Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij asks DGP to suspend 372 probe officers over delay in cases

“People cannot be left to run from one officer to another seeking justice. It is the police’s duty to provide prompt redressal to complaints lodged with them. I have instructed the DGP to hand over all such cases to Deputy Superintendents of Police who would take action on these cases within a month, failing which they would also be liable for action,” he said. The Investigating Officers facing action are in ranks of Assistant Sub Inspectors to Inspectors.

Sources said in some cases there were allegations of corruption leading to intentional delays against them, while in some there were allegations of bias due to which the complaints had been pending for more than one year.

In his letter to DGP S S Kapur, Vij said, “I have asked many times for early disposal of the FIRs registered in the state. Last month, I ordered that explanation be sought from all the Investigating Officers who have not finalised/disposed of the FIRs that were pending for over a year. The number of such cases is very high… 3,229.”

“I am pained to know that despite my instruction, still 372 Investigating Officers are such who have not finally disposed of the pending cases and reasons quoted by them are not satisfactory. They are making people move from one pillar to another for getting action on their complaints. This is a very serious matter and cannot be ignored,” he wrote.

“l would like that all these Investigating Officers be put under suspension immediately and their cases be transferred to respective Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) for final disposal within a month, otherwise action will be taken against those officers also,” he wrote.

Giving a breakup of the Investigating Officers against whom he sought action, Vij said 66 of them are in Sirsa followed by Gurgaon (60), Yamunanagar (57), Faridabad (32), Karnal and Rohtak (31 each), Ambala (30), Jind (24), Hisar (14), Panchkula (10), Sonipat (9), Rewari (5) and Panipat (3) among others.

Vij told The Indian Express that an explanation had earlier been sought from these police officers for the delay in their cases.

“When I sought a report from the Home department’s senior officers, I was informed that there were 3,229 such cases in which action was pending for over a year,” the minister said.

“I asked the senior officers to seek explanation from these Investigating Officers for the reasons why action was not taken in the cases pending with them. I was informed that the replies were either not furnished to the explanations sought or were not satisfactory in cases of 372 Investigating Officers. Thus, I issued these instructions today.”

On whether such action can be challenged, a senior government officer said, “The Home Minister is well within his rights to issue such instructions to the Home Department or the Director General of Police. And, the DGP is bound to implement the instructions issued by the minister. There is no question of not implementing these instructions.”