Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 23

The Supreme Court on Friday pulled up the Central Bureau of Investigation for the inordinate delay in filing of appeals and asked the CBI Director to set up a monitoring mechanism to ensure that appeals are filed timely.

A Bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud dismissed an appeal by the CBI that was filed 647 days after the Chhattisgarh High Court’s verdict.

“We are of the view that the CBI must take all necessary steps to ensure that these kinds of delays do not occur in the future. Delays are liable to cause grave misgivings on reasons for delay. We direct Director CBI to take necessary administrative steps to monitor filing of appeals on an ICT platform so that delays don’t take place,” the top court said.

A Special CBI judge at Raipur had in November 2018 convicted the accused in a corruption case and sentenced him to three-year imprisonment. However, in June 2019, the high court set aside the judgment and acquitted the accused and the CBI filed its appeal after 647 days.

The top court wasn’t convinced by the CBI’s contention that delay was on account of Covid-19.

“There is a delay of 647 days. In an application for condonation of delay, an explanation given is on grounds of Covid, which doesn’t explain the entire duration of the delay. Explanation of delay on account of Covid is not acceptable since the judgment was much before the onset of the pandemic in March 2020,” it said.