Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 9
A Punjab Police Service (PPS) officer has been found negligent in furnishing information to the Punjab and Haryana High Court about the involvement of a drug case accused in other criminal matters. As such, a recommendation has been made to the Punjab Director-General of Police to write to the Department of Home Affairs and Justice for initiating a regular departmental inquiry against Nawanshahr Deputy Superintendent of Police Davinder Singh.
The matter has its genesis in a petition by Mukesh Kumar against the state of Punjab for regular bail in an FIR registered on August 31, 2019, under the provisions of the NDPS Act. No less than 25 injections and five vials were seized from the petitioner.
His counsel’s argument was that the NDPS rules made it clear that a person could possess 100 doses of such a psychotropic substance even without medical prescription and the High Court granted him bail even in a case of 70 injections in another matter. The state counsel, during the course of hearing, submitted that the petitioner was also involved in four other criminal cases — a fact denied by his counsel. Justice Raj Mohan Singh observed that the custody certificate filed by the state counsel, too, did not show his involvement in any other case. But the status report filed by way of Davinder Singh’s affidavit showed that the petitioner was involved in other cases. Taking a note of the conflicting stands, Justice Raj Mohan Singh directed the Nawanshahr SSP to submit a fact finding report.
In pursuance of the order, a status report was submitted by IPS officer Harmanbir Singh Gill, wherein it was admitted that the petitioner was not involved in any other case. Record verification showed the petitioner was not involved in other FIR/criminal cases. Davinder Singh, while submitting the status report, was, thus, found negligent. ASI Darshan Lal, who initially attended the hearing, was also found negligent while attaching a slip with the police file showing that the petitioner was involved in four cases. As such, a regular department inquiry was directed to be initiated against the ASI.
Found negligent in providing info to HC
- A status report filed by Nawanshahr DSP Davinder Singh showed petitioner Mukesh Kumar, a drug case accused, was involved in other cases — a fact denied by his counsel
- Justice Raj Mohan Singh directed the Nawanshahr SSP to submit a fact-finding report and IPS officer Harmanbir Singh Gill submitted that the petitioner was not involved in any other case. Davinder was, thus, found negligent
Probe Nawanshahr DSP, says court
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