HC slams police for ‘protecting’ their own

100 cops were caught on camera taking bribes; probe officer summoned.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday slammed the Delhi Police for “shielding” more than 100 policemen caught on camera accepting bribe from Blueline drivers and bootleggers, and decided to monitor the investigations.

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A bench of acting Chief Justice AK Sikri and Justice RS Endlaw was furious after realising that the probe had not moved forward even one-and-a-half years after the police, CVC and the ministry of home affairs were asked to conduct an inquiry.

The court has summoned the investigating officer in the case on February 15 with all the original records.

Chetan Prakash, a 37-year-old west Delhi property dealer, had in the last four years filmed more than a hundred persons; largely Delhi Police personnel, traffic police, MCD and officials from the SDM’s office in the act of harassing people and accepting bribes. He had submitted the CDs to the court, which ordered a prompt inquiry.

The court was all the more angry after Prakash’s lawyer Manish Khanna said that instead of acting against the corrupt policemen, the police were trying to harass Prakash and some witnesses.

Court told Najmi Waziri, standing counsel for the Delhi Police, “Your status report says that the matter is still under examination. On the other hand, there is also an attempt to persecute the petitioner and some witnesses. We are getting an impression that the investigating police are shielding their own men. The investigating officer should show more diligence and make serious efforts.”

“You have said in the status report that out of the 54 identified, 36 are policemen. Why then is no action being taken? We are left with no option but to monitor the progress of investigations,” Justice Sikri told Waziri.

The court order came on a petition filed by Prakash accusing the Delhi Police of not acting against the corrupt cops.