Kolkata Police sets up 'Trial Monitoring Cell'; dedicated app will oversee 360 long-pending court cases

Kolkata Police headquarters at Lalbazar has set up a specialized 'Trial Monitoring Cell' under its Detective Department to expedite the trial process for around 360 selected long-pending cases. Beyond making arrests, police authorities are focusing on ensuring convictions by closely monitoring court proceedings. The selected cases include major incidents such as the Park Street fire, the Dhakuria private hospital fire, and various unresolved local police station cases, along with state police cases transferred to Kolkata Police by court order.

Many of these pending trials face delays due to investigating officers retiring or being transferred, key witnesses failing to appear in court on time, or delayed charge framing when all accused individuals fail to appear simultaneously. To address these bottlenecks, officials from the Trial Monitoring Cell are regularly reviewing case statuses in coordination with investigating officers and public prosecutors to identify reasons for delay and streamline the judicial process.

To further streamline this monitoring process, Lalbazar is developing a dedicated 'Trial Monitoring App'. The application will be accessible to police officers, investigating team members, Lalbazar senior officials, public prosecutors, and court authorities. It will provide real-time updates on case statuses, witness testimonies, bail or custody status of the accused, total hearings conducted, and upcoming court dates.