‘Ineligible’ cop continues to investigate IT Act cases

Inspector Jatinder Singh who solved high-profile cyber crime cases while being posted as the SHO, Cyber Crime police station, in the Ludhiana police has now embroiled in a controversy. Despite holding a local inspector rank, he continued to investigate cases related to the IT Act, which he was not authorised to do.

Regarding the matter, city-based advocate Gaganpreet Singh has filed a writ petition in the High Court (HC) against the inspector.

The complainant stated that in 2022, he filed a case under the IT Act against an individual. The other party initiated an inquiry into the matter. The probe was marked to the then posted inspector Jatinder Singh. After his probe, he prepared a report favouring the suspect and dismissed the FIR. He protested the same and conducted his own investigation. He discovered that Jatinder was a local rank officer. As per Section 78 of the IT Act, only a regular SHO can investigate cases under the Information Technology (IT) Act and a local rank SHO cannot conduct such inquiries.

Gaganpreet said he then presented a letter signed by Jatinder Singh in 2023 regarding some cyber case investigation, stating that he was a local rank official and not competent to investigate IT Act cases. Collecting various such documents, he filed a writ petition in the HC, which has taken cognisance and sought a response from the CP.

Gaganpreet claimed that he collected another document detailing inspector Jatinder’s promotions. The document stated that Jatinder was promoted to the post of head constable in 2008, became an ASI in 2010 and a SI in 2015. These three ranks were achieved without passing the lower school course, intermediate school course and upper school course, yet he was promoted to the post of inspector in 2021. He continued to be promoted without clearing required tests.

Inspector Jatinder, who solved several major cases, including a Rs 7-crore fraud case of the Chairman of the Vardhman Group and an interstate cyber call centre, was honoured with the CM Medal on Independence Day last year.

Meanwhile, inspector Jatinder said: “Someone abused Gaganpreet’s wife on Facebook. In that case, due to his own negligence, he failed to collect evidence, such as the Facebook URL link. Consequently, the FIR could not be sustained. It was not my fault. But Gaganpreet holds a grudge against me due to that incident and has filed complaints in the past. However, I know I am correct because Section 78 states that an SHO-rank official can probe and there is no mention of ‘local’ or ‘regular’ in it.” CP Swapan Sharma said the matter predates his posting in Ludhiana. When he joined, SHO Jatinder was removed from the cyber cell as a local rank official could not probe cases related to IT Act.