In a strongly worded judgment, the Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) to suspend a senior police officer and initiate departmental action against several others for failing to act in a 92-sovereign gold jewellery theft case reported in 2018.
The case stems from a petition filed by Chennai resident Jirina Begam, who reported the theft of her daughter's wedding jewellery from their Choolaimedu home on the night of September 4, 2018, shortly after her husband’s passing. Despite lodging a complaint with the local police the following day, Jirina alleged that no meaningful steps were taken to recover the stolen valuables or identify the culprits.
Her repeated appeals to the Commissioner of Police in 2019 and again in 2021 also failed to elicit a response, prompting her to seek relief from the High Court. She requested that the investigation be transferred to the CBCID, citing eight years of inaction.
Justice Velmurugan, who heard the case, expressed sharp disapproval over the handling of the case, remarking that police personnel must receive proper training to effectively investigate criminal complaints. He criticised the systemic lack of accountability and declared that negligence like this undermines public trust in law enforcement.
The court specifically pointed to Karnan, the then Inspector at Choolaimedu Police Station and now Assistant Commissioner of Police, Chennai Central Railway Division, noting his prolonged tenure at the same station during the relevant time. Justice Velmurugan ordered his immediate suspension and directed the DGP to launch departmental proceedings against all officers who had served at Choolaimedu station since September 2018.
In another case reviewed the same day, the judge addressed a land fraud in Veeranam, Salem district, where locals were allegedly misled into paying for residential plots under an instalment scheme. The local police were accused of failing to act on multiple complaints. Justice Velmurugan summoned every officer who had worked at the Veeranam Police Station since 2018 and instructed the DGP to initiate disciplinary action against those found negligent.
Emphasising that registering an FIR is merely the beginning of the investigative process, the judge warned that failure to follow through with timely and effective action was unacceptable.