Submit district-wise details of repeated inquiries: High Court to Punjab DGP

Saurabh Malik

Chandigarh, March 8

Taking cognizance of multiple and repeated inquiries being conducted across Punjab by the police in violation of a Supreme Court judgment, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the Director-General of Police to submit district-wise details. Among other things, he has been asked to file his personal affidavit on the number of such inquiries conducted in each case before the FIR’s registration.

14,838 plaints pending in Mohali

The direction came after Justice NS Shekhawat took note of the fact that no less than 14,838 complaints were pending for the purpose of preliminary inquiry before the FIR’s registration in Mohali district alone.

The direction came after Justice NS Shekhawat of the high court took note of the fact that no less than 14,838 complaints were pending for the purpose of preliminary inquiry before the FIR’s registration in Mohali district.

Justice Shekhawat asserted that similar issues had cropped up in different cases before the court. Multiple and repeated inquiries were being conducted in every district. In fact, the court had already observed that such inquiries by the Punjab Police were in violation of the mandate of the Supreme Court judgment in Lalita Kumari’s case.

As such, the DGP was directed to submit district-wise details regarding the inquiries conducted by police officers without the FIR’s registration, including the complainant’s name, the date and receipt of a complaint, the date of inquiry’s initiation and the number of inquiries conducted in “every such matter”.

He was also asked to give details regarding the fate of each inquiry conducted by the police, the name of the official conducting the present inquiry and the number of inquiries in each case. The Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police was also directed to file a fresh status report by the next date of hearing in the matter.

Justice Shekhawat’s Bench, during the course of hearing, was told that the petitioners before the court were seeking directions against harassment. They had added that two inquiries reports had already been “filed” by the superior police officers. The allegations levelled by the complainant were also found to be of civil nature.