Chhattisgarh HC Takes Suo Motu Cognisance Of News Report On Police Cars Bought For 'Dial 112' Service Lying Idle, Seeks DGP's Response

The Chhattisgarh High Court has taken suo-motu cognisance of a news report published in a Hindi daily which reported that as many as 400 vehicles worth Rs.40 Crores, which were originally purchased for the Dial-112 service, remained unused and parked for nearly two years, causing immense damage to their parts and considerable reduction in their shelf-life.The report highlighted that keeping the vehicles idle not only caused damage to their parts, which entailed an “avoidable expenditure” of about Rs.50,000/- per vehicle towards repairs and servicing, but also reduced the effective lifespan of the diesel vehicles from ten to eight years. Consequently, officers were compelled to spend from their own resources to keep the old, malfunctioning vehicles operational, while the new vehicles remain unused.Against, this backdrop, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Bibhu Datta Guru observed,“The position has arisen on account of indecision in the matter of tendering and agency selection, which has resulted in administrative delay, financial burden and operational inconvenience in police functioning.”The report went on to reveal that in April 2025, 325 new vehicles were procured for police stations, however, rather than deploying them, the police headquarters issued directions for repairing the long-idle vehicles, while the newly purchased vehicles were once again kept parked.Thus, the Court directed the Director General of Police to file his personal affidavit, detailing the circumstances which led to the procurement of new vehicles which are left idle while the older Dial–112 vehicles were deployed, the reasons for the delay in tendering and agency selection, and the administrative decisions that contributed to the financial loss and operational inconvenience. The affidavit, as directed, was to also chart out the steps taken or proposed to be taken to rectify the situation, ensure optimal utilisation of all vehicles, prevent recurrence of such mismanagement, and safeguard the operational efficiency of the police force.The matter is now listed on 08.10.2025 for further hearing.Case Details:Case Number: WPPIL No. 88 of 2025Case Title: In The Matter of Suo Moto Public Interest Litigation Based on News Item Publised In Dainik Bhaskar News v. State of Chhattisgarh and othersClick Here To Read/Download Order

Chhattisgarh HC Takes Suo Motu Cognisance Of News Report On Police Cars Bought For 'Dial 112' Service Lying Idle, Seeks DGP's Response

Saahas Arora

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