Bombay High Court slams police for copy-pasting witness statements in serious cases. Calls it a “dangerous culture” that could weaken justice and benefit the accused.
Mumbai, May 6: The Bombay High Court has strongly criticised a growing and concerning trend where police officers simply copy-paste witness statements while preparing charge sheets, even in serious criminal cases.
This issue came up during a recent hearing of a criminal petition before the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court.
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A division bench of Justice Vibha Kankanwadi and Justice Sanjay Deshmukh pointed out that many of the witness statements in the charge sheet were so similar that they appeared to be copied from one another.
The court said,
“the paragraphs start with the same words and end with the same words”, showing clear signs of duplication.
The High Court said that this careless practice could seriously damage the fairness and reliability of the criminal justice system.
The judges remarked that such acts of copy-pasting raise questions about the integrity of the investigation process. They called it a “dangerous culture” that cannot be allowed to continue.
The court further expressed concern that if police officers are cutting corners like this in serious cases, it reflects very poorly on the justice delivery system.
In their order, the judges stated that this issue is too serious to be ignored and needs immediate action from the government.
Taking the matter seriously, the court directed the Maharashtra state government to look into this problem and come up with proper instructions and clear guidelines for police officers.
These guidelines should ensure that all witness statements are recorded in an independent and truthful manner, and that each statement reflects the actual version of events as told by the individual witness, rather than being duplicated or generalized.
In their written order, the judges made it clear that such copy-paste behaviour by investigating officers not only affects the quality of the investigation but can also weaken the prosecution’s case in court.
Moreover, it can mislead the judiciary and result in injustice, especially in cases involving serious criminal offences.
The High Court has therefore asked the Maharashtra government to issue appropriate and necessary guidelines to stop this practice and to ensure that investigations are carried out properly and fairly.
This decision by the Bombay High Court serves as a reminder that accurate and honest police work is essential for justice to prevail.
If shortcuts like copy-pasting statements are allowed to continue, it could have long-term negative effects on public trust in the legal system and could compromise the right to a fair trial for both victims and the accused.
The full quote from the court reads,
“the paragraphs start with the same words and end with the same words”, clearly showing how repetitive and identical the statements were, raising serious doubts about the authenticity of the investigation.
The court also used the phrase “dangerous culture” to describe this pattern of behaviour among investigating officers, underlining the urgent need for reform in police investigation practices in Maharashtra.
This order is expected to act as a warning to the police department and a call to action for the state government to restore confidence in the rule of law by ensuring investigations are carried out with honesty, diligence, and professionalism.
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