After HC’s push, Punjab Police clear 50k cases in 8 months
Between Dec 2024, and March 2025, as many as 35,922 cases were disposed of by the police who filed 23,152 challans, 7,774 untraced reports, and 4,996 cancellation reports.
Pending for years together, the Punjab Police have completed investigations and filed final reports in a whopping 50,000 cases in the past eight months.
The figures have been revealed in the fresh status report submitted by the state police following a high court order in a case of bail plea moved by an accused in a 2021 case who claimed ‘inordinate delay’ in the police probe.
The data further reveals that the number of FIRs pending investigation was reported at 76,000 in December 2024 and has now come down to 25,000.
It was in December 2024, while hearing of a bail plea, that the high court bench had noticed multiple instances wherein accused persons were seeking bail on the ground that the investigation had not been completed in the FIRs involving them for years together.
The statutory period for completion of the investigation ranges from 60 to 90 days, depending upon the severity of the offence. However, the investigation is often delayed by the investigating agencies, which helps the accused person in securing default bail.
“The court has expressed its role as a guardian of the Constitution, emphasising the need for state agencies to effectively implement law and order. This concern arises from a noticeable increase in petitions highlighting failures in law enforcement, particularly in Punjab,” the court had observed on December 20, 2024, while seeking data from the state on pending cases.
On January 8, when the case was taken up again, though state-wide data was not shared but the government counsels admitted that as many as 79,000 FIRs are pending, where the stipulated period for submitting the final report has already expired.
It was on this admission by the state authorities that the bench of justice Sandeep Moudgil had sought an action plan on the disposal of cases from the state’s DGP.
Later in April, it came to fore that criminal cases pending investigation stood at 76,239 till December 31, 2024, and upon court’s intervention between December 31, 2024, and March 31, 2025, as many as 35,922 cases were disposed of by the police who filed 23,152 challans, 7,774 untraced reports, and 4,996 cancellation reports.
Now, the latest affidavit filed by assistant inspector general of police, litigation, Bureau of Investigation, Punjab, Sarbjit Singh, on August 28, has revealed that the number of FIRs pending investigation has come down to 25,438 cases.
“... state is expected to complete the investigation expeditiously and preferably within the period of 03 months from today. With the said observations, this court deems it appropriate that no further interference is required on the issue in hand,” the court said while closing down the proceedings and directing that in the remaining cases the probe be completed in three months.
