CBI sets target to dispose cases within two years of registration

New Delhi, Mar 8(ANI): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has set a target for itself that once a case is registered, the investigation will be completed within a year and the trial finalized within two years.

A broad consensus on this has been evolved on the disposal of cases from the investigation stage to the trial stage in a recently convened meeting of law officers, Heads of Branches and Heads of Zones of the CBI.

Addressing the meeting the CBI Director Ashwani Kumar emphasized that focus of the CBI in 2010 will be five key result areas like integrity, image and impact, registration and Investigation, legal and prosecution, technical, Forensic and coordination and Administration and Training.

The experiences of 2009 have encouraged the CBI to draw up this ambitious road map for 2010. In one year alone, the number of cases pending over a year was brought down from 349 to 230.

According to the CBI, participants at the meeting decided that in the current year, efforts would be made to make all newly sanctioned 71 CBI courts functional by pursuing the matter with the respective State Governments and High Courts.

In addition, the CBI will continue the policy of zero adjournment in under trial cases. The focus will be the training of investigators and prosecution and deploy teams.

In order to ensure that trials are conducted expeditiously and judgements delivered quickly, the CBI is adhering to a norm of 50 cases for each prosecuting officer and further, deployed and prosecution teams have been constituted to assist all CBI prosecutors.

Efforts are being made to computerise summons and warrants in all branches. The Government has recently approved the filling up of 60 vacant posts of Assistant Public Prosecutors and Public Prosecutors on contractual basis.

The meeting also decided to monitor all pending cases in three stages-number of court cases in which charges have been framed; number of Court cases in which prosecution evidence completed, and number of court cases in which final judgements delivered.

The meeting further hoped that these 71 new CBI courts would function as model courts, hold day-to-day proceedings and avoid unnecessary adjournments. In view of this, it is expected that under trial cases may be disposed of within two years. (ANI)