Supreme court notice to Centre on plea seeking safeguards against false criminal cases

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday issued notice to the Centre on a PIL seeking safeguards against false complaints and fabricated criminal prosecutions.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, however, cautioned that fear of criticism cannot deter the court from addressing abuse of the criminal process. The SC also cautioned that orders/directions by the court in the instant PIL could lead to accusations of court gagging or restricting rights of people. "We will be accused of gagging but why should we be afraid of gagging? Because people abuse and then disappear. We need to create a very informed society with sensitising people and they should know the fundamental right of their neighborhood also. Principle of fraternity needs to be cultivated," CJI Kant verbally remarked. The bench sought Centre's response on the plea filed by BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay who contended that fake cases were affecting the criminal justice system.