  may
lead to miscarriage of justice.

REPORTABLE

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
CRIMINAL APPELLATE/ORIGINAL JURISDICTION

CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 1273 OF 2015
[ARISING OUT OF SLP (CRIMINAL) NO.2978 OF 2014)

ESSAR TELEHOLDINGS LTD. … APPELLANT

VERSUS

CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION … RESPONDENT

WITH

WRIT PETITION (CRIMINAL) NO.36 OF 2014

WRIT PETITION (CRIMINAL) NO.39 OF 2014

J U D G M E N T

R.F. Nariman, J.

Leave granted in SLP (Crl.) No.2978 of 2014.

2. These matters arise as a sequel to the judgment delivered by this
Court on 1.7.2013 by which three writ petitions filed by Essar Teleholdings
Limited, Loop Telecom Limited and Vikash Saraf were dismissed by a Division
Bench of this Court.
3. The brief facts necessary to appreciate how the controversy arose
before this Court are as follows.

4. CBI registered an FIR RC No.DAI 2009 A 0045 dated 21.10.2009 alleging
offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and criminal
conspiracy in respect of the grant of 122 UAS licenses in the year 2008
against various unknown Government officials, persons and companies. The
gist of the offence was set out in the penultimate paragraph of the said
FIR, which is set out as follows:

“Thus, the concerned officials of Department of Telecommunications in
criminal conspiracy with private persons/companies by abusing their
official position granted Unified Access Service Licenses to a few selected
companies at nominal rate by rejecting the applications of others without
any valid reason thereby causing wrongful loss to the Government of India
and a corresponding wrongful loss to private persons/companies estimated to
be more than Rs.22,000 Crores.

The aforesaid facts disclose commission of offence under sections 120-B
IPC, r/w section 13(2) r/w 13 (1)(d) of PC Act, 1988 against certain
unknown officials of Department of Telecommunications, Government of India,
unknown private persons/companies and others”

5. On 16.12.2010, this Court passed an order reported in Centre for
Public Interest Litigation v. Union of India, (2011) 1 SCC 560, directing
the CBI to investigate the said FIR. On 10.2.2011, while monitoring the
CBI investigation, this Court passed an order directing that no other Court
shall pass any order which may in any manner impede the investigation being
carried out by the CBI and Directorate of Enforcement. On 2.4.2011, and
25.4.2011, CBI filed a chargesheet and a first supplementary chargesheet
against 12 accused persons for offences committed both under the Indian
Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. It is common ground that
none of the petitioners before us were named or mentioned in these two
chargesheets.

6. The present case arises out of a second supplementary chargesheet
dated 12.12.2011 naming 8 persons as accused, alleging offences under
Section 120B read with Section 420 IPC. It is relevant to mention that
this second supplementary chargesheet which implicated the petitioners
before us did not contain any offences under the Prevention of Corruption
Act. The CBI mentioned in the said chargesheet that separate offences came
to their notice during the investigation of FIR RC No.DAI 2009 A 0045, as a
result of which the second supplementary chargesheet was being filed. They
further went on to state that these charges are triable by a Magistrate of
the First Class but may be endorsed to any appropriate court as deemed fit
after which process may be issued to the accused persons for their
appearance and to face trial as per law.

7. On 21.12.2011, the Special Judge took cognizance of this second
supplementary chargesheet dated 12.12.2011 and stated that he was satisfied
that there is enough incriminating material on record to proceed against
the accused persons.

8. Meanwhile, pursuant to an observation made in this Court’s order
dated 10.2.2011, two important things happened. First, the Delhi High
Court passed an administrative order dated 15.3.2011 appointing Shri O.P.
Saini as Special Judge to undertake trial of cases in relation to all
matters pertaining to the 2G Scam, and the Government of NCT of Delhi also
promulgated a notification dated 28.3.2011 under the Prevention of
Corruption Act nominating the self-same Shri O.P. Saini a Special Judge to
undertake trial of cases in relation to all matters pertaining to the 2G
Scam. Three writ petitions were filed as has been stated above, challenging
inter alia the order dated 21.12.2011 passed by the Special Judge, CBI
taking cognizance of the matters stated in the second supplementary
chargesheet against the petitioners before us. The prayers contained in
these writ petitions are set out hereunder:

