Suspend Cop Who Did Not Act In Jewellery Theft Case: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court has ordered the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) to suspend a police officer and initiate departmental action against others for gross negligence in investigating a 92-sovereign gold jewellery theft case.

In a petition filed by Jirina Begam, a resident of Choolaimedu in Chennai, she stated that 92 sovereigns of jewellery meant for her daughter's marriage were stolen from her house on the night of September 4, 2018, shortly after her husband's death. Despite complaining to the Choolaimedu Police Station the next day, no effective action was taken to recover the stolen jewellery or apprehend the culprits. Repeated representations to the Commissioner of Police in 2019 and 2021 also failed to yield any results.

Jirina approached the Madras High Court seeking a transfer of the investigation to the CBCID, citing over eight years of police inaction. During the hearing, her counsel, S. Mohamed Safeeth, pointed out that despite a formal FIR, no serious efforts were made to recover the stolen items or pursue the investigation.

Justice Velmurugan, who presided over the case, expressed strong dissatisfaction over the inaction and stressed that police officials must be properly trained to handle criminal cases. He observed that a lack of accountability and inadequate training often lead to dereliction of duty.

The judge noted that Officer Karnan, who was serving as the Inspector at Choolaimedu Police Station during the relevant period and is currently the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Chennai Central Railway Division, had continued in that role for an unusually long period. Justice Velmurugan ordered his immediate suspension and directed the DGP to take departmental action against all officers who had served at the station from September 2018 to date.

In a similar case, the court heard a petition regarding a land scam in Salem district's Veeranam area, where residents were allegedly promised residential plots under an instalment scheme. The local police had failed to take any action on complaints filed in this matter as well.

Justice Velmurugan summoned all officers who had served at the Veeranam police station since 2018. After reviewing the proceedings, he directed the DGP to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the officers for failing to register proper cases or act on the complaints.

The court emphasised that mere registration of an FIR is not enough and that police must act decisively to uphold justice. The judge's firm remarks signal a growing judicial impatience with police inaction in serious criminal matters.