A.B. Govardhan v. State - FIR Quashing - Civil Court Decree

Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 - Section 482 - Quashing to prevent abuse of process - While quashing an FIR, SC observed: Where there is a decree of a civil court in favour of the accused and against the complainant, which has been satisfied, and the complainant sets the prosecution in motion only after losing before the civil court, such prosecution, in the facts and attending circumstances, is nothing but a postscript to settle the score with the accused, and proceeding on such basis would amount to abuse of process of law and cannot be sustained, particularly when the dispute is of civil nature and an attempt has been made to flavour it with criminal offence. (Para 19)