Further investigation under Section 173(8) CrPC required prior...

Further investigation under Section 173(8) CrPC required prior Magistrate approval as read in by precedent, and the third round of investigation and the resulting chargesheet were unsustainable because no such permission was shown. The Court also found that the real dispute concerned a business arrangement and profit-sharing, making the matter essentially civil; the forgery allegation appeared suspect in the overall sequence of events. In these circumstances, continuation of the prosecution amounted to abuse of process, and the FIR and all subsequent proceedings were quashed.

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