The Jharkhand High Court on Monday expressed strong disapproval of the state police's inability to maintain high standards of investigation. While hearing a criminal appeal, the bench of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad noted that the police have failed to instill public trust.
Court Highlights Police Inaction
Justice Prasad observed that recent cases brought before the High Court have exposed serious lapses by the police. The court referenced the disappearance of an infant from Kokar in Ranchi, a missing girl from Bokaro whose skeleton was allegedly recovered after seven months, and another Bokaro girl who went missing in 2020.
“The matter was brought before the high court and on monitoring done by the High Court, it was later revealed that the girl was murdered,” the bench observed.
Police Losing Direction
The court remarked that the police in Jharkhand appear to have lost their sense of direction when it comes to proper investigation. “For every investigation, the High Court has to intervene and give directions to the police,” the bench stated.
Justice Prasad was hearing a criminal appeal filed by Sonu Yadav, who was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment by the Sahibganj Sessions Court for assaulting and firing at a man. Sonu Yadav sought suspension of his sentence. While he was arrested, three other individuals involved in the crime remain at large.
Three other convicts—Sunil Yadav, Manish Yadav, and Rajnish Yadav—who participated in the crime with Sonu Yadav, are absconding. They are also accused of killing a witness who had testified against them during the trial. Only Sunil Yadav was arrested, while the other two fled.
Court Questions Sahibganj SP
The court questioned the Sahibganj Superintendent of Police regarding the police's failure to apprehend the convicts who murdered the witness. The judge criticized the role of the police and noted that the court must constantly monitor police actions.
While rejecting Sonu Yadav's bail application, the judge directed the Sahibganj SP to submit a status report on the matter.
