Move aimed at preventing accused from absconding.
Even as citizens are rushing to get their Aadhaar number, the Bombay high court has instructed the state home department to direct all police stations in Maharashtra to note down the Unique Identification (UID) number of accused and witnesses when filing a first information report (FIR) and recording statements of witnesses.
The inclusion of the UID number while registering FIRs is another step to help minimise the chances of the accused going missing.
“It (Aadhaar) is going to be the backbone of every future investigation,” observed a division bench of Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice PD Kode, while hearing a petition filed by hotelier Deepak Uramilya, who was arrested and later released on bail in a cheating case lodged by one Ritik Kothari at the NM Joshi Marg Police Station.
Kothari had alleged that when he had visited Uramilya’s hotel in September, he had used his debit card to pay the bill but forgot to collect it. Later, he had found that a transaction worth Rs95,000 was made on his card.
Kothari lodged a complaint with the NM Joshi Marg police. Subsequently, the two had an amicable settlement and Uramilya had moved court to quash the FIR.
The bench told the prosecution to find out if any other case was registered against the accused at any other police station before considering his plea. That is when the bench gave the direction for adding UID numbers when registering an FIR.
The bench also directed the prosecution to inform the home department that an officer who is not lower than the rank of principal secretary should issue the circular.
“The court has directed me to convey its directions to the home department, which will be done,” said Aruna Pai Kamath, additional public prosecutor.
According to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), there are around 14,000 absconding persons from Mumbai and around 3,000 others from the rest of Maharashtra.
The high court has been trying to ensure that the number is reduced drastically. On its directions, the state government had to set up a Missing Person’s Bureau and a Special Cell to trace the absconding accused at each police station. The cells are being monitored by a deputy commissioner of police level officer.
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