The feeble attempt of the state police department to re-arrest absconding prisoners has forced the Gujarat high court to drag in the state home secretary for resolving the issue.
The feeble attempt of the state police department to re-arrest absconding prisoners has forced the Gujarat high court to drag in the state home secretary for resolving the issue.
Expressing disappointment over the DGP office's lethargic attitude towards capturing the absconding prisoners, Justice Bhagwati Prasad of the Gujarat high court has directed the home secretary to submit a report within a week.
It was brought to his notice that many prisoners are still at large and incidents of jumping furlough, parole and regular bail has not come to an end despite a special cell being constituted under the supervision of DGP.
“After reading the reports submitted on behalf of the state, it appears that the matter is only being considered at a level which has no force of getting its order implemented. Figures raise serious doubt about the sincerity of police administration in apprehending absconders," said Justice Bhagwati Prasad while directing the home secretary to submit a report.
"We gather an impression that except for issuing circulars by the office of the director general of police, no concrete steps have been taken by the subordinate officers to arrest the absconding prisoners," added Prasad.
The court observed, "On July 23, we were informed by the advocate general that the state administration would seriously look into the anxiety expressed by the Court regarding its inability to take up matters for final hearing because the accused were reported absconding."
The court further said, "Thereafter, on August 20, we were informed that the state government has set up a special cell, which issues circular directing all police stations to register cases against absconding persons and do the needful at the earliest. However, the data presented by the additional public prosecutor (APP) on the said date was very appalling as it revealed that against 17 fugitives apprehended by police, 20 other prisoners were reported absconding."
Over the second status report the court said, "The APP has placed for our perusal the details of accused persons arrested during the month of August 2009. The chart shows that 27 accused persons, who were earlier absconding, have either been arrested by the police or surrendered before jail on their own. On the contrary, during the said month 10 accused were shown as absconding, for either having jumped parole, furlough or temporary bail."
It was only a couple of months ago that justice Prasad had summoned VV Rabari, ADGP and head of the CID crime; Ashish Bhatia, IG (Law & Order); Keshavkumar ( IG, Prison) and V Chandrashekhar; superintendent of the Sabarmati jail over the issue, and the top cops had to face wrath of the court.
The police officers were summoned after justice Prasad found that the accused are roaming free by jumping parole or furlough, and the court was therefore facing hurdles while delivering judgments.
The state government then set up a special cell, which issued circular directing all police stations to register cases against the absconding persons. The cell was ordered to submit status report before the high court about the measures taken to nab the prisoners.
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