The Bombay High Court has sharply reprimanded Maharashtra Police for not following the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, which requires preliminary inquiries to finish within 14 days. BNSS replaced the Criminal Procedure Code and started on July 1, 2024. A Division Bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsale, hearing three petitions, said the police acted with “utter disregard to the mandate of law.” They ordered senior police officers and the Union Home Ministry to explain the failures. In Kundan Jaywant Patil’s petition, the court noted police in Mumbai are taking months instead of 14 days for inquiries, ignoring Section 173(3)(i) of BNSS. The Bench said, “Either the police personnel are not aware of the fact that the Government of India has enacted BNSS and it came into effect from 1st July 2024, or they are deliberately not following the mandatory provisions of law for reasons best known to them.” The court allowed the petitioner to include the Union of India and issued notices to the Additional Solicitor General. The next hearing is set for December 19. Advocate Dr. Uday Warunjikar said, “Police are hiding behind endless preliminary inquiries. This defeats the mandate of BNSS and harasses complainants.” In Mehul Jain’s petition, the court questioned Mumbai Police for summoning citizens citing unclear “Movement Register” references not found in the police manual. They asked the Joint Commissioner of Police (Law & Order) to clarify if BNSS applies to Mumbai Police and why such summons are issued under unknown procedures. Advocate Rajiv Chavan said, “My client lodged a complaint against prospective accused, yet he was summoned under a vague reference to ‘Movement Register.’ This is harassment and contrary to BNSS provisions.” In Ashwin Ashirvad Parmar’s petition, the court asked the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kherwadi Division why a police inquiry ordered by Maharashtra State Commission for SC & ST was not completed within 14 days. Advocate Kiran Varma said, “The Commission’s directions were clear, yet the police failed to act within the statutory timeline. This defeats the purpose of BNSS.”