Karamat Husain, J.:— In this case an Assistant Collector of first class acting under section 476, Criminal Procedure Code, directed the applicants to be prosecuted under section 193 of the Indian Penal Code. The applicants appealed to the learned District Judge of Banda, for revoking the sanction. The application was rejected by the learned District Judge and the order of the Assistant Collector was confirmed. The applicants came to this Court in revision on the criminal side. The learned vakil for the opposite party, relying on the Full Bench ruling of this Court in In the matter of the petition, of Bhup Kunwar(2), contends that the High Court has no jurisdiction, in the exercise of its revisional powers on the criminal side under section 439 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to interfere with such orders. The Full Bench ruling in the case referred to is binding upon me. The learned vakil for the applicants prays that permission may be given to him to alter the application into a civil revision, inasmuch as the order passed by the Assistant Collector of the first class is based on the statements of the witnesses who were not allowed to be cross-examined by the applicants. In Chota Sadoo Peadah v. Bhoobun Chuckerbutty it was laid down that the preliminary inquiry need not be held in the presence of the accused, and in Queen-Empress v. Matabadal, it was ruled that when a Magistrate takes action under section 476 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, it is not necessary to the validity of his order that he should hold a preliminary inquiry. I am, therefore, of opinion that the Magistrate in refusing to give the applicants an opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses did not act in the exercise of his jurisdiction illegally or with material irregularity. For the above reasons, I reject the application.
Application rejected.