Supreme Court Criticizes Misuse of Criminal Law in Civil Disputes
The Supreme Court has condemned the conversion of civil disputes into criminal cases for debt recovery, warning it undermines justice. This comment followed a case in Uttar Pradesh involving baseless kidnapping charges. The court urged careful legal assessment to differentiate between civil and criminal cases.
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The Supreme Court has criticized the increasing trend of using criminal cases to settle civil disputes, noting this practice undermines the justice system.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh highlighted that arrest threats should not be exploited for recovering debts, which are categorized as civil disputes. This observation stemmed from a case in Uttar Pradesh where kidnapping allegations were filed in a monetary dispute.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj cited the prevalence of such misuse and the resulting dilemmas for police forces. The court advised states to appoint district nodal officers to discern between civil and criminal cases, ensuring adherence to legal procedures.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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