a) a Writ of Certiorari or an order or direction in the nature of
certiorari quashing the Administrative Order dated 15.03.2011 issued by the
Respondent No. 1 in so far as it seeks to confer upon the Ld. Special Judge
Shri O.P. Saini jurisdiction to inquire into and try all cases arising out
of 2G Spectrum scam, which are otherwise exclusively inquired into and
triable by a Magistrate under the relevant statutes and to quash all
consequential actions/orders passed thereupon;
b) a Writ of Certiorari or any other order or direction in the nature of
certiorari quashing the Notification bearing No. 6/05/2011-Judl. dated
28.03.2011 in so far as it seeks to confer upon the Ld. Special Judge Shri
O.P. Saini jurisdiction to inquire into and try all cases arising out of
the 2G Spectrum scam, including those which are not within the scope of his
jurisdiction under the relevant statutes read with the Constitution of
India and to quash all consequential actions/orders thereupon;

c) a writ to quash and set aside order dated 21.12.2011 passed by the Ld.
Special Judge Shri O.P. Saini taking cognizance in CC No. 1(B) of 2011
titled ‘CBI v Ravikant Ruia & Ors’ and all proceedings emanating therefrom;

d) Pass such other further orders, which may be required in the interest
of justice equity and good conscience.

9. It will thus be seen that prayers (a) and (b) concern themselves with
quashing the administrative order dated 15.3.2011 of the High Court and the
notification dated 28.3.2011 of the Government of NCT of Delhi, both
appointing and conferring jurisdiction on the Special Judge to enquire into
and try all cases arising out of the 2G Scam. Prayer (c) was devoted to
setting aside the order dated 21.12.2011 passed by the learned Special
Judge taking cognizance.

10. In a detailed judgment, this Court set out the arguments of the
petitioners as follows:
“The learned counsel for the petitioner(s) assailed the impugned
Administrative Order passed by the Delhi High Court dated 15-3-2011 and the
Notification dated 28-3-2011 issued by the Government of NCT of Delhi on
the following grounds:

14.1. The impugned notification travels beyond the provisions of CrPC. CrPC
mandates that offences under IPC ought to be tried as per its provisions.

14.2. It has been held by this Hon'ble Court in CBI v. Keshub
Mahindra [(2011) 6 SCC 216 : (2011) 2 SCC (Cri) 863] that: (SCC p. 219,
para 11)

“11. No decision by any court, this Court not excluded, can be read in a
manner as to nullify the express provisions of an Act or the Code….”
(emphasis in original)

Thus, the Administrative Order and the notification are contrary to the
well-settled provisions of law and ought to be set aside insofar as they
confer jurisdiction on a Special Judge to take cognizance and hold trial of
matters not pertaining to the PC Act offences.

14.3. If the offence of Section 420 IPC, which ought to be tried by a
Magistrate, is to be tried by a Court of Session, a variety of valuable
rights of the petitioner would be jeopardised. This would be contrary to
the decision of the Constitution Bench of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in A.R.
Antulay v. R.S. Nayak [(1988) 2 SCC 602 : 1988 SCC (Cri) 372] , wherein it
was acknowledged that the right to appeal is a valuable right and the loss
of such a right is violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India.”
[at para 14]

11. After setting out Sections 194, 26, 220 and 223 of the Code of
Criminal Procedure Code (in short “CrPC”) and Sections 3 and 4 of the
Prevention of Corruption Act, this Court stated:
“From the aforesaid second charge-sheet it is clear that the offence
alleged to have been committed by the petitioners in the course of 2G Scam
cases. For the said reason they have been made accused in the 2G Scam case.

