By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Taking note of the delay in filing appeal by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Supreme Court on Friday urged the premier investigating agency to set up a mechanism to ensure appeals are filed without delays.
Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah, while dismissing the appeal on account of delay, asked the CBI director to ensure that steps are taken on the administrative side to monitor filing of appeals.
“We are of the view that the CBI must take all necessary steps to ensure these kinds of delays do not occur in the future. Delays are liable to cause grave misgivings on reasons for delay. We direct director CBI to take necessary administrative steps to monitor filing of appeals on an ICT platform so that delays don’t take place,” the bench said.
The court was hearing an appeal filed 647 days after the verdict given by a high court. In November 2018, a special CBI judge in Raipur had convicted an accused under Sections 120B, 467, 468 of the IPC and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and sentenced him to three years.
The high court in June, 2019, reversed the judgment and acquitted the accused. The appeal against this was filed by CBI after 647 days.
When CBI stated that delay was on account of Covid, the bench said, “When there has been an acquittal, we have to give due regard to the nature of explanation offered for the delay to ascertain whether a case for condonation is made out or not,” said the bench.
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