A police officer has been criticised by a Delhi court for repeatedly failing to submit a formal report regarding a proclamation issued against a fugitive accused.
The court referred the matter to the Police Commissioner, Sanjay Arora.
The court, presiding over a case related to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, urged the police commissioner to take appropriate measures to sensitise the Investigating Officer (IO), who had been deceiving the court by claiming to have been transferred and wasting the court’s time for several months.
Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala, who was handling a case registered by Khajuri Khas police station, stated that the court had repeatedly instructed the IO to provide a formal report concerning the proclamation, affixation, and pasting of the process under Section 82 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The judge said that a proclamation had been issued against one Mohd Imran, an accused in the case.
ASJ Pramachala, noting the IO’s consistent failure to comply with the court’s directives, stated that the matter is now being referred to the Commissioner of Police to take appropriate measures to sensitise and make the IO understand the court’s directions in their true spirit, with a serious intention to comply, rather than deceiving the court with the same excuse and wasting time for months.
The court observed that the IO was making “excuses” for not locating and submitting the report that had been requested since April 6, citing his transfer as the reason.
The judge reiterated the direction twice subsequently, on April 15 and May 18.
The court further added: “I have no choice but to seek the assistance of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) to ascertain whether this process was executed by means of the announcement and pasting at the given address of the accused, and to obtain the formal report from the concerned process server.”
The court scheduled the matter for a hearing next on August 29.
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