Muzaffarpur: Over 5,400 criminal cases in the district remain unresolved more than 300 days after their filing, in apparent defiance of repeated directives from the Bihar police headquarters to conclude investigations within the stipulated period.
The delays have raised serious concerns about justice being denied to victims and the failure to bring accused individuals to account. Official records indicate that as of May 31, a total of 40,098 cases were registered with police—significantly fewer than the 45,865 figure reported by the court. Of these, 34,603 have been disposed of, leaving 5,495 cases still pending.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sushil Kumar has sent a comprehensive report on the backlog to the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Tirhut Range. The same has been shared with the District Magistrate and Chief Judicial Magistrate.
The report reveals that 3,325 of the pending cases involve cognisable offences—those considered serious and warranting immediate police action—while 2,170 are related to non-cognisable crimes.
Further analysis of the data shows that investigative bottlenecks remain a persistent issue. In 155 cases, injury and medical test reports are yet to be received. For another 99, forensic science lab (FSL) and other expert assessments are still awaited. Twenty-six cases are on hold pending prosecution sanction, and in 345 instances, either the accused or the vehicles involved remain untraced.
