Directs book donation for consuming Court’s time
PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has quashed criminal proceedings against advocate Damodar Dhond after a Mumbai-based woman complainant tendered a no-objection affidavit. The Division Bench of Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Nivedita Mehta, however, directed her to donate books worth Rs 10,000 to the library of the Goa High Court Bar Association for consuming the Court’s valuable time.
The Court, while accepting the affidavit and quashing the proceedings, remarked that the continuation of the case would amount to an abuse of the judicial process.
“Since we are of the clear view that the continuation of the proceedings against the petitioner would be an abuse of the process of the Court and in the interest of justice, the writ petition is made absolute,” the order stated. However, the Court added that given the time spent on the case, the complainant must purchase and hand over books to the Bar Association library within a week and report compliance.
Dhond, arraigned as accused number two, had been chargesheeted by Mapusa police in 2018 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code based on a 2017 incident. It was alleged that Dhond, along with the first accused Rajesh Hassandani, assaulted Manju Lulla and her husband Ajay Lulla in the premises of the Mapusa Sessions Court, using abusive language and slapping her. The charge sheet also stated that the act amounted to outraging her modesty in a public place.
During the proceedings, the complainant gave a statement under Section 164 of the CrPC, expressing her disinterest in pursuing the matter against Dhond. Subsequently, in an affidavit dated April 21, 2025, she clarified that the complaint against Dhond was due to a “pure misunderstanding” and conveyed her no-objection to quashing the FIR and proceedings against him.
However, she expressed her intention to continue the case against the first accused before the JMFC, Mapusa. The High Court has accordingly quashed proceedings against the petitioner.
