In a scathing indictment of the Punjab Police, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has expressed shock at the staggering backlog of criminal investigations in the Amritsar district alone, where 1,338 FIRs remain pending for more than three years, leaving “thousands of accused” on the run.
Lambasting the lack of police supervision, Justice N S Shekhawat has directed Punjab to provide a list of all IPS officers who have served as Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) and Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) in Amritsar since 2013, “so that appropriate disciplinary/legal action may be taken against all of them.”
Further widening the scope of scrutiny, Justice Shekhawat also directed the Punjab Director-General of Police to submit an affidavit listing all cases across the state where investigations have remained pending for over three years.
