CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Chennai to identify the official, who was responsible for not filing the charge-sheet in a criminal case and take disciplinary action against him.

“This court is of the view that the erring official needs to be suspended from service for dereliction of duty,” Justice S Vaidyanathan said. The judge was disposing of a miscellaneous petition arising out of a criminal original petition from a woman, seeking to relax the condition while granting anticipatory bail to her in 2017.

If it is brought to the knowledge of this court that the erring official is not taken to task, serious action would be taken against the person/s, who is/are responsible to initiate action against the erring official,  the judge warned. 

Originally, H Vadivukkarasi, who feared arrest by police for an alleged offence of misappropriating `20 lakh, moved the High Court seeking advance bail. The court on March 27, 2017 had granted the relief subject to certain conditions. One of the conditions was to deposit security worth about `5 lakh. She preferred the present petition to modify this condition, as she could not do so.

After going through the papers, the judge observed that it was very unfortunate that no charge-sheet had been filed against the petitioner even after three years. As the police personnel concerned had not taken any steps to file the charge-sheet in the case, the judge said he was directing the DCP to identify him and take appropriate action.