The Supreme Court on Monday cautioned against the growing practice of converting civil disputes into criminal proceedings, observing that courts cannot function as “recovery agents” for private parties.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, while hearing a case from Uttar Pradesh, said the threat of arrest should not be used as a tool for recovering money in purely civil matters. The bench noted with concern that kidnapping charges were alleged in a monetary recovery dispute, reflecting a disturbing trend of misusing criminal law.

The court stressed that this practice poses a “serious threat to the justice delivery system.” Justice Surya Kant remarked:

“Courts are not recovery agents for the parties to recover outstanding amounts. This misuse of the judicial system cannot

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