The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Gujarat Police to finish its probe within six weeks into a 20-year-old case alleging forgery and cheating in revenue records. The court noted that constitutional courts cannot stay silent in matters of excessively delayed investigations.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Augustine George Masih highlighted the prolonged delay and stressed that the right to a speedy trial is tied to Article 21 of the Constitution, according to PTI. The bench called the delay in this matter a serious issue.
The complaint, filed before the Judicial Magistrate in Bhiloda, named four persons under IPC sections 120B, 406, 420 and 463 for conspiracy, breach of trust, cheating and forgery. The complainant said he had acquired the property himself in 1975 and alleged that while he was away on Haj in 2002 the accused created a fake partition deed and sale deed, leading to their names being entered in revenue records.
In 2014 police filed a report that was rejected, with further investigation ordered. In 2017 the Gujarat High Court set a six-week deadline, though some evidence later went missing from the police station.
The Supreme Court observed that the high court should have acted on the long delay in filing a charge sheet. Nearly two decades have passed since the complaint was lodged, yet the investigation has not reached any conclusion. The complainant had repeatedly sought a charge sheet without success.
The bench said constitutional courts must not remain passive when such delays are brought to their attention. It added that loss of case records during an investigation must be treated seriously as it undermines the justice system.
The court directed the Gujarat Police to complete the investigation within six weeks and submit a report to the JMFC with all materials. It also asked the state government to file an affidavit detailing action taken against the officer responsible.
