SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has sentenced a former Assistant Commissioner of Police to one month’s simple imprisonment for violating court orders by arresting an accused in a dowry death case despite interim protection granted to him.
Justice K Sujana passed the order on Friday, September 18, while hearing contempt proceedings against LB Nagar ACP A Krishnaiah and Sub-Inspector V Maraiah, Times of India reported.
The ACP was found guilty of willfully disobeying court orders, while proceedings against the SI were dropped after the court found that he had no role in the arrest.
On the request of public prosecutor Palle Nageshwar Rao, the judge suspended the operation of the order for four weeks, to enable the officer to file an appeal.
The contempt proceedings arose from a case filed at Saroornagar Police Station against businessman Katta Vamsi Krishna in April following his wife’s death due to alleged dowry harassment.
The High Court had granted Vamsi interim protection, directing the police not to arrest him. The order was extended twice, the last time being on April 27. Despite this, Vamsi was arrested on April 28 while he was undergoing treatment at a hospital and was produced before a magistrate for remand.
He was released after the High Court’s orders were presented before the magistrate.
Vamsi then filed a petition in the High Court alleging constant harassment from the police, including pressuring doctors for an early discharge. He alleged that the police ignored warnings from his lawyer about the High Court order and falsely showed him as ‘absconding’ in case records.
Defending the ACP, the public prosecutor submitted that Krishnaiah was unaware that the interim order had been extended and acted in view of the seriousness of the offence. He also submitted an unconditional apology before the court.
The judge rejected the explanation and the apology, saying it was the officer’s responsibility to check whether the order had been extended.
SOURCE : SIASAT
