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Sexual assault on minor: HC raps cops for inaction

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has censured the Punjab Police for its “reluctant approach” and “sheer incompetence” in investigating a sexual assault case involving a 13-year-old girl. The admonition came as Justice Namit Kumar of the high court expressed...
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The Punjab and Haryana High Court has censured the Punjab Police for its “reluctant approach” and “sheer incompetence” in investigating a sexual assault case involving a 13-year-old girl. The admonition came as Justice Namit Kumar of the high court expressed dissatisfaction with the police’s failure to arrest the accused despite the rejection of his anticipatory bail plea by both Jalandhar Additional Sessions Judge and the high court.

The court also directed the Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, to file a personal Affidavit within 10 days, explaining the inaction since the FIR registration.

The case pertains to an FIR, registered on July 26, 2024, for rape and other offences under Section 376(2) of the IPC and various provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at the Bhargo Camp police station in Jalandhar.

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The victim’s grandmother approached the HC through counsel Harsh Chopra, seeking directions for the police to expedite the investigation and arrest the accused allegedly enjoying patronage by a local MLA and a former SHO.

Chopra argued that the police had failed to comply with legal provisions.

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Justice Kumar said: “The present case shows the sorry state of affairs of the state machinery, where the police is unable to nab the accused, who has been prosecuted for committing a heinous crime against a minor girl of 13 years.

Justice Kumar further asserted that the police failed to take effective steps to apprehend the accused. “The investigation has not been completed within the stipulated period of two months, and till date, the accused has not been apprehended. This reluctant conduct of the police leads this court to infer that the jurisdictional police authorities and senior officers are shying away from performing their duties.”

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