Section 173 CrPC - The Legal Chamber

The Supreme Court upheld that additional documents can be produced by the prosecution even after the charge sheet is filed, especially if inadvertently omitted. The Court reiterated that Section 173(5) of the CrPC is directory, not mandatory, and permits the production of documents gathered before or after investigation with court permission. The judgment clarifies that the authenticity of such documents remains an open issue to be proved during trial. Facts Of The Case: An FIR was registered on May 3, 2013, for offences under the IPC and the PC Act. The dispute involves two Compact Discs (CDs). Between January 8, 2013, and May 1, 2013, the Ministry of Home Affairs permitted the interception of telephone calls of several accused and one Manoj Garg. On May 4 and May 10, 2013, two CDs cont...

The Supreme Court exercised powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to consolidate 64 FIRs across 10 states into single trials per state, merging subsequent FIRs with the earliest FIR in each jurisdiction. Subsequent FIRs were deemed Section 161 CrPC statements, enabling supplementary chargesheets under Section 173 CrPC. Bail in the principal FIR applies to clubbed cases, except where special enactments require fresh bail applications. Special Courts may try all offences, including IPC violations, under state laws. Single-FIR states proceed independently. Facts Of The Case: Ravinder Singh Sidhu, Managing Director of KIM Infrastructure and Developers Limited (KIDL), has been in custody since 11 October 2018. He faces 64 FIRs across 10 states (Punjab-23, Uttar Pradesh-15, Haryana-6, U...

Tag: Section 173 CrPC

CDs as Evidence: Supreme Court Clarifies Rules for Production in CBI Case

Supreme Court Directs Merger of 64 Fraud FIRs Across 10 States for Streamlined Trial