Police yet to file FIR against Roy

“The DGP [director general of police] is not above the law.” It is with these words that the Supreme Court (SC) of India directed the Vakola police to register a first information report (FIR) against DGP (acting) A.N. Roy on November 16.

“The DGP [director general of police] is not above the law.”

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It is with these words that the Supreme Court (SC) of India directed the Vakola police to register a first information report (FIR) against DGP (acting) A.N. Roy on November 16.

But the police are yet to act on it. The SC had allowed for criminal proceedings against Roy for allegedly ordering the detention of activist Raj Awasti without checking authenticity of documents produced. Awasti had complained that Roy, then police commissioner, had ordered his detention on December 29, 2005 but arrested him five days later.

Awasti alleged that in October 2005 the police registered a case of assault and extortion against him and later issued an order under the Maharashtra Prevention of Slum Lords, Drug Offenders and Dangerous Person Act. Using the RTI Act Awasti found that some documents on the basis of which act the orders were issued never existed.

“The FIR has not yet been registered,” said Awasti who gave the police a copy of the order from the SC’s website. “The senior police inspector said he won’t file the FIR unless we submit a certified copy of the order.” Senior Police Inspector Anil Kharade said the allegations were ‘totally false’.