The Karnataka High Court has directed the state police not to open or continue a rowdy sheet against a person without first examining the current status and complete background of the criminal cases registered against them.
A single-judge bench headed by Justice Suraj Govindaraj issued the directions while deciding a case concerning the practice. The court also asked the police department to examine the possibility of creating a comprehensive digital database containing complete information about criminal cases registered against individuals.
The proposed system should integrate data from the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems, the Interoperable Criminal Justice System, e-Courts and other available government databases, according to the court’s directions reported by Prajavani.
The database should make available information on the registration of cases, filing of charge sheets, the status of pending trials, acquittals, convictions, discharge from proceedings, quashing of cases, appeals, reviews and the conclusion of investigations. The court said such an integrated system would help authorities assess the current and legally relevant position of cases before taking administrative action.
The court directed the concerned authority to determine, on the basis of available and current information, whether there was a legal foundation for opening or continuing a rowdy sheet. It said that authorities must not issue a notice to open or continue a rowdy sheet without examining the present status of the relevant criminal cases.
A rowdy sheet is an administrative measure used to maintain public order and monitor people considered to have criminal tendencies. The court, however, noted that the measure can adversely affect a person’s reputation, dignity, liberty, employment, business and social standing.
Because of those consequences, the court said the measure could not be imposed routinely or mechanically. The directions place emphasis on an updated assessment of case records rather than relying only on the fact that criminal cases were once registered against a person.
The court’s proposed digital integration would bring together records held across police, criminal justice and court systems. The supplied report does not specify a deadline for creating the database or identify the technical agency that would be responsible for implementing it. The Karnataka police department has been asked to examine the feasibility of developing the system.
