High court raps cops for inaction in kidnapping case

The Bombay High Court on Monday criticised the police following a petition filed by Firoz Tinwala, a Nagpada resident, who was allegedly kidnapped and threatened at the behest of an inspector to deter him from continuing with criminal prosecution against the police officer in an anti-corruption case.

The Bombay High Court on Monday criticised the police following a petition filed by Firoz Tinwala, a Nagpada resident, who was allegedly kidnapped and threatened at the behest of an inspector to deter him from continuing with criminal prosecution against the police officer in an anti-corruption case.

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“If a man comes and tells you that he was kidnapped, then shouldn’t you take action?” asked the division bench of Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice Mridula Bhatkar.

The court then ordered Dongri police to take action on the complaint lodged. The court has also asked the police commissioner to consider his application for providing him with police protection due to the threat to his life.

The petition states, in June 2005 Tinwala had lodged a complaint with the Anti Corruption Bureau against two officers, inspector Sahebrao Survade and sub-inspector Uttam Jagtap who were then attached to RAK Marg police station. Both of them were arrested on his complaint and are being prosecuted in a designated court in the city.

On February 5 two unknown people accosted Tinwala and forcibly entered his car. The duo had threatened him with dire consequences if he failed to turn hostile in the case against Survade.

His lawyer told the court that Tinwala had immediately moved the court, which suggested him to approach the police and lodge a complaint. He then approached the Dongri police from where he was directed to the joint commissioner of police (Law and Order).

However, till date neither the police station nor the Joint CP has taken any action on his complaint. This made him approach the high court. The matter would now come up for hearing after a week.