Court takes suo motu cognizance in suicide case involving minor; calls for urgent reforms in police investigation practices.
Mumbai, May 6 — The Bombay High Court has raised serious concerns about the growing practice of “copy-pasting” witness statements in charge sheets, warning that such investigative lapses could compromise the integrity of the criminal justice system — especially in cases involving serious offences.
The observations came while the Court was hearing a criminal quashing petition in a case of alleged abetment of suicide of a 17-year-old girl. The accused had sought to quash the criminal proceedings pending before the Sessions Court in Jalgaon.
A Division Bench noted that several witness statements in the charge sheet appeared to be verbatim repetitions, casting doubt on whether genuine investigation had taken place.
“Even in serious offences, the investigating officer has literally made copy-paste of the statements recorded under Section 161 CrPC. Paragraphs start and end identically. Such culture of copy-paste is dangerous… Two witnesses cannot give statements in an identical fashion,” the Court remarked.
Though the petitioner ultimately withdrew the quashing application after noting the Court’s stance, the High Court took suo motu cognizance of the broader issue, directing the State of Maharashtra to formulate clear guidelines to address the misuse of templated statements in criminal investigations.
The case arose from an FIR at Erandol Police Station in Jalgaon, where the death of the minor was initially recorded as an accidental death under Section 174 of the CrPC. The case was later escalated to an offence under Section 306 IPC (abetment of suicide), and subsequently, Section 305 IPC was added after it was discovered that the deceased was a minor at the time of the incident.
The Court also pointed out the police’s initial oversight in failing to apply Section 305 IPC, a lapse it described as a “serious procedural shortcoming.”
To aid in drafting appropriate guidelines and reforms, the Court appointed Advocate Mukul Kulkarni as Amicus Curiae. The matter has been listed for further hearing on June 27, 2025.
“We are coming across such copy-paste statements even in offences under Section 306 IPC. It is high time to consider the difficulties faced by investigating officers and reform the system,” the Court added.
Case Title: Amol Samadhan Nikam & Ors. v. State of Maharashtra & Anr.
