https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=299461 A bona fide claim of right can negate theft by undermining mens rea, and where an accused acts under a fair pretence of ownership, criminal liability under Section 380 IPC is not made out. The declared keeper under the Press and Registration of Books Act was not conclusive proof of ownership, and the material indicated at least a prima facie transfer of the printing press to the appellants' predecessor. Because title was genuinely disputed, the matter was fit for civil adjudication rather than criminal conviction, and the prosecution for theft failed. en-us Thu, 05 Oct 1961 00:00:00 +0530 Wed, 15 Dec 2021 16:18:29 +0530 TaxTMI RSS Generator https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=299461 A bona fide claim of right can negate theft by undermining mens rea, and where an accused acts under a fair pretence of ownership, criminal liability under Section 380 IPC is not made out. The declared keeper under the Press and Registration of Books Act was not conclusive proof of ownership, and the material indicated at least a prima facie transfer of the printing press to the appellants' predecessor. Because title was genuinely disputed, the matter was fit for civil adjudication rather than criminal conviction, and the prosecution for theft failed. Case-Laws Indian Laws Thu, 05 Oct 1961 00:00:00 +0530 https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=299461