Overview

• The Bombay High Court's Aurangabad bench criticized the widespread use of copy-pasted witness statements in police charge sheets, calling it a threat to fair prosecutions.
• The court instructed the Maharashtra government to create specific guidelines for recording witness statements to address investigative shortcomings.
• Advocate Mukul Kulkarni was appointed as amicus curiae to gather data and recommend measures to improve the quality of police investigations.
• The bench refused to quash an FIR related to the alleged abetment to suicide of a 17-year-old, emphasizing the gravity of the offense.
• Further hearings in the case and on proposed reforms are scheduled for June 27, 2025.