Attach salary of Punjab cops who failed to arrest PO: High Court
Saurabh Malik
Chandigarh, January 15
Rapping the Punjab Police for their failure to arrest an escapee and make efforts to attach his property, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the attachment of salaries of the station house officers in whose police stations the investigation of cases was pending or he was declared a proclaimed offender (PO).
Justice Harpreet Singh Brar observed that the high court on the previous date of hearing in November last year had referred to an affidavit filed in August 2021 by Punjab Director-General of Police indicating that Amandeep Singh, alias Aman Skoda, was involved in 31 criminal cases in six districts and had been declared a PO in 16 matters.
The court had also granted an additional opportunity to the police authorities without commenting further on the issue with the “earnest hope that all effective steps would be taken to vindicate the rule of law and the majesty of justice”.
The Bench added that the Fazilka SSP, present in the court during the proceedings then, had assured the court that the escapee would be brought to book within four weeks.
“Neither has the escapee been arrested till now, nor any efforts have been made to follow the drill of Section 83 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (on property attachment), regardless of filing of the affidavit dated August 17, 2021, by the Director General of Police, Punjab, which is a complete failure of the intelligence agency of the Punjab Police,” the court observed.
The Bench said the conspicuous failure to perform duty by the jurisdictional police officers left the court with no other option but to attach the salaries of the station house officers.
The Bench directed the state counsel to file a compliance report within two weeks of receiving the order’s certified copy.
The Punjab Additional Director-General of Police, Law and Order, was also directed to file his affidavit indicating the necessary steps required to be taken in the facts and circumstances of the case. For the purpose, the Bench set a week’s deadline.
‘No effort to follow procedure’
Justice Harpreet Singh Brar said, “Neither has the escapee been arrested till now, nor any efforts made to follow the drill of Section 83 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, regardless of filing of the affidavit dated August 17, 2021, by the DGP, which is a complete failure of the intelligence agency of the Punjab Police.”
