Allahabad High Court voiced dissatisfaction regarding the lag in the inquiry carried out by the Economic Offenses Wing of the Uttar Pradesh Police. The court determined that inquiries into EOW cases often linger unresolved for years, thereby postponing justice for the victims.
Allahabad High Court has additionally instructed EOW Director General Prashant Kumar to submit a personal affidavit by December 16. The court has requested details from him regarding the causes of delays in the investigation of unresolved cases, the identities of accountable officers, and measures implemented to accelerate the investigation.
During the hearing of the anticipatory bail petition submitted by Mohammad Haroon, Judge Samit Gopal’s bench issued this order. In 2019, action was initiated against Mohammad Haroon under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Haroon had submitted a petition for anticipatory bail in the identical case.
Allahabad High Court has furthermore instructed the UP DGP to provide details regarding this issue. In issuing the order, the court clarified that until the next hearing date, if an arrest situation occurs in the case, the accused will receive interim anticipatory bail.
This issue was initially raised in court in March, when the court instructed the state government to submit a counter affidavit within four weeks. However, during the hearing on Wednesday, it was revealed that despite eight months having passed since the court’s order, the state government has yet to respond.
During the hearing, the public prosecutor mentioned that he also received details from the office of UP DGP, but no information was uncovered in this case. Given the seriousness of the issue, the court has instructed the Public Prosecutor to be present during the next hearing. The upcoming hearing regarding this issue in the High Court is scheduled for December 16.