The High Court of Karnataka, after hearing three petitions seeking the quashing of two FIRs and a proclamation order, has directed Shridhar K. Pujar (47), a DySP rank police officer accused in the Bitcoin scam, to appear before the investigating officer on May 8 at 9 a.m.
The order, passed on May 2, also said, “In view of the fact that the petitioner has agreed to join the investigation, bail application, if any, to be filed by the petitioner shall not be opposed by the prosecution.”
The order said the “investigation officer is at liberty to take the petitioner to judicial custody and conclude the custodial investigation on the very same day before 6 p.m.”
The order also said, “On conclusion of the custodial investigation, the petitioner should be let free by taking a bond in the sum of ₹ 2 lakh with two sureties to the satisfaction of the investigation officer. Further, the petitioner is directed to appear before the investigation officer as and when he was called and should not in any way tamper the prosecution evidence.”
The high court, while refusing to quash the two FIRs — one at Vidhana Soudha police station and another in the cybercrime police station of the Criminal Investigation Department — quashed the order of proclamation passed by the I Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court. The State government had formed a Special Investigation Team to probe the Bitcoin scam in July.
In the FIR registered in the cybercrime police station, Pujar was accused of keeping the hacker, Srikrishna Ramesh, a.k.a. Sriki and Robin Khandelwala, in illegal custody.
The FIR said the then CCB inspector (narcotics) Shridhar Pujar, who was probing the drug case, kept Sriki (accused number 10 in the case) in illegal custody for three days between November 14, 2020, and November 17, 2020, at a guest house in Central Armed Reserve (CAR) headquarters in Mysuru Road. The FIR also alleged that Pujar kept Sriki’s associate Robin Khandelwal (accused number 12 in the case) in illegal custody for four days in the same place between November 14, 2020, and November 18, 2020.
In the FIR registered in the Vidhana Soudha police station, he was accused of attempting to murder and assault a police officer while on duty. He slipped away from the police, and he has been absconding since then. He was later declared a proclaimed offender.
The court said it is settled principles of law that generally FIR cannot be quashed unless it has acted prejudicial to the interest of the petitioner and by the allegation found in the complaint, no case is made out against the accused/petitioner. In the case on hand, there is no special reason for this court to quash the FIR itself. Observing this the court quashed the proclamation order.
