# Delhi High Court raps police over IO absent 20 times, grants bail 2026-08-22T16:46:36+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Delhi High Court has directed the Commissioner of Delhi Police to sensitise investigating officers about ensuring their timely cooperation in pending cases, especially those where accused persons have been in custody for a long period. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav passed the order while granting bail to two accused who had remained incarcerated for about six years in a 2020 murder case. The court noted that the investigating officer had failed to appear before the trial court on more than 20 occasions, impeding the trial's progress. The court observed that the criminal justice system cannot tolerate a situation where an accused continues to remain in custody for years because of the repeated non-appearance of the investigating officer. Only 10 of the 24 prosecution witnesses had been examined so far. The court sent a copy of the order to the Police Commissioner for sensitising IOs to ensure timely cooperation in cases where accused have been in custody for a considerable period. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Delhi High Court's rebuke highlights a systemic problem: an investigating officer's absence stalls trial, forcing undertrials to languish in jail beyond any reasonable period. The case mirrors dozens where the right to a speedy trial under Article 21 is routinely violated by police inefficiency. The undertrials here spent six years in custody despite no overt role in the alleged murder. With 10 of 24 witnesses examined, the trial could stretch years more. The real test will be if the Police Commissioner's sensitisation drive actually reduces IO absenteeism, or remains just a direction on paper. ## Coverage - livelaw.in Reports court order and observations factually, with no editorial slant. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Bail, Delhi High Court, Delhi Police, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/delhi-high-court-raps-police-over-io-absent-20-times-grants-bail/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/delhi-high-court-raps-police-over-io-absent-20-times-grants-bail/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/