Cop in court and on duty at same time: UPSIC seeks report

Times of India‎‎‎‎‎‎: Lucknow: Saturday, April 09, 2016.

Can a person be present at two different places at the same time?

The answer may be obvious but the state information commission has had to seek the answer from the police department in Sambhal.

The person in question, constable Pramod Kumar (name changed), was posted in Sambhal and seems to have transcended time and space to be on duty and in the court of the judicial magistrate on the same day.

The UP State Information Commission (UPSIC) has asked the police department in Sambhal to investigate the matter and submit a report to the commission within a month.

It all began when the constable's family was accused of demanding dowry by Mahipal Singh. The marriage of Singh's sister was fixed with Kumar's brother-in-law Kuldeep. Singh had paid Rs 3 lakh to Kumar but Kuldeep wanted more money. As Singh was unable to pay more, Kuldeep called off the wedding. Singh then lodged an FIR against Kuldeep and five of his relatives including Kumar. The six of them were in judicial custody on April 19, 2014. They were granted bail and had signed on bail papers. However, according to Singh, Kumar continued to work as a police constable on that day. Being an accused under the Dowry Act, he should have been suspended from the job.

To prove that Kumar has been in judicial custody on April 19 and was given bail, Singh sought information through Right to Information (RTI) from Sambhal police on Kumar's whereabouts on the said day and demanded action against him but Sambhal police denied information to Singh.

When Singh complained to UPSIC, the commission issued a notice to the police department, which told the commission that the constable was on duty on that day. The proof submitted by Singh, however, shows that the constable and his five relatives were in judicial custody on that day.

Hence, the applicant has demanded inquiry in the matter. "There are two different sets of papers. Those provided by the police show the constable was on duty that day while the legal documents show he was in judicial custody," said information commissioner, UPSIC, Hafiz Usman.

Sambhal police have issued a show-cause to the constable based on the bail papers that show he was present in court that day. How he managed to show his presence in the police station is not known.