DILAWARversusTHE STATE OF HARYANA & ANR.

                          [2018] 5 S.C.R. 655                            655


                             DILAWAR                                     A
                                  v.
               THE STATE OF HARYANA & ANR.
       (M.A. No. 267 of 2017 in SLP (Crl.) No. 657 of 2017)
                           MAY 01, 2018                                  B

  [ADARSH KUMAR GOEL AND INDU MALHOTRA, JJ.]

      Investigation: Speedy investigation – By impugned order, CBI
was directed to conduct trial within six months – The case against
the petitioner-accused was that he was leader of a mob which             C
indulged in arson, loot and mischief of burning of house of cabinet
minister – His bail applications were rejected by Sessions Court
and High Court – While rejecting bail application, Supreme Court
directed that trial be conducted as far as possible within six months
– In the instant application seeking modification of the said order,     D
it was stated that CBI was conducting investigation and took over
only on January 6, 2016 and one and a half years have gone by
and, there was voluminous task which was time consuming and trial
could not commence unless report under s.173 Cr.P.C is filed by
CBI which would take long time – Disposing of the application, the
Court, Held: There is no indication as to what proceedings have          E
been taken up by the CBI so far, and why more time will be required
and how much more time will be required – No investigating agency
can take unduly long time in completing investigation – Speedy
investigation is recognized as a part of fundamental right of fair
procedure under Art.21 of the Constitution – Since accused has           F
been in custody for more than two years and investigation is pending
with the CBI for more than one and a half years, CBI must complete
investigation at the most within next two months so that trial can
commence latest by July 10, 2018 and concluded by the end of the
year – Since order declining bail was passed on 30th January, 2017
and more than one year has gone by, it will be open to the petitioner,   G
if he is still in custody, to move a bail application
before the trial court in accordance with law – Constitution of India
– Art.21.

                                                                         H
                                  655
656            SUPREME COURT REPORTS                         [2018] 5 S.C.R.


A           Investigation: In number of case, investigations remain
      pending for unduly long time which is not conducive to
      administration of criminal justice – There is need for timelines for
      completing investigation and for having in-house oversight
      mechanism wherein accountability for adhering to laid down
      timelines can be fixed at a different levels in the hierarchy .
B
             Constitution of India – Art.21 – Speedy trial – There is implicit
      right under Art.21 for speedy trial which in turn encompasses speedy
      investigation, inquiry, appeal, revision and retrial – To determine
      whether undue delay has occurred, one must have regard to nature
C     of offence, number of accused and witnesses, workload of the court
      and the investigating agency, systemic delays – Inordinate delay
      may be taken as presumptive proof of prejudice particularly when
      accused is in custody so that prosecution does not become
      persecution – Court has to balance and weigh several relevant
      factors – Though it is neither advisable nor feasible to prescribe
D     any mandatory outer time limit and the court may only examine
      effect of delay in every individual case on the anvil of Art. 21 of the
      Constitution, there is certainly a need for in-house mechanism to
      ensure that there is no undue delay in completing investigation –
      Delay/laches – Investigation.
E           Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978) 1 SCC 248 :
            [1978] 2 SCR 621 ; Hussainara Khatoon (I) v. Home
            Secy., State of Bihar (1980) 1 SCC 81 : [1979] 3
            SCR 169 ; Abdul Rehman Antulay v. R.S. Nayak (1992)
            1 SCC 225 : [1991] 3 Suppl. SCR 325 ; P. Ramachandra
F           Rao v. State of Karnataka (2002) 4 SCC 578
            – relied on.

             Investigation: Undue delay – Need for a mechanism to take
      remedial steps if there is undue delay in investigation – s.57 Cr.P.C.
      puts a bar on detention by a police officer beyond 24 hours excepting
G     time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the
      Magistrate’s court – s.167(1) Cr.P.C. provides that where
      investigation cannot be completed within 24 hours, the accused
      has to be produced before the Magistrate and further detention of
      the accused has to be authorized by the Magistrate – It is well
H
        DILAWAR v. THE STATE OF HARYANA & ANR.                          657


