The Delhi High Court on Wednesday reprimanded the Delhi Police for its “callous attitude” in investigating a case registered in 2016 under Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to insulting the modesty of a woman [Mohinder Singh v. State of NCT of Delhi & Ors].
The accused had filed a petition last year seeking the quashing of the First Information Report (FIR), citing the failure of the Delhi Police to file a chargesheet. He argued that the prolonged pendency of the case for nearly nine years had subjected him to unnecessary humiliation.
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora noted that despite the petition being under consideration since January 2024 and a notice being issued to the Delhi Police, the authorities had neither submitted a status report nor concluded the investigation.
“The Court is surprised by the indifferent approach of the Investigating Officer (IO), who, despite being notified of these proceedings on January 23, 2024, has neither filed a status report nor completed the investigation in the case,” the Court observed.
Consequently, the Court directed the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) to file a status report within a week after reviewing the case file.
Additionally, the ACP was instructed to initiate an inquiry into the conduct of the IO responsible for handling the investigation since at least January 2024, assessing the reasons behind the delay.
The Court also suggested that the ACP obtain a detailed timeline of the steps taken by the IO since January 2024 to complete the investigation.
Advocate Ujwal Ghai represented the petitioner, while Additional Standing Counsel (Criminal) Sanjeev Bhandari, along with Advocates Arjit Sharma and Nikunj Bindal, appeared for the Delhi Police.
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