The Bombay High Court recently expressed its frustration with the substandard police investigation into the multi-crore housing scam involving Karrm Infrastructures (Pvt) Ltd. A division bench, comprised of Justices A S Gadkari and Sharmila U Deshmukh, reprimanded the investigating police and directed the Director General of Police, State of Maharashtra, to transfer the case to a police officer with the rank of Commissioner of Police. They also ordered that the inquiry report be submitted within four weeks from the date of the written order, which was issued on October 18, with a due date of November 29.

In their written order on October 18, the justices raised serious concerns about the investigating police’s inability to answer the court’s questions. They remarked, “The conduct of the investigating agency speaks volumes, and with great reluctance, we have to note that the interest of accused persons is being protected more than the interest of crime victims.” The court also directed one of the senior defence counsels to initiate mediation to devise a comprehensive scheme by November 9.