Delhi HC raps Rajasthan Police for picking up minors from capital sans intimation to local cops

New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) The Delhi Court on Tuesday pulled up Rajasthan Police for arresting two minors from the national capital without informing their parents or the local police.

The high court observed that they were relatives of a tribal man who was allegedly killed while in custody of Madhya Pradesh Police’s in April.

A bench of Justices Jyoti Singh and Anish Dayal questioned Rajasthan Police for flouting the law while hearing a plea of habeas corpus filed by the mother of one of the minors.

The woman claimed on September 26, her 15-year old son and her relative's 17-year old son were "illegally and forcibly" taken away by unknown persons in civilian clothes.

“Hamare jurisdiction se aap le kaise gaye? Aapko kanoon nahi pata? Aap le kaise gaye Delhi police ko inform kiye bina? Aapka maamla Supreme Court bheje? (How did you take them away from our jurisdiction? Don't you know the law? How did you take them away without informing the Delhi Police? Should we send your case to the Supreme Court?)” the court asked Rajasthan Police.

The remarks came after Pushkar police officer, appearing virtually, informed the court that a team of officials from his police station came to Delhi on September 25 and arrested the minors after conducting probe.

He, however, accepted that the local police was "not informed" before the officials' visit to Delhi or during investigation or before the arrests.

The woman, a street hawker who sells toys at the Dussehra Park near Bharti College, Janakpuri, Delhi, alleged that her relatives went to Janakpuri Police Station at around 9 pm, where they were asked to contact Hari Nagar Police Station, but even the whereabouts of the children remained a mystery.

Multiple attempts to lodge complaints of the missing persons at both the police stations were unsuccessful, after that they moved the high court, the petition said.

The high court on September 29 directed the the standing counsel for the GNCTD to file a status report and kept the matter on Tuesday.

The court perused the status report filed by the GNCTD which informed it about the arrests.

"Looking at the backdrop of the matter as also the sensitivity involved, considering that children arrested in the present case are relatives of Deva Pardhi, it is directed that the status report will be filed under the signatures of Vandita Rana, SP, Ajmer, Rajasthan. The status report will be filed during the course of the day," the bench said.

The court would resume the hearing on October 1.

On September 25, the Supreme Court while hearing a case over the alleged custodial deaths slammed the Madhya Pradesh government and the CBI for the delay in suspending absconding police officials accused and warned of contempt action.

The SC noted the police officials had been absconding since April and hadn't been suspended.

The top court is hearing a contempt plea of the mother of the 24-year-old victim alleging non-compliance of the top court's May 15 order, transferring the investigation from Madhya Pradesh Police to the CBI. PTI UK UK AMK AMK