New Delhi, September 06: The Supreme Court has held that higher courts can monitor the progress of investigation in criminal cases if it is found that influential persons are trying to impact the course of justice.
A Bench of Justices Altamas Kabir and Cyriac Joseph rejected the argument of some accused persons in a criminal case that courts have no power to monitor investigations as it amounted to usurping the role of the investigating agencies.
“The Courts, and in particular the High Courts and the Supreme Court, are the sentinels of justice and have been vested with extraordinary powers of judicial review and supervision to ensure that the rights of the citizens are duly protected.
“There is, therefore, no doubt that in appropriate cases, the Courts may monitor an investigation into an offence when it is satisfied that either the investigation is not being proceeded with or is being influenced by interested persons,” the Bench observed while dismissing an appeal.
The observation came while hearing an appeal in which the accused had challenged the Gujarat High Court’s decision to monitor the criminal case registered against them at the Sabaramati Police Station on a dispute relating to a housing estate named the Shivalik (Ambali) Cooperative Housing Society Limited.
—PTI