Kochi: Kerala High Court has criticised the police department for showing partisan attitude towards actor Kalabhavan Mani by aiding him in a case related to the assault on forest officials at Athirappilly.
“It seems the police have taken a partisan attitude and they were deliberately aiding the so-called celebrity. Even the present report filed by K.K. Thomas, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Chalakkudy , shows that they have a partisan attitude in the matter,” the court held.
Justice B. Kemal Pasha also flayed ADGP Senkumar for making a statement that Kalabhavan Mani was unnecessarily harassed or tortured only because of the fact that he happened to be a member of the scheduled caste. The court observed that the statement by a police officer had to be viewed seriously.
Justice B. Kemal Pasha was considering a plea filed by a deputy range forest officer attached to the Kannankuzhi forest range and two other forest officials seeking to quash the crime registered against them.
The court also observed that the police unnecessarily incorporated an offence under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,1989 in the case.
“No materials are there in the case to invite such an offence. Even then the police have unnecessarily interfered in the case to see that the forest officials should not get the protection of anticipatory bail,” the court observed.
The forest officials had filed a complaint against Mani and a counter-complaint was also filed against them after Kalabhavan Mani allegedly hit the forest officials in the Athirappilly forest area.
