HC alarmed over missing case diaries in murder trial, raps cops

In a glaring lapse that undermines the core of criminal justice procedure, case diaries have gone missing from Delhi Police records in an ongoing murder investigation.

The lapse left the Delhi High Court shocked during a hearing in the case. The missing case diaries came to light while the court was hearing the bail plea of Banti Kumar Mathur, one of the accused in the brutal killing of Gulshan — who was allegedly abducted, dragged and beaten to death by a group of men on January 16, 2025, over an old enmity.

The police had recovered Gulshan’s body from agricultural land near Saboli village in the Capital. A case was registered at the Harsh Vihar police station in northeast Delhi.

While hearing the matter on July 21, Justice Girish Kathpalia flagged serious irregularities in police documentation. Upon examining the case file, the court observed that diaries were maintained only up to Entry No. 19, dated February 27, 2025. The next available entry abruptly jumped to Case Diary No. 39, dated February 28, followed by entries numbered 42 and 44 onwards, leaving a series of crucial case diaries unaccounted for.

When questioned by the High Court, the Investigating Officer casually stated that the missing diaries “might have been destroyed or removed”.

The court came down heavily on the explanation offered by the police. “This completely takes away the sanctity of not just these case diaries, but also raises suspicion against the genuineness of the investigation,” Justice Kathpalia remarked.

The discrepancy surfaced as the court was examining the arrest memo, in which the section meant to record the reasons for arrest had been left blank. The Investigating Officer claimed that the grounds were provided separately in writing to the accused and documented in the case diary, allegedly signed by the Magistrate.

However, the court found further inconsistencies. The diary entry in question bore only an supposed initial, with no full name or official stamp, and none of the other entries carried even this partial endorsement.

“It is extremely unfortunate that even in a murder case, such shoddy investigation has been carried out,” the court observed sternly.

Taking serious note of the procedural lapses, the court granted bail to the petitioner, directing that he be released upon furnishing a personal bond of Rs 10,000 and one surety of the same amount.