7 days later, the CID is waiting for important documents to initiate the investigation under the HC order

Nagpur: The ongoing delay in the high-profile Ram Jhula accident case continues to grab attention. Seven days after the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, comprising Justice Vinay Joshi and Justice Vrushali V. Joshi, ordered the case to be transferred from the Tehsil Police to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the case diary and related documents had still not reached the CID office by Thursday evening. The court had ordered the case to be transferred “immediately”.

The court, which is currently hearing an earlier petition filed by Nagpur police seeking cancellation of the bail of prime accused Ritika Maloo, asked the State Crime Branch to file its reply. However, the defence counsel urged rejection of the bail application on the grounds that the investigation has already been handed over to the State Crime Branch.

Before the court could decide on the police petition, the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department by the Supreme Court. The court found major lapses in the investigation by the Tehsil police and stressed the need for an expedited investigation. The court also ordered that a senior officer of SP or ACP rank should oversee the investigation to ensure progress.

Advertising

On Wednesday, the State CID requested the court for two additional days to file its reply to the bail cancellation petition, citing delay in service of case diary and documents from the Tehsil police station.

According to Senior Inspector Sandeep Buwa of the Tehsil Police Station, his team had reached the CID office on Thursday, but the office was closed that day. He explained that the formalities to hand over the case files took some time as they were waiting for instructions from the CID headquarters in Pune on which unit would take over the documents.

Legal experts have expressed concern over the delay, suspecting that it could lead to contempt of court. “The order clearly provides for immediate transfer, not after seven days. The Tehsil police are on the verge of violating the contempt of court law,” said an expert, adding that such delays in handing over case files during ongoing court proceedings should be avoided.

The State CID, which is investigating the Ram Jhula accident, has two days to respond to a petition seeking cancellation of Ritika Maloo's bail. They are awaiting the case diary from the Tehsil police. The high court has transferred the investigation to the police to conduct a thorough and speedy probe, emphasizing weekly progress reports by senior officers.