The Gujarat High Court on Thursday sent four policemen to 14 days of simple imprisonment in connection with contempt of court linked to the flogging of minority community members in Kheda district in 2022. A division bench of Justices AS Supehia and Gita Gopi held the four policemen, including an inspector, guilty of contempt of court and ordered them the jail term of 14 days. These four police personnel are Inspector AV Parmar, sub-inspector DB Kumavat, head constable KL Dabhi and Constable RR Dabhi.
Gujarat HC framed charges against cops
The chargesheet was filed against them after they were identified and their involvement was detailed in a report prepared by Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Kheda following an investigation into the matter. During the hearing, Advocate Prakash Jani, representing the policemen, urged the court to be lenient in light of the officers' service record. He requested the court to merely issue a fine, provide them with the necessary instructions, and keep the case open to see if they followed the court's orders instead of sending them to jail.
However, the complainants' lawyer IH Syed opposed it saying "if such an act is pardoned by way of compensation, fine or apology, it will lower the dignity of the court. It will also set the wrong precedent because it will encourage other policemen to do such thing".
The bench rejected Jani's idea of keeping the matter pending saying the policemen had "committed an inhuman act" by "tying the people in their custody with a pole and then flogged them in full public view of the villagers".
What was the case?
The five persons, who were allegedly flogged by the policemen, had also refused to accept monetary compensation from four policemen who were found guilty of contempt of court for the act.
During the Navratri festival celebrated in October last year, a mob comprising members of the Muslim community allegedly hurled stones at a garba event at Undhela village in Kheda district, injuring some villagers and police personnel.
Videos purportedly showing police personnel publicly flogging three of the 13 arrested accused went viral on social media. Later, five accused, including the main complainant Jahirmiya Malek, had approached the HC claiming the police personnel involved in the act had committed contempt of court by flouting the Supreme Court's directions on making arrests.
(With PTI inputs)
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