Consent disposal of seized property ended pending proceedings and restrained fresh action on the same cause.

Where parties consent to a disposal mechanism for seized property, the Court may record that arrangement and bring the seizure-related proceedings to an end. Here, the petitioner agreed not to claim ownership or release of the idol/statue, and the Revenue agreed to hand it over to the Archaeological Survey of India free of charge for disposal under Point No. 17.9 of the CBIC Disposal Manual 2019. On that basis, the pending proceedings stood abated, and the Revenue was directed not to precipitate those proceedings or initiate any fresh proceedings in furtherance of the same cause.

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Issues: Whether the pending proceedings against the petitioner should be abated and the seized idol/statue dealt with under the disposal mechanism agreed between the parties.

Analysis: The petition was taken up together with the interim application and the parties agreed that the petitioner would not claim ownership or release of the idol/statue. The Revenue also agreed to hand over the idol/statue to the Archaeological Survey of India free of charge for disposal in accordance with Point No. 17.9 of Disposal Manual 2019 issued by the CBIC. In these circumstances, the Court directed that the Revenue should not precipitate the pending proceedings or initiate any fresh proceedings in furtherance of them.

Conclusion: The pending proceedings stood abated and the matter was disposed of in terms of the agreed course of action, in favour of the petitioner.

Final Conclusion: The dispute was brought to an end on the basis of the parties' agreement, with the seizure-related proceedings terminated and no fresh proceedings to be taken in relation to the same cause.

Ratio Decidendi: Where the parties consent to a disposal mechanism for seized property and the Court records that agreement, the proceedings may be brought to an end and further action on the same cause restrained in accordance with that arrangement.

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