The Karnataka High Court on Thursday directed the Bangalore police to submit by April 2 a status report on the investigation of the March 2 violence at the city civil court complex with a rider that officials connected with the incident should not be part of the probe.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice B.V. Nagarathna passed the interim order after the Advocate-General gave an assurance to the court that Joint Commissioner of Police (West) Pronab Mohanty, who has now been appointed a special officer to supervise the investigation, will make a team of impartial officers to conduct investigation.
The Bench also directed the police to submit copies of mahazar reports along with photographs related to removal of vehicles and other objects from the city civil court complex after the incident while questioning on whose authorisation these material were removed from the place of incident. Orders were passed during hearing on the public interest litigation filed by the Advocates Association seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the incident.
Dutta to continue
Meanwhile, Advocate-General S. Vijay Shankar informed the Bench that DGP (CID) Rupak Kumar Dutta, who had submitted a preliminary report on “police excesses” during the incident, has now been asked to continue the inquiry for the purpose of identification of police persons responsible for the alleged excesses during lathicharge, damage of vehicles and the use of filthy language over wireless.
Mr. Dutta had named senior police officers for the lapses but had said that he could not identify policemen responsible for the excesses while recommending that they should be identified and action should be initiated against them.
Mr. Shankar also gave an assurance to the Bench that none of the police officers named for their lapses in the preliminary report submitted by Mr. Dutta would be allowed either to interfere or to get information on the investigation, and necessary instructions indicating any violation in this connection would attract their suspension.
173 cases registered
Giving the details of progress of the investigation, Mr. Shankar said that 173 cases were registered in connection with the incident. Out of these cases, 75 are registered by the police against advocates; 27 by advocates against policemen, 13 against advocates by the public, 12 against the public by advocates; four against advocates by media persons; four against media persons by advocates; nine against unknown persons by public; seven against policemen and media by the advocates; one by registrar of the city civil court; one against unknown persons by a judge of the city court; four cases are registered by the police suo motu .
The Advocate-General also informed the Bench that the police have recorded the statements of 132 complainants, examined 310 witnesses and arrested 12 persons, including six journalists and advocates, in this connection. As many as 111 vehicles were damaged in the incident.
Mr. Shankar also said that the authorities are considering writing to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to cancel the license issued to three television channels which allegedly broadcast “false news” about the death of two police personnel on that day “provoking” the policemen to go berserk against advocates.
Opposing a CBI probe, the Advocate-General said that the association, with the sole objective of seeking a CBI probe, is intending to scuttle the investigation initiated by the city police.
During hearing, counsel for the association also alleged that two journalists of a television channel, who were arrested on the charge of assaulting an advocate, were released on bail by the police though one of the charges against them was non-bailable. “Advocates are arrested in the night and sent to jail. Journalists are arrested in the day and are released immediately on bail,” counsel contended.
