Shreya Gupta
On February 19, 2025, the Delhi High Court strongly criticized the Delhi Police for its “callous attitude” in investigating a case registered under Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 2016, which pertains to insulting a woman’s dignity. The accused had filed a petition last year seeking the quashing of the FIR, arguing that the Delhi Police had failed to file a charge sheet in the case, causing them prolonged defamation due to the pending criminal proceedings for the past nine years. The bench comprising of Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora noted that despite the petition being pending since January 2024 and the issuance of notice to the Delhi Police, the latter neither submitted a status report nor completed the investigation.
Expressing astonishment at the investigating officer’s indifference, the Court emphasized that despite accepting the notice in the proceedings on January 23, 2024, the officer had neither filed a status report nor completed the relevant FIR’s investigation. As a result, the court directed the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) of Delhi Police to file a status report within one week after thoroughly reviewing the case file. Additionally, the ACP was instructed to investigate the conduct of the Investigating Officer (IO), who had been handling the case since at least January 2024, to determine the reasons behind the prolonged delay in the investigation.
Furthermore, the Court specified that the ACP could also seek a timeline of the steps taken by the IO since January 2024 to complete the investigation. This directive was aimed at ensuring accountability and transparency in the probe.
Advocate Ujjwal Ghai represented the petitioner in the case, while Additional Public Prosecutor (Criminal) Sanjeev Bhandari, along with Advocates Arijit Sharma and Nikunj Bindal, appeared on behalf of the Delhi Police.
Case Title: Mohinder Singh v. State of NCT of Delhi and Ors.
Case Number: W.P.(CRL) 242/2024
Bench: Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora