Ahmedabad, Sep 12 (IANS) The Gujarat High Court has expressed apprehension over a situation where “protectors become perpetrators”.
This concern arose during a hearing related to two traffic police constables and a traffic brigade jawan accused of extorting money from a couple travelling in a cab at night in Ahmedabad.
The division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha P. Mayee, requested a report to determine if similar incidents had occurred in other cities across Gujarat.
Additionally, the court directed authorities to ensure that helpline numbers are prominently displayed in taxis, facilitating easy access for individuals in crisis.
“People are safe, no doubt. But if perpetrators are protectors… the issue here is not about criminals. Protectors are perpetrators, we are worried about this situation,” said the chief justice.
The court initiated the suo motu case following a news report highlighting an incident involving two traffic police jawans and a TRB jawan.
The incident involved forcibly entering a cab during a late-night checking drive and threatening a couple returning from Ahmedabad airport after an overseas trip with legal action for violating the police commissioner’s notification.
During the incident, one policeman took the male passenger to a police van, while the other two remained in the cab, where the woman and her one-year-old son were present. The couple was subjected to a terrifying ordeal as it transpired in an isolated location.
The constables initially demanded Rs 2 lakh to release the couple but eventually settled for Rs 60,000 as the victims did not have sufficient cash.
The accused also compelled the male passenger to withdraw cash from an ATM nearby, as detailed in the court’s report.
Government pleader Manisha Lavkumar Shah informed the bench that an FIR had been filed against the implicated traffic officials and the TRB jawan.
Subsequently, they were arrested, with the two constables being suspended, while the TRB jawan, employed on an honorarium basis, had service terminated.
An investigation has been initiated against them under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the police commissioner issued a circular to prevent harassment of citizens arriving from stations during late-night hours.
All in-charge officers of police stations received strict instructions to conduct roll calls of officers and home guard jawans during night rounds.
The government pleader emphasised that all police officers and home guard jawans in night duty “must wear nameplates on their uniforms, and stringent action will be taken against those found missing”.
The high court directed the “police to expedite the departmental inquiry against the suspended constables” and scheduled the next hearing for September 20.