Chennai: The Director-General of Police has informed Madras high court that disciplinary action has been initiated against 7,324 investigating officers for failure to file the final reports, resulting in closure of FIRs by trial courts.
When a petition filed by Safire Print Lab Knits and Woven Fabric, a Tirupur-based company, came up for hearing, staff officer of the DGP filed a counter affidavit before Justice M. V. Muralidharan on Tuesday.
In the civil appeal, the textile company challenged the commissioner of employees' decision to grant compensation of Rs 3.94 lakh to an employee of the firm who died in an accident while at work.
The DGP said that subordinate judiciary closed the FIR after no chargesheet was filed by the police. The magistrate's courts do not maintain registers enabling the police to know about cases that were 'Not Taken on File' (NTF).
According to an estimate, 1,72,602 cases were not taken on file between 2010 and 2018. In the affidavit, the DGP also informed that a circular dated January 30 has been issued to all investigating officers to file final reports in cases within the time prescribed by the law.
When the appeal came up on December 6, Justice Muralidharan directed Uthukului police and the hospital management to file a report to ascertain the status of the case.
The police filed a report along with a communication issued by the Avinasi judicial magistrate dated June 8, 2016, stating that the FIR had been closed for non-filing of charge-sheet within the prescribed time.
And the magistrate had closed 87 such FIRs registered during 2006 to 2014 on the same grounds. Taking serious note of the closure of FIRs, the judge directed authorities to submit details with regard to closure of such FIRs throughout the State. And when it was brought to the knowledge of the judge that 2,14,901 FIRs had been closed by magistrate courts across the state for non-filing of charge-sheet by police, especially for the five-year period from 2009 to 2014, the judge sought an explanation from the state home secretary and DGP.
- 2,14,901 FIRs was closed by magistrate courts across the state for non-filing of charge-sheet by police, especially for the five-year period from 2009 to 2014
- The magistrate’s courts do not maintain registers enabling the police to know about cases that were ‘Not Taken on File’
- According to an estimate, 1,72,602 cases were not taken on file between 2010 and 2018
