Filing of appeals against acquittal or discharge of accused in criminal cases, including of child sexual abuse, which used to take months and sometimes over a year, will now be done within 10 days from the date of judgment/order, the state government’s Director of Prosecution has told the Delhi High Court.
A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao was told by Additional Standing Counsel Gautam Narayan that “any default in this regard will be viewed very seriously, and appropriate action against the erring officer shall be taken/recommended as per relevant rules”.
“The endeavour of this Directorate is that every acquittal/discharge report should be filed… well within the stipulated time, that is 10 days from the date of receipt of judgment/order, under normal circumstances,” reads the Special Office Procedure (SOP) signed by Delhi government’s Director of Prosecution Pankaj Singh.
“All prosecuting officers of this Directorate, including supervisory officers, are hereby directed to adhere to instructions/directions strictly without any lackadaisical manner,” it stated.
The state’s response came on the court’s December 2018 direction seeking clarification on the procedure followed by the state for ensuring filing of appeals not just against orders of acquittal, but also against interlocutory orders, whereby juvenile status of accused is determined.
“A circular dealing with filing of appeals, specifically pertaining to POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) cases, should be put into place and the Delhi government (has) to intimate this court as to what they propose to do in this regard,” the HC had said.
