In Brief
The Supreme Court clarified the procedure for trying perjury complaints filed by courts under Section 340 of the Criminal Procedure Code. When a witness recants sworn statements, courts can file complaints against them for giving false evidence. The Court held that such complaints must generally be treated as cases instituted on police report (using the expedited Section 238-243 procedure), not the detailed Section 244 procedure requiring full prosecution evidence before framing charges. However, the words 'as far as may be' in Section 343(1) permit Trial Magistrates to conduct summary inquiries in exceptional cases lacking preliminary inquiry materials. The High Court's order remanding the case was set aside, and the trial was allowed to proceed from the charge-framing stage.
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