The Gujarat High Court voiced its concerns on Monday about a situation where those entrusted with protection turn into perpetrators. The High Court was addressing a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding two police constables and a traffic brigade jawan allegedly extorting money from a couple traveling in a cab at night in Ahmedabad city.
Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha P Mayee, constituting the division bench, sought for a report to determine if similar incidents had occurred in other cities across Gujarat. They also instructed authorities to ensure that helpline numbers are prominently displayed in taxis, making them easily accessible to individuals in crisis.
"People are safe, no doubt. But if perpetrators are protectors...The issue here is not about criminals. Protectors are perpetrators, we are worried about this situation," the chief justice said when government pleader Manisha Lavkumar Shah told the bench that Gujarat is perhaps the safest state.
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The government pleader informed the high court that an FIR had been registered against the implicated traffic officials and the TRB (Traffic Regulation Brigade) jawan on the following day. Subsequently, they were apprehended, with the two constables being suspended. The TRB jawan, who was employed on an honorarium basis, had his service terminated, Shah added.
An inquiry has also been initiated against them under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The police commissioner issued a circular to ensure that citizens arriving from stations during nighttime hours are not subjected to harassment.
Strict instructions have been given to all supervising officers of police stations to conduct roll calls of officers and home guard jawans. Shah added, "All police officers and home guard personnel on night duty are directed to wear nameplates on their uniforms, and strict action should be taken if they are found absent."
The high court instructed the police to conclude the departmental inquiry against the suspended constables in a time-bound manner and scheduled the next hearing for September 20.The HC had taken suo motu cognizance of a news report about the "disturbing fact" of two traffic police jawans and a TRB jawan forcibly entering a cab during a late-night checking drive.They allegedly threatened to charge the couple, returning home from Ahmedabad airport after an overseas trip, for violating a police commissioner's notification.
According to the report, one of the officers escorted the male passenger to the police vehicle, while the other two remained in the cab with the woman and her one-year-old son. The incident left the couple in distress as it occurred in an isolated location.The constables demanded Rs 2 lakh to release the couple but eventually settled for Rs 60,000 since the couple did not have sufficient cash. The accused also escorted the male passenger to a nearby ATM and compelled him to withdraw the money, as stated in the high court's report.