On December 2, 2025, the Supreme Court ordered police and criminal courts to be careful when filing chargesheets and framing charges in cases where civil disputes are still pending. The Bench, made up of Justices Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh and Manmohan, stressed the importance of acting only when there is strong evidence for conviction. "This Court would like to emphasise that where there is a pending civil dispute between the parties, the Police and the Criminal Courts must be circumspect in filing a chargesheet and framing charges respectively," the Bench said. The judges explained that rushing to file chargesheets without strong suspicion clogs the judicial system. It wastes the time of judges, court staff, and prosecutors on trials likely to end in acquittal. This reduces time available for serious cases and adds to the backlog in courts. While courts cannot decide at the charge-framing stage if a conviction will happen, the Supreme Court said, "the fundamental principle is that the state should not prosecute citizens without a reasonable prospect of conviction," protecting the right to a fair trial. The court made these observations while overturning a Calcutta High Court decision that denied discharge to an accused charged with wrongful restraint, voyeurism, and criminal intimidation. The Supreme Court noted that the police and trial court should have considered the ongoing civil dispute over the property and an existing injunction. This ruling highlights the need for the police and criminal courts to act as filters and ensure only strong cases move forward, maintaining the judicial system's efficiency and integrity.