Nine years on, chargesheet yet to reach court: High Court seeks action against errant Thane cops

3 min readMumbaiJun 23, 2026 10:52 PM IST

In December 2025, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the matter would be discussed with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and then deputy CM Ajit Pawar. Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28.

Observing that the chargesheet prepared nine years ago in a criminal case in 2016 was not yet filed before the trial court due to a “grave lapse” by the police officers, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Thane Commissioner of Police (CP) to initiate strict disciplinary proceedings against them.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Ravindra V Ghuge and Justice Gautam A Ankhad was hearing a plea in connection with an offence registered at Narpoli police station in the Bhiwandi area of Thane district in 2016.

The crime was registered for offences of rioting, unlawful assembly, mischief causing damage, voluntarily causing grievous hurt among others under Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with provisions of Police Act of violating prohibitory orders regulating conduct in public places among others.

In December 2025, the HC was informed that the chargesheet of 2017 was sent to the magistrate court in Bhiwandi and the same was not being traced out in the court, and permission was sought to “reconstruct the record”.

The HC had observed that the authority was “silent” about the fact of receipt of the chargesheet by the magistrate court’s registry and no acknowledgement was produced.

On Tuesday, the state government lawyer representing the police submitted the case status report of the principal district and sessions judge, Thane, in a sealed envelope before the HC. The bench noted that the report indicated that the chargesheet had not been filed before the competent court.

On instructions from the zonal deputy commissioner of police, the state lawyer claimed that the chargesheet was prepared on August 3, 2017, and was forwarded to the court through a messenger. “The Station House Officer (SHO) of Narpoli police station did not care to record as to whether the chargesheet was filed before the trial court and whether further details evidencing the delivery of the chargesheet would be taken on record,” the bench noted.

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“It is after nine years on account of the filing of this petition that we are informed that the chargesheet was not delivered to the trial court,” it added.

“What kind of a police department are you? You prepare a chargesheet and you do not file it in court,” ACJ Ghuge orally questioned the prosecution.

The HC disposed of the plea after the state lawyer stated that the chargesheet would be delivered to the trial court within 48 hours by following the due procedure.

“Before parting with this matter, we deem it appropriate to direct the CP, Thane, to initiate appropriate proceedings for the grave lapse on the part of police officers in not ensuring that the chargesheet is delivered to the trial court for the last nine years. A strict view shall be taken by the CP while initiating appropriate disciplinary proceedings strictly in accordance with the service regulations,” the bench ordered.

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The HC sought a compliance report containing the action taken after concluding the proceedings by December 1.

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Omkar Gokhale is a journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work demonstrates exceptionally strong Expertise and Authority in legal and judicial reporting, making him a highly Trustworthy source for developments concerning the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court in relation to Maharashtra and its key institutions.

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