MADURAI: To ascertain the reason for widespread delay in charge sheets or final reports being taken on file in lower courts, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has directed all principal district judges under its jurisdiction to submit a report on the number of charge sheets or final reports filed through e-filing before judicial magistrate courts or sessions courts in the past one year and how many of those were not taken on file, along with reasons in case of delay.
Justice K Murali Shankar also sought details such as the number of cases in which final reports were returned to police for rectification of defects and the number of cases in which the police submitted rectified reports. A similar report was called for by Justice Shankar from the inspectors general of police for south zone and central zone, and commissioners of police of Madurai, Tiruchy and Tirunelveli cities. The matter would be taken up for hearing again on October 21.
The judge was hearing a petition filed by S Janardhanan, seeking to quash an FIR registered against him by Dindigul police in a cheating case in March this year. Though the police claimed that they had already filed a final report in his case, the lower court staff told the petitioner that no final report had been filed.
The judge said he is uncertain whether the charge sheets or final reports are being unnecessarily delayed without being taken on file for an extended period. Despite the introduction of the e-filing system, this has become a recurring issue, he noted.
When he tried to seek the reason for the delay in some cases, both the police and courts blamed each other, he added. “To determine who is at fault and to improve the system’s efficiency, it is essential to seek particulars from both sides,” the judge observed and sought the above reports.