Karnataka High Court
Belagavi: High court has come down heavily on Ramdurg police over the alleged illegal detention of a 28-year-old man for nearly 72 hours without formal arrest or notice, and directed Belagavi SP K Ramarajan to appear before it on the next date and give an explanation. The matter has been posted for further hearing on Sept 29. Counsel for the petitioner informed the court that they had approached the district police chief on Sept 21, seeking intervention and the youth’s release, but no action was taken.
The petitioner also informed the court that the youth missed a competitive exam on Sept 23 due to the alleged detention. Dissatisfied with the explanation offered, Justice M Nagaprasanna then directed Ramarajan to appear in person. During the hearing, police maintained that the youth had not been detained and had only been questioned briefly at the police station before being accommodated in a hotel. Justice Nagaprasanna ordered a detailed inquiry into the alleged detention and directed police to produce CCTV footage from the police station. Following this, the matter was brought before high court through a habeas corpus petition. Taking serious note of the allegations, high court observed that the case raises important questions about the exercise of police powers and the protection of individual liberty.
The issue surfaced following a habeas corpus petition before the Dharwad bench of high court, alleging that the youth was unlawfully picked up from Gangavati on Sept 19 and brought to Ramdurg in connection with an investigation involving his cousin, who is an accused in a criminal case. Despite this, he was allegedly kept in police custody from Sept 19 until the morning of Sept 23.
The man had no criminal antecedents and was not directly linked to the case under investigation, according to the petition. The court initially summoned the station house officer of Ramdurg police station.