Monitor e-filing of cases; upgrade to CCTNS 2.0 in three months: Madras HC
MADURAI: Observing that the e-filing system in the police department and criminal courts are not functioning optimally and that both parties are playing the blame game, leading to a huge pendency of charge sheets before courts, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently directed all principal district judges to constitute taluk-level and district level-committees to ensure proper functioning of the e-filing system.
The court further ordered the state police to complete the implementation of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) 2.0 within three months.
Justice K Murali Shankar gave the directions while disposing of a petition filed by one S Janardhanan, seeking to quash an FIR against him by the Dindigul police in a cheating case in March 2024. Though the police claimed that they already filed the final report in his case through e-filing, the petitioner was informed by the lower court staff that they did not receive any final report.
Noting that such occurrences have become common and there is widespread delay in taking final reports on file by the subordinate courts, the judge suggested the implementation of the Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) platform, introduced by the e-committee of the Supreme Court, in TN.
However, it was informed that the ICJS system, which interconnects the CCTNS (Police), CIS (e-courts), e-prison (jail), e-forensic (Forensic Department) and e-prosecution (Prosecution), could not be implemented in the state as the current CCTNS platform used by TN police is not compatible.
Though the state police assured to upgrade to CCTNS 2.0, which supports ICJS integration, by December 2023, it remains unfinished, the judge noted and issued the above direction.
The judge further gave several other instructions to the courts and the police to reduce the pendency of charge sheets. Taluk and district-level committees should be constituted, with members from the courts and the police, he said, adding that the committees should meet at least once a month to discuss issues related to filing of charge sheets and taking them on file.
Order appointing 14 deans to government medical colleges binned
The Madras HC on Wednesday set aside a government order issued by the state government on October 3, 2024, which appointed 14 professors as deans of government medical colleges, and ordered it to appoint deans by taking into account the candidates’ seniority as per the civil medical list (CML).
Justice N Anand Venkatesh passed the orders on Wednesday on the petitions filed by senior professors, including Dr R Manonmani, Dr M Gayathri and Dr J A Jayapal, who said they were not considered for promotion to the post of dean on the ground that they had not completed five years as professors.
The petitioners’ counsel contended that the orders promoting them as professors in 2019 were issued after a delay, resulting in them not completing the stipulated period of teaching as professors. ENS