Stretched thin\, police need more time to file chargesheets: Govt to Allahabad HC

Stretched thin, police need more time to file chargesheets: Govt to Allahabad HC

The lockdown in the state has been in force since March last week. Police have been ensuring that people follow social distancing and lockdown norms. All courts in the state are yet to be operational. Police claimed they are stretched thin due to lockdown duty, which may delay filing of charge sheet in court.

By: Express News Service | Lucknow | Published: May 14, 2020 12:10:55 pm
Stretched thin, police need more time to file chargesheets: Govt to Allahabad HC Allahabad High Court.

The Uttar Pradesh Home Department has written a letter to the registrar general of the Allahabad High Court seeking to extend stipulated period of 90 days to file charge sheet in a criminal case due to lockdown duty of police.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi has reportedly written to the court following reports that the police are facing hardships in filing charge sheets within 90 days from the date of the arrest (amid lockdown).

“In the letter sent to the registrar general recently, we requested the court to allow police to file charge sheet even after 90 days,” said a government official.

The officer refused to share how much more time the government has sought from the court. “We will share other details of the letter after getting reply of the letter from the registrar general,” said a senior official. Awasthi could not be contacted for comment.

The lockdown in the state has been in force since March last week. Police have been ensuring that people follow social distancing and lockdown norms. All courts in the state are yet to be operational. Police claimed they are stretched thin due to lockdown duty, which may delay filing of charge sheet in court.

Chargesheet ready in Markaz case: Prayagraj cops

Prayagraj police have prepared a charge sheet in two cases related with Allahabad University professor Mohammad Shahid. The charge sheet is yet to be filed.

Shahid has been booked for allegedly hiding his visit to Tablighi Jamaat’s Delhi Markaz and making arrangement for the stay of seven Indonesians in a mosque in Prayagraj. Cases against the professor of the political science department have been filed at Shahganj, Shiv Kuti stations.

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After Shahid’s quarantine period was completed on April 21, police took him in custody. He was sent to a temporary jail after being produced before a local court. Prayagraj’s ASP Brijesh Kumar Srivastava said, “The investigation has been completed and we will soon file a charge sheet.” He attributed the delay to “unavoidable reasons.”

Brijesh Kumar is holding the additional charge of SSP since after Satyarth Aniruddha Pankaj went on leave.

In April, the police had caught Shahid after coming to know that he had attended congregation of Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi in March. The police caught him from a house and quarantined him. Later, police caught a few more people, including Indonesians, from a mosque.

In the FIR lodged at Shiv Kuti police station, Shahid has been accused of not informing the district administration about his participation in the congregation, saidan officer. Police also invoked Epidemic Disease Act against accused.

Shahid has booked along with 17 others, including seven Indonesians, in the case lodged at Shahganj police station. Shahid is accused of allegedly making arrangement for the stay of seven Indonesians at a mosque. Shahid and others had been booked under IPC sections 269, 270, 271 and 120-B (criminal Conspiracy), police said. Police also invoked Epidemic Disease Act and Foreigners Act against accused.