Supreme Court Cracks Down on Frivolous Prosecutions, Warns of Justice System Overload
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The Supreme Court of India has issued a stern warning to the police and trial courts against filing charge sheets in cases without a reasonable prospect of conviction. In a landmark judgment, the court emphasized the need for critical first-level filtering to ensure only strong cases proceed to trial. The bench, comprising justices N Kotiswar Singh and Manmohan, emphasized that weak prosecutions divert limited judicial resources away from more serious cases, contributing to the massive case backlogs plaguing the country's courts. The court's warning came as it set aside criminal proceedings against a Kolkata resident accused of trespass, intimidation, and outraging the modesty of a woman. The accused had argued that the complaint was an attempt to settle scores in a pre-existing civil property dispute. The bench noted that the complainant had refused to make a judicial statement, a crucial red flag that should have halted the charge-framing process. The court also pointed out that no material in the charge sheet established the complainant's status as a tenant, and that the allegations of voyeurism and criminal intimidation were unsupported by evidence. "The State should not prosecute citizens without a reasonable prospect of conviction, as it compromises the right to a fair process," the court emphasized. The judgment highlights the importance of distinguishing between civil and criminal cases, particularly in situations where a civil dispute is pending. The court stressed that the police and criminal courts must be circumspect in such cases, and not allow criminal law to become a tool for coercion in civil conflicts. By setting aside the criminal proceedings, the Supreme Court has sent a strong message to the authorities to exercise caution and ensure that only cases with a strong basis proceed to trial, thereby preventing the clogging of the judicial system and preserving the right to a fair process.