Admittedly, the co-accused of 2G Scam case charged under the provisions of
the Prevention of Corruption Act can be tried only by the Special Judge.
The petitioners are co-accused in the said 2G Scam case. In this background
Section 220 CrPC will apply and the petitioners though accused of different
offences i.e. under Sections 420/120-B IPC, which alleged to have been
committed in the course of 2G Spectrum transactions, under Section 223 CrPC
they may be charged and can be tried together with the other co-accused of
2G Scam cases.” [at paras 24 and 25]

12. This Court went on to consider some of the earlier judgments of this
Court with reference to the validity of the administrative order dated
15.3.2011 and the notification dated 28.3.2011 and then held:
“On the question of validity of the Notification dated 28-3-2011 issued by
the NCT of Delhi and Administrative Order dated 15-3-2011 passed by the
Delhi High Court, we hold as follows:

30.1. Under sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the PC Act the State Government
may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint as many Special
Judges as may be necessary for such area or areas or for such case or group
of cases as may be specified in the notification to try any offence
punishable under the PC Act. In the present case, as admittedly, co-accused
have been charged under the provisions of the PC Act, and such offence
punishable under the PC Act, the NCT of Delhi is well within its
jurisdiction to issue notification(s) appointing Special Judge(s) to try
the 2G Scam case(s).

30.2. Articles 233 and 234 of the Constitution are attracted in cases where
appointments of persons to be Special Judges or their postings to a
particular Special Court are involved. The control of the High Court is
comprehensive, exclusive and effective and it is to subserve a basic
feature of the Constitution i.e. independence of judiciary. (See High Court
of Judicature for Rajasthan v. Ramesh Chand Paliwal [(1998) 3 SCC 72 : 1998
SCC (L&S) 786] and High Court of Orissa v. Sisir Kanta Satapathy [(1999) 7
SCC 725 : 1999 SCC (L&S) 1373] .) The power to appoint or promote or post a
District Judge of a State is vested with the Governor of the State under
Article 233 of the Constitution which can be exercised only in consultation
with the High Court. Therefore, it is well within the jurisdiction of the
High Court to nominate officer(s) of the rank of the District Judge for
appointment and posting as Special Judge(s) under sub-section (1) of
Section 3 of the PC Act.

30.3. In the present case, the petitioners have not challenged the
nomination made by the High Court of Delhi to the NCT of Delhi. They have
challenged the letter dated 15-3-2011 written by the Registrar General,
High Court of Delhi, New Delhi to the District Judge-I-cum-Sessions Judge,
Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi and the District Judge-IV-cum-Additional Sessions
Judge, I/C, New Delhi District, Patiala House Courts, New Delhi whereby the
High Court intimated the officers about nomination of Mr O.P. Saini, an
officer of Delhi Higher Judicial Service for his appointment as Special
Judge for 2G Scam cases.” [at para 30]

13. In the last paragraph, namely, paragraph 35, this Court dismissed the
writ petitions in the following terms:
“We find no merit in these writ petitions, they are accordingly dismissed.
The Special Court is expected to proceed with the trial on day-to-day basis
to ensure early disposal of the trial. There shall be no order as to
costs.” [at para 35]

14. Close upon the heels of the judgment of this Court, Essar
Teleholdings Ltd., one of the petitioners before us, by an application
dated 29.7.2013, sought for a joint trial, by praying as follows:-
Pass an order to give effect to the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court
dated 01.07.2013 passed in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 57 of 2012, treating
the Accused in CC No. 1B of 2011 as ‘Co-accused’ with the Accused in CC
No.1 of 2011 and to pass all other consequential orders, in this regard;
and/or

Consider the matter afresh from the stage of the receipt of the report
under Section 173(8) CrPC, and frame fresh charges and also issue
appropriate directions upon the Applicants joining the Trial in C.C. No.1
of 2011, and/or

Issue appropriate directions to ensure that the proceedings i.e. CC No 1 of
2011 and CC No 1B of 2011 are assimilated into one Trial and for this
purpose issue appropriate directions to rectify the situation as to the
past, and for further proceedings, direct that the Trial being C.C. No. 1
of 2011 is conducted in conformity with Section 220 with 223 CrPC;and/or

Pass any other order(s) as this Hon’ble Court may deem fit and proper in
the interest of justice.

15. The other two writ petitioners, whose petitions had been dismissed by
this Court by the judgment dated 1.7.2013, namely, M/s Loop Telecom Limited
and Mr. Vikash Saraf, both filed review petitions against the judgment
dated 1.7.2013, in which they raised the self-same grounds that were argued
before this Court. These review petitions were dismissed by this Court on
24.9.2013. It can be seen from this narration of facts that the judgment
dated 1.7.2013 has become final between all the parties to the lis.

16. The immediate cause for filing of the present appeals is a judgment
dated 2.9.2013 by which the Special Judge dismissed the application filed
by Essar Teleholdings Ltd. asking for a joint trial.

