Delhi High Court slammed Delhi Police and said it is not “convinced” with the status report filed by the Delhi Police which did not mention the details of police officials patrolling the area where a 23-year-old woman was gang-raped and tortured in a moving bus.
The court also expressed its anguish at the state of the forensic labs in the city and directed the situation be rectified immediately.
A division bench of Chief Justice D. Murugesan and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, after going through the report, said: “We, in the earlier order, directed the Commissioner of Police to file a report giving details of police officials patrolling in the area and the action taken by police in this aspect.”
“On the above aspect, a report is filed. We have gone through the report and we are not convinced. None of the details of the police officials has been mentioned,” said the court expressing its displeasure at the police for not filing the detailed report.
The report is insufficient, it said.
Delhi government’s standing counsel Najmi Waziri sought more time to file a detailed report. “We are looking into it and will file more comprehensive report on the next day,” he said.
To this, the bench, posting the matter for Jan 9, 2013, said: “We make it clear that detailed report shall be filed without any further delay, in a sealed cover.”
Meanwhile, the court also asked the city government to provide best medical treatment to both the victims and, if required and possible, shift them to a super-speciality hospital.
The court had earlier, taking suo moto cognizance of the gang rape, said it would monitor the case, and asked Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar to revert in two days, detailing the names of police officers deployed at checkposts on the night of the incident.
The bus was driven around the city for 40 minutes Sunday night while the rapists committed the crime.
During the hearing, the bench expressed concern the way the forensic lab in the city works.
“In our last order, we specifically mentioned that director of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) will furnish the report without any delay in this case, but there is no director in the lab.”
“This is highly sensitive area, that is why we asked the director to immediately give the report, but a director has not been appointed yet. And who has been appointed (two deputy directors) are incompetent to give or complete the record,” the court told the Delhi government counsel.
The bench asked the government to ensure that the person examining the samples in lab should be properly appointed and qualified to give the report.
“More labs should be there, rectify this immediately,” said the court.
The court again told police that “investigation has to be of high standard and at par”.