In Brief
The appellant was charged with harassment under Section 498A IPC and the Dowry Prohibition Act. After trial commenced, an additional charge-sheet alleging criminal breach of trust and cheating (Sections 406 and 420 IPC) was filed but initially overlooked. When the prosecutor sought to add these charges under Section 216 CrPC before judgment, the trial court rejected the application, finding insufficient evidence. The High Court reversed this, directing the charges be framed. The Supreme Court held that at the charge-framing stage, courts need only find prima facie evidence of the offence's ingredients; detailed credibility assessment is reserved for trial. The material—witness statements regarding a Rs 5 lakh demand without intent to deliver promised employment—sufficed for charges to be framed. Appeal dismissed.
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