Delhi police slammed for omitting important details in chargesheet

NEW DELHI:   A Delhi court has slammed city police officials and asked the Commissioner of Police to initiate an inquiry into committing fraud upon the court by filing two distinct chargesheets – one with the court and accused’s counsel and the other with the public prosecutor and counsel for complainant.

The police officials omitted important details of the case in one copy and gave it to the counsel of the accused and court and kept the detail in the copy of the counsel of the complainant and the public prosecutor.

In a scathing tone, Additional Sessions Judge Gaurav Rao said that filing two distinct sets of charge sheets amounts to fraud and cheating. “There cannot be any bigger fraud committed upon the court and there cannot be a more prejudicial act than the one committed in the present case,” the court said.

The court was hearing a bail application of a man accused of raping a minor girl. He was arrested in March for rape and kidnapping the minor girl in Madanpur Khadar. During the course of the arguments for the accused’s bail, the defence counsel drew the attention of the court to the charge sheet available with all the parties related.

In the copy which was given to the accused’s counsel and the court, the location where the victim was raped and the number of days of her confinement was missing but was present in the charge sheet given to the complainant’s counsel and the public prosecutor.

“Both the charge sheets bear the signatures of the investigation officer, station house officer and the Assistant Commissioner of Police,” the court order said. The public prosecutor in the case pointed out that several lapses have been brought to the notice of the Commissioner of Police, however they appeared to have fallen upon deaf ears.