The Hindu : New Delhi News : Police refusal to register complaint irks court

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 14, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Police refusal to register complaint irks court

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MAY 13. Taking a serious note of an instance of a complaint not being entered into the inward register in the Chanakyapuri police station, the Delhi High Court yesterday directed the city Police Commissioner to file a detailed report about how complaints are received and dealt with by the police stations across the city. The instance of the criminal complaint not being endorsed by the Chanakyapuri police came to the notice of the High Court during the a hearing of a petition by the manager of public sector bank accusing the police of harassing him over telephone on an allegation by the wife of an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer that the manager had a conspiratorial role in the disappearance of her jewellery and cash from the bank's locker.

The manager moved the court seeking protection against his arrest in the case. The complaint was filed by KSR Laxmi, wife the IPS officer, K.C. Reddy, on May 6.

When the Bench asked the Standing Counsel of the Delhi Government, Mukta Gupta, to explain why the police were making enquiry from the manager about the disappearance the of the complainant's jewellery and cash without registering an FIR, Ms. Gupta defended the police action saying that in the case of public servants the investigating agencies were not supposed to lodge an FIR straightaway.

When the Standing Counsel submitted the written complaint to the Bench, the latter was surprised to see that it did not have the endorsement of the police station. The Bench also asked the Police Commissioner to make an enquiry as to why the complaint was not acknowledged by the police station and file a report to the court.

Later, the High Court directed the police not to arrest the manager.

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