17. Shri Harish Salve, learned senior counsel appearing for all the
petitioners, submitted that as a lot of water had already flowed and a
large number of witnesses have already been examined, the correct course of
action in the present case should be to send the second supplementary
chargesheet filed by the CBI to a Magistrate of the First Class to try the
offences under Section 120B read with Section 420 of the Penal Code. His
argument was that this Court, in the judgment dated 1.7.2013, had held that
since the present petitioners were co-accused in the on-going trial, it
must follow that either there be a joint trial, in which case the entire
proceeding has to start de novo, or as was suggested by him, the second
supplementary chargesheet should be sent for trial separately to a
Magistrate of the First Class. According to learned counsel, it is clear
that under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Special Judge can only try
offences that arise under the said Act and not offences that arise under
the Penal Code. It is only Section 4(3) of the said Act that permits, in
the circumstances mentioned therein, the trial of Penal Code offences which
are that when trying any case, the Special Judge may also try an offence
other than the offence specified in Section 3 of the Prevention of
Corruption Act provided that this can only be at the same trial. He
stressed the words “same trial” and said that it is clear that short of a
Penal Code offence being linked to a Prevention of Corruption Act offence
and provided they are tried together, no offence under the Penal Code can
be tried by the Special Judge set up under the Prevention of Corruption
Act.

18. These submissions were countered by Shri Anand Grover, learned senior
advocate appearing on behalf of the respondents. According to learned
counsel, this Court in the judgment dated 1.7.2013 did not direct that
there be a joint trial but only observed in passing that the special Judge
“may” try the present case along with the main case. He further argued that
ultimately, since this Court dismissed the writ petitions filed by these
very petitioners, and stated that the Special Court is expected to proceed
with the trial on a day to day basis to ensure early disposal, it is clear
that ultimately no joint trial was, in fact, to take place under any
alleged direction of this Court. He further went on to submit that in any
case the provisions of Sections 220 and 223 of the CrPC vest a discretion
in the Court, which discretion has been appropriately exercised by the
learned Special Judge on the facts of the present case. He went on to argue
that if there were to be a joint trial, all the accused would necessarily
have to give their consent which is not the case here. He also went on to
submit, by citing Harjinder Singh v. State of Punjab, (1985) 1 SCC 422,
that the expression “same trial” occurring in section 4(3) of the
Prevention of Corruption Act could also mean that the present case may be
tried immediately after the trial in the main case is over.

19. Having heard learned counsel for both the parties, we are of the view
that the learned senior advocate for the petitioners is attempting to raise
submissions which have already been rejected by this Court by its judgment
dated 1.7.2013. His main submission, that in the fitness of things, the
second supplementary chargesheet should be tried by a Magistrate of the
First Class would be directly contrary to the finding of this Court that
the said second supplementary chargesheet be tried only by the learned
Special Judge. Quite apart from this, his submission is also beyond the
prayer made in the application filed before the Special Judge. We have
already extracted the said prayer in paragraph 13 above. It is clear that
on a reading of the prayers in the said application, only a joint trial was
asked for in pursuance of the judgment of this Court dated 1.7.2013. In
fact, on a reading of the application and the arguments made before the
learned Special Judge, the petitioners’ main argument was that this Court,
in the order dated 1.7.2013, had in fact mandated a joint trial. This was
correctly turned down by the learned Special Judge, regard being had to the
fact that this Court, in paragraph 25 of the judgment dated 1.7.2013, only
stated that a discretion was vested with the Special Judge which he may
well exercise given the facts of the case.

