Aurangabad : The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court has directed a Jalna police sub-inspector N Y Antarak to pay a fine of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 20,000 towards cost to the victim for his illegal detention in police custody for 2 days.
The judgment was delivered by the bench comprising Justice T V Nalawade and Justice Indira Jain on Saturday.
According to details, daughter of a retired police inspector Chandrakant Dilpak got married to a Mumbai-based engineer Satish Salvi in late 2013. However, the couple started witnessing clashes over petty issues within 4-5 months after the marriage was solemnized. Fed up of regular quarrels, the woman returned to her parents at Ambad in Jalna district. She lodged a complaint of domestic violence and torture against her husband with the Ambad police on March 23, 2014. A case was registered and PSI Antarak was investigating the case. The cop obtained the necessary permission from the district superintendent of police on April 12, 2014 and arrested the engineer in the afternoon on the same day. He was taken to the civil hospital of Jalna first and then the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Aurangabad later for medical examinations.
PSI Antarak presented him before the court concerned on April 14, 2014. Thus, was held in police custody for two days (April 12 and 13). He suffered lot during the time.
The engineer moved High Court through Adv Santosh Naik seeking Rs 10 lakh compensation from the sub-inspector for his illegal detention in the case. Adv Naik contended that as per a law it is necessary for police to produce the accused within 24 hours after he being arrested. But in this case he unlawfully was held captive by the police for which police hadn’t obtained permission of the court. Therefore, Rs 10 lakh be paid to his client by the investigating officer towards compensation.
On hearing arguments of the petitioner and respondent the bench held PSI Antarak guilty and directed him to pay the aforesaid amount.
Sudhir Dharmadhikari
