The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued notices to the commissioner of police and the senior IPS officer who had punished a police constable by ordering him to perform front-rolls at a court complex in the city.
A bench of acting chief justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw asked the Delhi commissioner of police and additional DCP Seju P. Kurvila to file a status report of the incident by February 15.
Mr Kurvila had on Tuesday punished the constable for not saluting him and talking on his mobile phone while on duty, by asking him to perform front-rolls at the Patiala House court complex.
The high court’s direction came on oral submissions of lawyer R.K. Saini, seeking initiation of criminal contempt proceeding against Mr Kurvila for “delowering” and “scandalising” the court and its proceedings.
Citing various news reports on the incident, Mr Saini said, “The police officer, who himself was not in uniform, took exception to the behaviour of the constable who did not salute him. Not only that, the police officer tore the badge and snatched his mobile phone and awarded the inhuman and indecent punishment for a non-existing offence,” Mr Saini alleged and cited various judgements in support of his plea.
Some lawyers at the Patiala House complex had on Tuesday filed a complaint against Mr Kurvila for “inhuman and derogatory” behaviour with the constable in the court premises.
Acting on their complaint, the district judge of Patiala House courts had directed the city police commissioner to “proceed as per law” against an “erring” additional DCP.
In their complaint filed before district judge H.S. Sharma, the lawyers had said that Mr Kurvila had compelled constable Dinesh Kumar, who was on duty at gate number 6 of the court premises, to perform front-rolls on ground in uniform as punishment.
The judge also saw a video clipping of the alleged incident recorded on a mobile phone by the advocates and asked the complainants to preserve it. However, Mr Saini on Tuesday alleged before the high court that the order of the district judge of the Patiala House courts was “inappropriate as he has simply forwarded the complaint of some lawyers to the police chief for taking action as per the law”.