Jharkhand High Court seizes senior cops' phones over illegal detention of student
The Jharkhand High Court acted on a habeas corpus plea by the boy's mother, who alleged her Class 10 son was picked up on January 26 and illegally kept in police custody for nearly 10 days without being produced before a court.
The Jharkhand High Court came down heavily on the police after allegations surfaced that a Class 10 student was illegally detained for 10 days in Chatra district. The court confiscated the mobile phones of three senior officers and made them remain in the court premises for hours during the hearing.
The action followed a habeas corpus petition filed by the student's mother, who alleged that her son was picked up by police on the night of January 26 and kept in custody without legal sanction. The matter was heard by a division bench of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice AK Rai.
During the proceedings, the bench questioned the Chatra DSP, the officer-in-charge of Tandwa police station, and the officer-in-charge of Lawalaung police station on whether the student's detention had been formally recorded in the case diary. When the officers failed to give a satisfactory reply, the court directed them to sit in the courtroom and ordered seizure of their mobile phones.
The bench asked why the boy, allegedly taken for questioning, was not released immediately and on what grounds he was kept in custody for nearly 10 days. It also sought clarification on whether the detention was reflected in the registered case file.
The court was informed that the student had first been picked up by Lawalaung police and later handed over to Tandwa police. The DSP claimed the details were entered in the station diary. On the court's directions, Chatra Superintendent of Police appeared via video conferencing and read out the relevant portions of the case diary.
After the SP placed the full record before the bench, the court noted the entries and moderated its stand. It, however, directed the investigating officer to formally produce the case diary and fixed February 13 as the next date of hearing. The three officers have been ordered to remain personally present on that day as well.
Following the hearing, the confiscated mobile phones were returned to the officers.
High Court advocate Dheeraj Kumar said the matter will be taken up for detailed hearing on February 13, when the legality of the student's detention and the police conduct will be examined further.