SC warns against filing random charge sheets

THE SC SAID THE TENDENCY OF FILING CHARGE SHEETS IN CASES WHERE NO STRONG SUSPICION IS MADE OUT CLOGS THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM

- Utkarsh Anand

The State must not prosecute citizens when there exists no reasonable prospect of conviction, the Supreme Court held on Tuesday, warning that indiscriminate charge sheets and mechanically framed charges severely compromise the right toa fair process and choke the already stressed criminal justice system.

Abench of justices N Kotiswar Singh and Manmohan said the police and trial courts must act as critical firstevel filters, ensuring that only cases supported by strong suspicion and legally tenable evidence proceed to trial. Filing charge sheets without adequate basis, the court cautioned, forces judges, prosecutors and court staff to expend valuable time on cases thatare almost certain to result in acquittal.

“The tendency of filing charge sheets in matters where no strong suspicion is made out clogs the judicial system,” said the bench, adding that weak prosecutions divert limited judicial resources away from more serious cases and contribute to the “massive case backlogs” facing courts across the country.