A criminal prosecution that travelled through multiple courts for nearly eighteen years finally came to an end on 3rd February 2026, when the Court of the Additional Civil Judge and JMFC, Vijayanagara District, Hosapete, formally disposed of proceedings against Mr. Vishwanath Khandelwal, pursuant to the orders of the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka, Dharwad Bench, passed in Criminal Petition No. 100329/2020.
Mr Khandelwal, a former Deputy General Manager at National Steel and Agro Industries Ltd., Indore, and its sister concern, Mid India Engineering Pvt. Ltd., had served the company from 1986 until his retirement in 2012. During the course of his employment, he was executing company decisions and coordinating with the complainant in relation to commercial transactions.
The dispute dates back to 2008, when a dealer initiated criminal proceedings by filing a private complaint before the Court of the Additional Civil Judge (Jr. Dn.) and JMFC, Hosapete, alleging offences under Sections 405, 406, 415, 420 read with Section 120B of the IPC. The complaint named company directors, senior officials, and Mr. Khandelwal, who was arrayed as Accused No. 9. The case was later registered as C.C. No. 2503/2008 by the Extension Police Station, Hosapete.
Although Mr. Khandelwal retired in 2012, the criminal case continued to follow him. A major turning point came in 2019, when the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka, in Criminal Petition No. 100865/2017 dated 16.01.2019, quashed proceedings against Accused Nos. 1 to 8 — namely, the company’s directors and other senior officials. However, as Mr. Khandelwal was not a party to that petition, he continued to remain the sole accused facing trial despite being similarly placed.
With the prosecution entering its second decade, Mr. Vishwanath Khandelwal approached Advocate Anik M. Iktear Uddin, Partner at Prime Legal, Bengaluru, in November 2025 seeking urgent intervention. Upon being engaged, counsel effectively pursued Criminal Petition No. 100329/2020 before the Dharwad Bench of the High Court of Karnataka, challenging the continuation of proceedings against the petitioner.
Before the Hon’ble Court, Advocate Anik M. Iktear Uddin submitted that the petitioner stood on the same footing as the co-accused whose proceedings had already been quashed in 2019. It was argued that continuation of proceedings against Accused No. 9 alone would amount to discriminatory and selective prosecution, particularly when the earlier order had attained finality. Emphasis was laid on the principle of parity.
Accepting the submissions, the Hon’ble Mr. Justice V. Srishananda observed that the petitioner stood on the same footing as the other accused persons who had already been extended the benefit of the earlier order. The Court, without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, allowed the petition on the ground of parity alone. The operative portion of the order reads:
“Thus, without expressing any opinion on the merits of the matter and without further discussion, on the ground of parity alone, the prayer of the petitioner deserves to be allowed.
ORDER
i. The petition is allowed.
ii. The pending proceedings in C.C. No.2503/2008 on the file of the Additional Civil Judge (Junior Division) and JMFC, Hospet, against the petitioner stand quashed.”
With this order dated 7th January 2026, the prolonged criminal proceedings against Mr. Vishwanath Khandelwal were brought to an end, marking judicial closure to a case that had remained pending for nearly two decades.
The same was posted on News24: https://news24online.com/information/justice-after-18-years-anik-m-iktear-uddin-secures-relief-retired-officer-criminal-trial/743648/
