Taking a strict stance in the case of Pushpa Kumari, who went missing from Bokaro, the Jharkhand High Court has issued directives to expedite the investigation process.
The Court directed that the recovered human skeletal remains and the DNA samples of the victim’s parents be examined at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Kolkata. Additionally, the state government has been asked to submit the DNA test report within two weeks.
During the hearing on Thursday, the division bench of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Sanjay Prasad also directed that the post-mortem examination of the recovered skeleton be conducted at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi.
The Court explicitly stated that there should be no delay in the DNA testing process. On behalf of the government, the Court was informed that the DNA samples of the parents had already been collected.
“But the court directed the GCO of Military Hospital, Namkom to collect the samples of the skeletal remains and the parents of the missing girl in coordination with the head of the SIT formed to investigate the case, and send it to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Kolkata for DNA test within 48 hours,” said Advocate Vinent Rohit, appearing for the petitioner.
The Court further directed that the DNA report should be submitted before the court within two weeks, he added.
Given the gravity of the matter and in compliance with the Court’s directives, the Director General of Police, the Bokaro Superintendent of Police, the Director of the FSL and the newly constituted SIT appeared before the Court. The DGP assured the bench of a speedy resolution to the case.
Meanwhile, the SIT remained present in court with all relevant documents and was subjected to detailed questioning.
During the hearing, the Advocate General, representing the state government, informed the Court that 28 police personnel, including the SHO of the concerned police station, had been suspended on charges of negligence in handling the case.
However, expressing displeasure over this action, the Court observed that taking disciplinary action solely against lower-ranking officials was insufficient and that accountability should also be fixed on senior-ranking officers.
Earlier on Wednesday, Vincent Rohit and Shantanu Gupta, appearing on behalf of the petitioner, Rekha Devi, had expressed apprehensions that the recovered human skeleton belonged to the missing young woman, citing photographs submitted on record.
Setting the next date of hearing for May 7, the High Court directed the Inspector General, Deputy Inspector General and Superintendent of Police of Bokaro, along with the head of the SIT, to appear personally before the Court with their respective reports.
Notably, on July 24, 2025, Rekha Devi lodged a missing person complaint for her 18-year-old daughter, Pushpa Mahto, at Pindrajora police station. Despite nearly nine months of efforts, the police failed to trace her, prompting the family to move the Jharkhand High Court and file a habeas corpus petition.
During the hearing, the Court pulled up the police over their lacklustre attitude towards the case, leading to the appearance of officials from the DGP to the district SP. Following the Court’s intervention, the police solved the case within a day by recovering the victim’s skeletal remains and arresting the accused.