State Of Kerala vs P.B.Sourabhan & Ors

The Supreme Court held that the State Police Chief lacks the authority to appoint a superior police officer to investigate a crime case registered outside the officer's territorial jurisdiction, as per Section 36 of the Cr.P.C. The Court clarified that while Section 36 allows superior officers to exercise powers within their local area, it does not extend to cases outside their jurisdiction. Consequently, the High Court's ruling that the appointments made were beyond the powers conferred by the relevant statutes was upheld, leading to the dismissal of the appeals by the State and the complainant.