Pooja v. State of U.P. & Anr.

Non-Reportable 2026 INSC 1119 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

Criminal Appeal No.4902 of 2026 [ @ Special Leave Petition (Crl.) No.6715 of 2026 ]

Pooja ...Appellant Versus State of U.P. & Anr. ...Respondents

ORDER

Leave granted.

2. The above matter is filed to quash the

proceedings in Case No.16720 of 2024 (Case Crime

No.94 of 2024, registered at Police Station Chhapar)

pending in the Court of the learned Additional Chief

Judicial Magistrate-I, Muzaffarnagar. The allegation is

that the appellant deliberately gave false information

and forged the death certificate of her mother, which

showed the date of death as 21.11.2019, which was

actually 20.11.2019.

3. The certificate showing the date of birth is

Signature Not Verified Annexure P1, issued by the Competent Authority Digitally signed by VISHAL ANAND

under the Panchayati Raj Vibhag of the Government Date: 2026.10.14 10:55:03 IST Reason:

of Uttar Pradesh. The same has been obtained on an

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online application made by the appellant.

Subsequently, one Sanjay Kumar, a person unknown

to the appellant and not connected to her family,

made a complaint that the death was actually on

20.11.2019. On enquiry, the District Panchayat Raj

Officer, Muzaffarnagar found that the date as

furnished by the appellant was wrong and hence, he

is said to have initiated an investigation by an FIR

numbered as 94 of 2024 before the Police Station

Chhapar produced as Annexure P4. Subsequently, a

charge-sheet has been filed, produced as Annexure

P5, on which cognizance is said to have been taken

as per Annexure P6 by the learned Additional Chief

Judicial Magistrate-I Muzaffarnagar.

4. The appellant contends that there were disputes

with her sister and civil suits were pending between

them. A settlement was arrived at, despite which the

sister has instigated the filing of the above complaint.

In fact, the appellant’s case was that she was

informed by her sister about her mother’s death and

she only made an application on the bona fide belief

that the date was correct. She also submits that she

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had made the application through a Jan Sewa Kendra

as she is not technically savvy.

5. Admittedly, the certificate is issued by the

Competent Authority of the Panchayati Raj Vibhag

and there cannot be found any forgery or criminal

breach of trust in the issuance of the certificate. That

the wrong date was furnished cannot lead to an

allegation of an offence under Section 420 or Section

465 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC). In any

event, the date of death was corrected and there is

no allegation against the appellant that she used the

death certificate to get any benefits. The date could

also be a mistake, since the actual death was on

20.11.2019 and the date of death furnished by the

appellant was 21.11.2019.

6. We are of the opinion that no useful purpose

would be served in continuing the prosecution. We

hence quash the proceedings in Case No.16720 of

2024; arising from the Crime No.94 of 2024, pending

before the learned Additional Chief Judicial

Magistrate’s Court-I, Muzaffarnagar.

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7. The appeal is allowed.

8. Pending application(s), if any, shall stand

rejected.

.......…….……………………. J. (J. B. PARDIWALA)

....……….……………………. J. (K. VINOD CHANDRAN)

NEW DELHI; OCTOBER 12, 2026.

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