20. Read in the backdrop of Sections 220 and 223, it is clear that a
discretion is vested with the Court to order a joint trial. In fact, in
Chandra Bhal v. State of U.P., (1971) 3 SCC 983, this Court stated:
“Turning to the provisions of the Code, Section 233 embodies the general
mandatory rule providing for a separate charge for every distinct offence
and for separate trial for every such charge. The broad object underlying
the general rule seems to be to give to the accused a notice of the precise
accusation and to save him from being embarrassed in his defence by the
confusion which is likely to result from lumping together in a single
charge distinct offences and from combining several charges at one trial.
There are, however, exceptions to this general rule and they are found in
Sections 234, 235, 236 and 239. These exceptions embrace cases in which one
trial for more than one offence is not considered likely to embarrass or
prejudice the accused in his defence. The matter of joinder of charges is,
however, in the general discretion of the court and the principle
consideration controlling the judicial exercise of this discretion should
be to avoid embarrassment to the defence by joinder of charges. On the
appellant's argument the only provision requiring consideration is Section
235(1) which lays down that if in one series of acts so connected together
as to form the same transaction more offences than one are committed by the
same person then he may be charged with and tried at one trial for every
such offence. This exception like the other exceptions merely permits a
joint trial of more offences than one. It neither renders a joint trial
imperative nor does it bar or prohibit separate trials. Sub-section (2) of
Section 403 of the Code also provides that a person acquitted or convicted
of any offence may be afterwards tried for any distinct offence for which a
separate charge might have been made against him on the former trial under
Section 235(1). No legal objection to the appellant's separate trial is
sustainable and his counsel has advisedly not seriously pressed any before
us.” [at para 5]

21. The other contention of learned senior counsel for the petitioners
before us has already been answered by this Court by upholding both the
administrative order dated 15.3.2011 and the NCT notification dated
28.3.2011. This Court having held that the administrative order dated
15.3.2011 of the High court was valid, it is clear that even a Penal Code
offence by itself – that is, such offence which is not to be tried with a
Prevention of Corruption Act offence - would be within the Special Judge’s
jurisdiction inasmuch as the administrative order of the High Court gives
power to the Special Court to decide all offences pertaining to the 2G
Scam. In fact, once this order is upheld, the learned senior advocate’s
argument based on Section 4(3) of the Prevention of Corruption Act pales
into insignificance. This is for the reason that independent of Section
4(3) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and of the notification dated
28.3.2011, the Special Judge has been vested with the jurisdiction to
undertake the trial of all cases in relation to all matters pertaining to
the 2G Scam exclusively, which would include Penal Code offences by
themselves, so long as they pertain to the 2G Scam. Shri Salve cited State
(through CBI, New Delhi) v. Jitender Kumar Singh, (2014) 11 SCC 724, and
paragraph 38 in particular to submit that a Special Judge appointed to try
Prevention of Corruption Act cases, cannot try non Prevention of Corruption
Act cases unless there is a causal link between such cases and the
Prevention of Corruption Act cases, in which case they must be tried
together. As has been held by us, once the challenge to the administrative
order dated 15.3.2011, is specifically rejected, the offences arising out
of the second supplementary chargesheet, being offences under the Penal
Code relatable to the 2G scam, can be tried separately only by the Special
Judge.

22. We find that the Special Judge, vide the order dated 2.9.2013, has
given cogent reasons for not exercising his discretion to order a joint
trial. He stated that the evidence in the main case has almost reached the
end and as many as 146 witnesses in the main case and 71 witnesses in the
second supplementary chargesheet have already been examined, clubbing the
two cases together would result in the wastage of the effort already gone
into and would lead to a failure of justice. The learned Judge concluded
as follows:-
47) In the end I may add that it is not obligatory on the Court to
hold a joint trial and provisions of these sections are only enabling
provisions. An accused cannot insist with ulterior purpose or otherwise
that he be tried as co-accused with other accused, that too in a different
case. It is only a discretionary power and Court may allow it in a
particular case if the interest of justice so demands to prevent
miscarriage of justice. In the instant case, neither the facts and
allegations are common, nor evidence is common nor the accused were acting
with a commonality of purpose and, as such, there is no ground for holding
a joint trial. I may also add that holding a joint trial at this stage may
lead to miscarriage of justice.
48) In my humble view, a Court may not deem it desirable to conduct a
joint trial, even if conditions of these Sections are satisfied, though not
satisfied in the instant case, that is:
a) when joint trial would prolong the trial;
b) cause unnecessary wastage of judicial time; and
c) confuse or cause prejudice to the accused, who had taken part only in
some minor offence.

23. We find no infirmity in the impugned judgment. As a result, the
appeal and the writ petitions are, therefore, dismissed.

…………………….CJI.
(H.L. Dattu)

………………….……J.

(A.K. Sikri)

…………………….…J.

(R.F. Nariman)

New Delhi;

September 29, 2015.

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