‘Courts are not post office or mouthpiece of prosecution’

The courts are not supposed to act as a post office or a mouthpiece of the prosecution, a Delhi court has said while it discharged a man of cruelty charges levelled by his estranged wife.

“Charges are not to be mechanically framed. The courts are not supposed to act as a post office and mouthpiece of the prosecution,” Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Kumar said.

While accepting a revision petition moved by the husband against a trial court order framing charges against him under Sections 498A (cruelty) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) of the IPC, the judge said the materials placed before the court do not disclose grave suspicion against him for charges to be framed.

“Considering the facts and circumstances of this case, after sifting and weighing the evidence for the limited purpose of finding out whether or not a prima facie case is made out against the petitioner, I am of the opinion that the materials placed before the Court do not disclose the grave suspicion against the petitioner for framing a charge against him under Sections 498A and 406 of the IPC,” the judge said.