Report No. 77

12.2. Witnesses not to be kept waiting.-

Complaints are quite often made of witnesses being kept waiting and not being examined on the day for which they are summoned. This is an extremely undesirable practice. It actually proceeds upon the assumption that one need not take into account the convenience of the witnesses. Every criminal court, in our view, should keep a register showing the number of witnesses summoned for a date, the number of witnesses actually examined and the number of witnesses who were sent back without being examined and the reasons for their non-examination.

These registers should be produced before the inspecting judge at the time of inspection. Monthly statements giving figures for the month, based upon these registers, should be submitted to the High Court for scrutiny.