HC seeks details of cases pending for more than three years in Punjab

The court has also sought the reasons for the delay and directed that meetings be convened with all station house officers (SHOs) to issue directions to expedite investigations in such criminal cases

The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed all senior superintendents of police (SSPs) and police commissioners in Punjab to submit details of FIRs in which investigations have been pending for more than three years.

It also directed the DGP to file a status report on the cases on the next date of hearing, October 14. (HT FILE)

The court has also sought the reasons for the delay and directed that meetings be convened with all station house officers (SHOs) to issue directions to expedite investigations in such criminal cases. Status reports have been sought by October 14.

The order was passed by the bench of justice NS Shekhawat during the resumed hearing of an attempt-to-murder case in which the Amritsar rural police had failed to make arrests for two years. It was during the proceedings of this case that the court sought details of cases pending investigation.

A report filed by SSP (Amritsar Rural) revealed that the investigations in 565 FIRs have been pending for more than three years, while 1,168 accused have not been arrested and only 48 accused have been declared as proclaimed offenders/proclaimed persons. “(it) clearly shows that the supervisory officers of such police stations were highly negligent in performing their duties and even the SSPs, who remained posted in the respective districts in the last three years, have failed to take cognisance of these facts. It is also shocking that the files of investigating officers of 80 cases are still missing even after the lapse of more than three years,” the court observed, referring to the report submitted.