In Brief
A court can use its inherent jurisdiction under Section 482 of the Criminal Procedure Code to quash criminal proceedings that are motivated by personal spite rather than genuine criminal conduct. In this case, neighbours involved in a property dispute filed criminal charges against each other stemming from a quarrel. The Supreme Court found that the criminal allegations were coloured by the pre-existing civil dispute and constituted an abuse of the court process. The appeal was allowed and the criminal proceedings were quashed as maliciously instituted.
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