HC notice to Nayagaon SHO, two others on Contempt Plea

On Wedesday, the High Court of Punjab & Haryana issued a notice to Nayagaon station house officer Jagjeet Singh & 2 other cops on a contempt plea alleging custodial torture.

Two other cops named are Sudagar Din, an ASI, & Ajay Kumar, a constable. The HC acted on the petition of Dev Raj, who had approached the court on Wednesday. The response has been sought by Dec 16.

The Court was told that the petitioner, on Oct 22 evening, was on his way to Nayagaon riding his two-wheeler when he was stopped at a naka & asked by the cops to show his driving licence & registration certificate. Later, the cops abused him and, when he confronted them, he was beaten & taken to the local police station. He was beaten mercilessly by 5-7 cops including, the three, & was also slapped with an FIR for obstructing the duty of Govt Employees, the Court was told.

When the petitioner was produced before a Magistrate, the officer found that he had been given a beating therefore, he ordered a medical examination. His counsel Mohinder Singh told the Court that a medical examination report proves the extent of beatings, & a video shot at the naka shows how he was abused by the police. It was further stated that the petitioner met the senior superintendent of police on Oct 27 to complain against the cops but no action was taken against them.

The Court was told that there are clear directions from the HC to cops to ensure that no third-degree methods are adopted in the police custody. The Supreme Court has directed all the states to ensure that detainees are not tortured as well. But these cops acted in violation of court orders. Hence, contempt of court proceedings should be initiated against them. 

Source Link