The Supreme Court has expressed serious displeasure over the action of Uttar Pradesh Police in the Noida hate crime case of 2021. During the hearing, the court said that the police did not take action under appropriate sections at the initial stage of the case, due to which there is a possibility of the direction of the investigation being affected.
Commenting in the hearing, the Supreme Court said that on February 16, information was given by the state government that on the basis of the complaint, a case should have been registered under sections 153-B and 295-A of the Indian Penal Code. The court indicated that if the correct sections had been used in the beginning, the investigation could have proceeded in a more effective and serious manner.
During the hearing of the case, the Court also said that in cases like hate crimes, the responsibility of the police becomes even more important, because such crimes can lead to communal tension and spread of hatred in the society. Therefore, any negligence in the initial investigation should be taken seriously.
The Supreme Court also asked the Uttar Pradesh Police under what circumstances there was a delay in implementing appropriate sections at the initial level and on what basis the investigation process was taken forward.
After this comment of the court, questions are once again being raised on the functioning of the state police. Legal experts believe that this displeasure of the Supreme Court is a clear message to the investigating agencies that any laxity in such sensitive cases is not acceptable.
At present, the hearing of the case is going on and the court has also called for further investigation report. It has also been indicated that the investigation process will be thoroughly reviewed to ensure that there is no delay or lapse in justice.
This case is going on since 2021 and from time to time questions have been raised regarding the investigation process and police action. After the latest comments of the Supreme Court, this matter has once again come into limelight.