HC orders attachment of cops’ salary over ‘incompetence’ in tracking PO

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has lambasted the Punjab Police for its “sheer incompetence” in apprehending a proclaimed offender, despite multiple court orders and the dismissal of his anticipatory bail plea by the Supreme Court.

Taking a stern view, Justice Harpreet Singh Brar ordered the attachment of salaries of a Station House Officer (SHO) and the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) overseeing the case. The Bench also summoned the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police (Ferozepur range) and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Ferozepur, to appear in the court.

“This approach of the Punjab Police reflects sheer incompetence on its part. In spite of repeated orders passed by this court, no tangible effort has been made to comply with the same,” Justice Brar asserted.

The direction came after the court went through a detailed affidavit submitted by SSP Saumya Mishra. An FIR in the matter was registered in October 2020 for outraging modesty and other offences under Sections 354, 354-A, 506 and 509 of the IPC and the provisions of the Information Technology Act. The offence of rape was added later on to the case registered at the Kulgari police station in Ferozepur district.

Justice Brar took note of the submissions that departmental action was initiated against two inspectors, Gurpreet Singh for not making any efforts to comply with the provisions of law “when the accused was declared proclaimed person in 2023” and Gurjant Singh “for cancelling the lookout circular issued on November 17, 2020, “which resultantly facilitated the accused to travel abroad”.

“Upon scrutinising the affidavit dated December 8, this court has arrived at the conclusion that the two inspectors, who occupy lower rung of the state police hierarchy, have been made scapegoats,” the court observed. “The conduct of the police leads this court to infer that officials are shying away from taking appropriate action against the accused, whose anticipatory bail has already been dismissed by the Supreme Court on February 5, 2021,” the court observed.