Supreme Court Expresses Concerns over Hundreds of Cases Where Charges Have Not Been Framed for Decades

The Bombay High Court has reported to the Supreme Court that charges have not been framed in 649 criminal cases, some with chargesheets filed as far back as 2006, calling it a “shocking state of affairs.”

The Court attributed these extensive delays to issues such as non-production of the accused and the absence of advocates for both the prosecution and defence.

The Court deemed this delay unacceptable and directed the High Court to conduct a thorough investigation.

The Registrar General has been instructed to obtain reports from all District and Sessions Judges in the state, detailing measures taken to address and prevent such delays in the framing of charges.

[Shubham Ganpati @ Ganesh Rathod v State of Maharashtra]