Delhi High Court raps police over IO absent 20 times, grants bail

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.