CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed disciplinary proceedings against five Indian Police Service (IPS) officers for failing to ensure that a criminal complaint was properly closed with a final report submitted to a magistrate and due intimation sent to both the complainant and the accused.
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Dereliction of Duty Identified
Justice P. Velmurugan identified P. Saravanan, M. Sree Abhinav, S. Sakthi Ganesan, R. Rajaram, and S. Jeyakumar, all former Superintendents of Police in Cuddalore district, as responsible for the lapses that occurred during their respective tenures. The case stems from a complaint registered on September 2, 2015, which was closed by police in 2017 without filing a negative final report before a magistrate.
An inquiry revealed that 11 Inspectors from the Kullanchavadi police station had also failed to follow procedure, prompting the court to call for departmental action. Notably, C. Vijayakumar, who served as Cuddalore SP from June 2015 to July 2018, passed away in July 2023.
The judge was informed that the remaining officers served from August 2018 to the present, with the incumbent SP, S. Jeyakumar, holding office since January 3, 2025.
Court Seeks Structural Reforms in Police Process
Justice Velmurugan held the supervisory officers responsible for not reviewing police procedures during their tenures, stating their failure amounted to “clear dereliction of duty” and a “serious lapse in supervisory responsibility.” He ordered an action-taken report to be submitted to the court within three months.
To address systemic failures, the judge directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to ensure no case is marked as closed unless a final report is filed with the magistrate. Police must also inform both complainants and suspects and maintain proper records of such communication.
Further, the DGP must align police records with the Court Management System and issue a circular to all districts and commissionerates within four weeks. Officers who neglect these duties will be subjected to disciplinary action.
The court emphasised that recurring instances of improper complaint closures must be addressed to prevent a miscarriage of justice.