established that authorization for such detention has to be given       A
having regard to the progress in investigation – Even a Magistrate
cannot authorise detention in police custody beyond 15 days – After
judicial custody for more than 90 days in serious cases stipulated
therein and 60 days in other cases, there is a provision for
mandatory default bail requirement if there is delay in investigation
                                                                        B
beyond the said period – In summons case, if investigation is not
concluded within six months, the same has to be stopped unless
continuation is found necessary – However, there is no express outer
limit for investigation in other cases but delay in investigation may
affect reasonableness of procedure specially when a person is in
custody and is unable to furnish bail – Hence the need to lay down      C
timelines for completing investigation with a view to give effect to
the mandate of Art. 21 of the Constitution – Certain directions
given to MHA – Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
– ss.57, 167(1).

      Law Commission’s Report 14 th Report (1958) and                   D
      154th Report (1996) – referred to.

                       Case Law Reference

       [1978] 2 SCR 621             relied on          Para 7
                                                                        E
       [1979] 3 SCR 169             relied on          Para 7

       [1991] 3 Suppl. SCR 325       relied on         Para 7

       (2002) 4 SCC 578             relied on          Para 7
                                                                        F
      CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: M. A. No. 267 of
2017 in SLP (Crl.) No. 657 of 2017.

      From the Judgment and Order dated 02.12.2016 of the High Court
of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh in CRM-M-No. 27311 of
2016.                                                                   G
      Tushar Mehta, ASG, Ms. Vibha Dutta Makhija, Sr. Adv.,
Ajay Sharma, T. A. Khan, Mukesh Kumar Maroria, Advs. for the
Appellant.

                                                                        H
658             SUPREME COURT REPORTS                           [2018] 5 S.C.R.


A           The following Order of the Court was passed :
                                     ORDER
            1. This application has been filed by CBI in a disposed of matter
      for modification of order of this Court dated 31st January, 2017.
B            2, FIR No.118 dated 27th February, 2016 was registered with the
      Police Station, Urban Estate, Rohtak alleging mob violence in ‘jat
      agitation’. The petitioner was one of the accused arrested on 20th April,
      2016 and was said to be in custody since then. The state police, after
      completing the investigation, filed chargesheet on 27th May, 2016 before
      the Court. However, the investigation was thereafter transferred, on
C     30th September, 2016, to the CBI along with several other cases. Court
      proceedings were also transferred from regular courts to the CBI Court
      at Panchkula. The petitioner applied for bail before the Additional Sessions
      Judge, Rohtak which was dismissed on 12th July, 2016. Though some of
      the co-accused were granted bail by the High Court, bail application of
D     the petitioner was dismissed by the High Court on 2nd December, 2016.
      The High Court observed that prima facie the petitioner appeared to be
      the leader of the mob which indulged in arson, loot and mischief of burning
      of the house of a Cabinet Minister. When the matter came up before
      this Court against the order declining bail by the High Court, this Court
      while not granting bail directed that the trial be concluded as far as
E     possible within six months.
             3. In the present application it is stated that CBI is conducting
      investigation and has taken over only on 6th October, 2016. There is
      voluminous task which is time consuming. Thus, trial cannot commence
      unless report under Section 173 Cr.P.C. filed by the CBI which will take
F     long time.
             4. From the above narration of facts, it is clear that even if CBI
      commenced investigation on 6th October, 2016, one and a half years
      have already gone by. There is no indication as to what proceedings
      have been taken by the CBI so far and why more time will be required
G     and how much more time will be required. No investigating agency can
      take unduly long time in completing investigation. Speedy investigation
      is recognized as a part of fundamental right of fair procedure under
      Article 21 of the Constitution.

