https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=302891 Criminal complaints alleging cheating cannot be quashed at the threshold merely because the underlying transaction has civil or contractual elements or contains an arbitration clause. Arbitration provides a civil contractual remedy but does not displace criminal prosecution where the allegations disclose the ingredients of an offence; investigation should ordinarily examine those allegations in full. A First Class Magistrate's power to take cognizance is governed by Section 190, while territorial jurisdiction under Sections 177 and 179 generally concerns inquiry and trial. Territorial objections therefore do not by themselves bar cognizance. The High Court's quashing order was set aside, and the complaint and related proceedings were revived. en-us Fri, 17 Sep 1999 00:00:00 +0530 Thu, 01 Jan 2026 13:22:00 +0530 TaxTMI RSS Generator https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=302891 Criminal complaints alleging cheating cannot be quashed at the threshold merely because the underlying transaction has civil or contractual elements or contains an arbitration clause. Arbitration provides a civil contractual remedy but does not displace criminal prosecution where the allegations disclose the ingredients of an offence; investigation should ordinarily examine those allegations in full. A First Class Magistrate's power to take cognizance is governed by Section 190, while territorial jurisdiction under Sections 177 and 179 generally concerns inquiry and trial. Territorial objections therefore do not by themselves bar cognizance. The High Court's quashing order was set aside, and the complaint and related proceedings were revived. Case-Laws Indian Laws Fri, 17 Sep 1999 00:00:00 +0530 https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=302891