Three Mumbai police officials have been hauled up for faulty investigation into an FIR lodged by TV actor Smriti Irani, leading to Rekkha Modi, the script-writer of the serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, being harassed.
The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission has indicted three police officers including two of the Oshiwara police station and the area ACP.
In her FIR filed on March 15 last year, Irani had complained against an anonymous person allegedly making threatening calls to her. The police then picked up Modi (on March 24) as an accused and allegedly "beat her up brutally" to get her to confess. The commission's member M R Patil has held that the three police officials acted in a 'doubtful' manner and with "malafide intention''.
The commission has asked the state government and the Mumbai police to hold a departmental inquiry against the three officers. The most severe rebuke was reserved for assistant police inspector Vasant Pingale. The other two being senior police inspector Manikrao Mate and assistant commissioner of policeV Valanje. The commission has ordered the government pay Rs. 20,000 to Modi, and recover this from the salary of Pingale for "his violation of her human rights''.
Reacting to the order, Modi's counsel Y P Singh, a former IPS officer, said, "We want Smriti Irani and Police Commissioner AN Roy to own up moral responsibility and offer apologies for the way the police treated Rekkha Modi". He also said according to the Protection of Human Rights, 1993, the commission enjoys the powers of a civil court and its order/recommendations are mandatory, "the police can either comply or file writ petition in the high court to challenge it".
{{/usCountry}}Reacting to the order, Modi's counsel Y P Singh, a former IPS officer, said, "We want Smriti Irani and Police Commissioner AN Roy to own up moral responsibility and offer apologies for the way the police treated Rekkha Modi". He also said according to the Protection of Human Rights, 1993, the commission enjoys the powers of a civil court and its order/recommendations are mandatory, "the police can either comply or file writ petition in the high court to challenge it".
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