Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed a statewide audit of police investigations that have remained pending for more than three years and ordered regular monitoring of such cases by the Punjab DGP.
565 FIR Investigations Pending for Over Three Years
The directions followed scrutiny of investigation data from Amritsar (Rural), where the court was informed that:
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- 565 FIRs had investigations pending for more than three years.
- 1,168 accused had not been arrested for over three years.
- Only 48 accused had been declared proclaimed offenders/persons.
- Files of investigating officers were missing in 80 cases.
Statewide Review of Pending Investigations
The High Court has now directed that cases involving investigations pending for extended periods be reviewed across Punjab.
The exercise will cover the status of long-pending investigations and bring such cases under closer administrative monitoring.
DGP to Monitor Cases Every Monday
The court has also directed the Punjab Director General of Police to monitor the progress of these investigations every Monday.
The direction provides for regular review of cases that have remained pending beyond three years.
Earlier Court Scrutiny of Investigation Delays
The latest directions follow the High Court’s earlier scrutiny of prolonged investigation delays in Punjab. In a previous proceeding, the court had sought details of cases where investigations had remained pending for more than three years and directed the DGP to personally examine the matter.
The court had also sought details of police officers who had served as SSPs and DCPs in Amritsar since 2013 in connection with its examination of supervisory responsibility for pending investigations.