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           DILAWAR v. THE STATE OF HARYANA & ANR.                              659


        5. Accordingly, when the matter came up for hearing on the last        A
date, learned ASG sought time to assist the Court as to whether there
should be timelines for completing investigation. In the present case,
since accused has been in custody for more than two years and
investigation is pending with the CBI for more than one and a half years,
we are of the view that CBI must complete investigation at the most
                                                                               B
within next two months so that trial can commence latest by July 10,
2018 and concluded by the end of the year. Since order declining bail
was passed on 30th January, 2017 and more than one year has gone by,
it will be open to the petitioner, if he is still in custody, to move a bail
application before the trial court in accordance with law. This application
will stand disposed of accordingly except for consideration of the issue       C
indicated hereafter.
       6. We have come across number of cases where investigations
remain pending for unduly long time which is not conducive to
administration of criminal justice. There is, thus, clear need for timelines
for completing investigation and for having in-house oversight mechanism       D
wherein accountability for adhering to laid down timelines can be fixed
at a different levels in the hierarchy.
       7. It is not necessary to refer to all the decisions of this Court
articulating the mandate of the Constitution that there is implicit right
under Article 21 for speedy trial which in turn encompasses speedy             E
investigation, inquiry, appeal, revision and retrial. To determine whether
undue delay has occurred, one must have regard to nature of offence,
number of accused and witnesses, workload of the court and the
investigating agency, systemic delays. Inordinate delay may be taken
as presumptive proof of prejudice particularly when accused is in custody
                                                                               F
so that prosecution does not become persecution. Court has to balance
and weigh several relevant factors. Though it is neither advisable nor
feasible to prescribe any mandatory outer time limit and the court may
only examine effect of delay in every individual case on the anvil of
Article 21 of the Constitution, there is certainly a need for in-house
mechanism to ensure that there is no undue delay in completing                 G
investigation. This obligation flows from the law laid down by this Court
inter-alia in Maneka Gandhi versus Union of India1, Hussainara
Khatoon (I) versus Home Secy., State of Bihar2, Abdul Rehman
1
    (1978) 1 SCC 248
2
    (1980) 1 SCC 81                                                            H
660             SUPREME COURT REPORTS                              [2018] 5 S.C.R.


A     Antulay versus R.S. Nayak3 and P. Ramachandra Rao versus State
      of Karnataka4.

             8. There is undoubted need for a mechanism to take remedial
      steps if there is undue delay in investigation. Section 57 Cr.P.C. puts a
      bar on detention by a police officer beyond 24 hours excepting time
B     necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the Magistrate’s
      court. Section 167(1) Cr.P.C. provides that where investigation cannot
      be completed within 24 hours, the accused has to be produced before
      the Magistrate and further detention of the accused has to be authorized
      by the Magistrate. It is well established that authorization for such
C     detention has to be given having regard to the progress in investigation.
      Even a Magistrate cannot authorise detention in police custody beyond
      15 days. After judicial custody for more than 90 days in serious cases
      stipulated therein and 60 days in other cases, there is a provision for
      mandatory default bail requirement if there is delay in investigation
      beyond the said period. In summons case, if investigation is not concluded
D     within six months, the same has to be stopped unless continuation is
      found necessary 5 . However, there is no express outer limit for
      investigation in other cases but delay in investigation may affect
      reasonableness of procedure specially when a person is in custody and
      is unable to furnish bail. Hence the need to lay down timelines for
E     completing investigation with a view to give effect to the mandate of
      Article 21 of the Constitution. This aspect has also been discussed in
      the Law Commission’s Report including the 14th report (1958) and
      154th Report (1996) as noticed by this Court6..

             9. In view of the above, we implead Union of India as a party.
F     We have asked learned ASG to represent the Union of India. We direct
      the Ministry of Home Affairs to have inter action on the subject with all
      the Central and State investigating agencies on or before May 31, 2018
      either on video conferencing or in person. The points emerging from the
      inter action may be recorded and examined by an appropriate committee
G     which may constituted for the purpose. The said committee may give its
      report latest by June 30, 2018. We direct the MHA to place on record
      among other data, the figures of all pending investigations beyond one
      3
        (1992) 1 SCC 225
      4
         (2002) 4 SCC 578
      5
        167(5) Cr.P.C.
H     6
        Rakesh Kumar Paul vs. State of Assam (2017) 15 SCC 67, paras 30 and 31.
         DILAWAR v. THE STATE OF HARYANA & ANR.                                 661


year and action plan to complete them in a proposed time frame. With            A
regard to State agencies also such information may be collected and
furnished by the MHA.

       Put up the matter for further consideration on 3rd July, 2018.
                                                                                B

Devika Gujral                                        Application disposed of.




                                                                                C




                                                                                D




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                                                                                G




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