MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has ordered the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) director to appear before it on July 17 in connection with the final report in a corruption case being delayed by around six years. The department has shown a lethargic attitude in the filing of reports in most cases, the court observed.
Justice KK Ramakrishnan gave the direction in a petition filed by M Muneer Ahamed seeking to quash an FIR against him and others. Earlier in 2017, the court had directed the Madurai DVAC DSP to file a report in the case within four months.
Observing that the DVAC has not filed the final report though around six years have passed since the order, the judge said the delay has shocked the judicial conscience of the court. "The court and the government had expressed their views regarding the arrest of corrupt officials in the interest of the public. This is why the court had directed the investigation agency to file the report within the stipulated time and complete the trial without delay," the judge said, adding that reason for asking the officials to file the report on time is to prevent the witnesses from forgetting the events that led up to the incident.
Noting that the department has not been filing final reports in any case within a reasonable time, and took a minimum of two years to do so, the court added that it shows the DVAC's lethargic attitude. This is evident in this case too as the investigation officer (IO) has not filed the report since 2017.
Stating that the director of the department, whose duty it is to see the report is filed on time, has also failed to ensure the IO files the report without the concurrence of the director, Justice KK Ramakrishnan ordered the director of DVAC to appear before the court either in person or through video conference on July 17 with an explanatory affidavit for the delay in filing the final report in the crime case, and for non-compliance with the court direction.