Criticizing senior Haryana police officers for a “deliberate deviation” from the commitment provided to the high court and neglecting the court order, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has served them show-cause notices, inquiring why contempt proceedings should not be instigated.
Justice Harkesh Manuja also directed these officers — ADGP (Hisar range) Shrikant Jadhav, the then Hisar SP Lokender Singh, and Hisar DSP (headquarters) Ashok Kumar — to remain present in person before the court during the next hearing on January 10, 2024. Justice Manuja was hearing a plea filed by one Sunil Kumar Hooda, who had moved court seeking revival of his earlier petition, after police took steps in contradiction of the undertaking they had furnished before the HC.
The judge noted that there appeared to be a “deliberate attempt on the part of senior police officials for breach of undertaking given to this court on February 15, 2022, on the basis of which this petition was disposed of on the earlier occasion”.
The petitioner had registered an FIR on August 6, 2021, at Hisar Civil Lines police station alleging that some cops posted at the police post of Haryana Agriculture University were harassing him and his son.
The investigation was subsequently moved from the Hisar district to Jind. By an order dated December 8, 2021, the office of IGP Hisar instructed that the investigation be conducted under the supervision of Fatehabad ASP Usha. Previously, the petitioner had sought guidance from the high court to transfer the investigation to another independent agency.