Bombay HC Slams Dombivli Police For Ignoring Elder Abuse Case; Orders Disciplinary Action Against 2 APIs

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has come down heavily on the Dombivali police for failing to act on a “horrendous” case of an alcoholic man allegedly assaulting his elderly parents, saying its “judicial conscience is shocked” by the apathy of officers.

The court has directed the Thane police commissioner to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Assistant Police Inspector (API) Praveen Ramchandra Ghutugade and API Dhananjay Chavan for not registering a First Information Report (FIR) despite repeated complaints and evidence.

Daughter’s Plea and CCTV Proof Ignored

A bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Manjusha Deshpande was hearing a petition filed by the couple’s elder daughter, who said she installed CCTV cameras in the family’s home after the abuse became unbearable.

She alleged that her brother would regularly consume alcohol and assault their parents, kicking and hitting them “with shoes until they bled.” The petition included CCTV footage and photographs.

Daughter’s Plea and CCTV Proof Ignored

“Despite such averments in the complaint, which are admitted by the said police officer in his affidavit, he had the audacity to register only a non-cognizable complaint,” the court noted, referring to Ghutugade.

The woman first approached the Dombivli police on June 16, 2025. When Ghutugade allegedly refused to accept her written complaint, she sent it by post, received by the station on June 19. However, no FIR was registered.

Instead, Ghutugade filed a non-cognizable (NC) case under Sections 351 and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), 2023—provisions dealing with criminal intimidation and intentional insult. The daughter later filed another complaint on July 1, which was also reduced to an NC by duty officer Chavan.

Court Shocked at Police Negligence

“What is peculiar is that though the petitioner narrated all these incidents in the complaint… the police officer has not registered an FIR,” the bench said, adding, “He should have shown due diligence and acted in a manner befitting a Police Officer dealing with a serious complaint. The least he could do was to register an FIR.”

HC Intervention Finally Brings FIR and Protection

It was only after the court’s intervention on August 13, the elderly couple was provided police protection and an FIR was finally registered.

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Rejecting a plea for leniency, the bench said: “These 58 days of physical tormentation and abuse were perpetuated only because the police officer did not register an FIR. Showing leniency in such circumstances would be unfair to the old couple and would set a wrong precedent.”

Thane Police Commissioner Ordered to Act

Directing the Thane police commissioner to take appropriate action against Ghutugade and Chavan, the court has sought a compliance report by December 1, 2025.