Notice to cops for delayed charge-sheets

CHENNAI: Show cause notices have been issued to 7,324 policemen, who had failed to file the final reports (charge-sheets) within the prescribed time and thereby paved the way for closure of over a lakh of criminal cases by the lower courts.

A submission to this effect was made by the State DGP in his counter-affidavit filed in response to a civil appeal moved by a Tirupur-based firm - Safire Print Lab Knits and Woven Fabric, which challenged the orders of the Commissioner of Employees’ Compensation, granting Rs 3.94 lakh as compensation to an employee, who died in an accident while at work.

The DGP, however, shifted the blame on the lower judiciary and said magistrate courts were not maintaining the registers to enable police to know the ‘not taken on file’ (NTF) cases, which were as many as 1.72 lakh between 2010 and 2018.

During the course of hearing of the suit, Justice C V Karthikeyan came to know that the Avinasi judicial magistrate had closed the present case in June, 2016, as the investigating officer (IO) had not filed the charge-sheet within the prescribed time. The judge also came to know that the magistrate had closed 87 such FIRs registered between 2006 and 2014 for the same reason. The judge called for the records throughout the State and issued notices to higher-level police officials.

The DGP submitted that a circular was issued on January 30 this year directing the policemen to file the final reports within the  time limit stipulated in law. The circular also directed the policemen to list out the cases which were not taken on file even when the final reports had been filed within prescribed time. The SHOs shall issue “top priority” letters to the trial courts  through the Public Prosecutors/Assistant Public Prosecutors appraising the necessity of taking the final reports on file to avoid closure, the circular said. 
The judge, after recording the submissions, reserved orders.