3 min readMumbaiJun 26, 2026 11:05 AM IST
Expressing concern over repeated instances of the police refusing to provide accused persons with copies of complaints despite earlier judicial directions, the Bombay High Court Thursday imposed a personal cost of Rs 25,000 on the station house officer of Palghar’s Wada police station.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra V Ghuge and Justice Gautam A Ankhad said such petitions continue to reach the court because officers fail to comply with settled legal requirements.
The bench passed an order on a plea by the accused in an economic offences case, argued through Advocates Manuj Borkar and Prasad Borkar, noting that the Maharashtra Government’s lawyer “cannot explain the refusal.”
“This court has passed several orders in such matters. Yet, such petitions continue to come before us, and the petitioners are compelled not only to knock on the doors of this court, but also to spend on litigation,” the bench said.
The petition
It added that it would be “appropriate to impose costs on the SHO” in matters where the legal requirement of supplying such copies was not fulfilled, just for the sake of refusing them.
The court also directed the SHO of Wada Police Station to deposit the amount from his salary account within 15 days. Disposing of the plea, it also asked him to supply copies of the complaints lodged against the petitioners within five working days.
The petitioners told the court that they were given copies of the complaints through their advocates related to earlier offences registered against them with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) “after strenuous efforts.”
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However, another offence was registered against them at Wada Police Station in Palghar District, and the SHO issued them notices. The petitioners claimed that when they appeared before the Wada Police Station and sought copies of the complaints against them, a police inspector allegedly told them they were indulging in “time killing” and refused to provide the copies.
The petitioners said the police are legally bound to provide the accused with information about the allegations against them and to enable them to effectively exercise their legal rights.
