Wednesday, January 26 2005 13:22 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ahmedabad: Directing magistrates to "apply their mind before issuing non-bailable warrants (NBWs)", Gujarat High court yesterday (Jan 25, 2005) ordered a special court in Vadodara to wrap up the 'bogus warrants case and similar ones' in a year's time.

A division bench of the High Court comprising Justice D K Trivedi and K M Mehta directed that the Vadodara special court should in a year's time wrap up the case including filing of chargesheets and taking permission, if required, to prosecute accused Government officials in the case and also 10 other bogus warrants cases pending in other district courts.

The bogus warrants case was exposed through a sting operation after a magistrate in Dakor taluka court of Ahmedabad district issued non-bailable warrants against the then Chief Justice of Maharashtra High Court and other legal luminaries.

Passing the 315 page judgment, the bench also instructed magistrates to apply their mind before tackling such cases and affirm the identities of those seeking the NBW's and those to whom it was being issued.

The bench also directed that orders for issuing NBW's, should not be held inside magistrate's chambers but in open courts.