The Kerala High Court on Monday restrained the police from arresting two naval officers till June 24, the next date of hearing of a petition filed by the officers against whom sexual harassment charges were raised by the wife of a lieutenant.
Justice P. Bhavadasan issued the directive when a petition filed by Commodore Anand Balakrishnan and Lt. Ajay Jayakrishnan came up for hearing. The petitioners prayed for quashing the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the police against them on the basis of the complaint.
The petitioners contended that the proceedings based on the FIR were tantamount to abuse of the process of the court. No reference had been made about them in her complaint to the naval authorities. An inquiry had been ordered by the Navy.
According to the petitioners, the first complaint was an oral one on February 22 before the police that her husband had taken away her luggage, laptop and dependent card.
They were returned to her and she left for Delhi on the next day. The second complaint was sent to the Southern Naval Command, but there were no allegations particularly about Commodore Anand. The complainant had absented herself from attending the inquiry. Even the wife of the officer-in-charge of the diving school has been implicated in the case.
The FIR was filed based on a complaint sent on April 4 by post from New Delhi to the Harbour police. The allegation levelled against the senior officials had no basis.
The petitioners were on duty elsewhere when the alleged incident took place. They also said that the complaint was made with mala fide intention to belittle the reputation of the Navy.
