JUDGMENT :

Ranjan Gogoi, J.

1. Leave granted.

2. The short question that arises for decision in the present appeals is whether the State Police Chief/Director General of Police is empowered to appoint a superior police officer to investigate a crime case registered outside the territorial jurisdiction of such officer.

3. The High Court answered the aforesaid question in the negative giving rise to the present appeals by the State as well as by the complainant in one of the cases (who is also the accused in the other case) at whose instance the appointment was made and authorisation issued by the State Police Chief.

4. Over certain matrimonial disputes between the parties, two police cases i.e. Crime No. 621 of 2011 and Crime No. 637 of 2011 were registered in the Pettah Police Station. The complainant in Crime No. 637 of 2011, who is the accused in Crime No. 621 of 2011, had filed a representation before the State Police Chief for further investigation by a competent/neutral officer. On the said representation, the State Police Chief by an order dated 24.01.2012 directed the District Police Chief of Thiruvananthapuram City that the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Cantonment, Thiruvana