Delhi HC disposes of plea after police assure complaint receipt

Delhi HC disposed of a plea alleging police refused to acknowledge a complaint on excessive force during a protest. Delhi Police cited a technical fault and assured the court the acknowledgement with a DD number would be issued later in the day.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday disposed of a writ petition alleging that Parliament Street Police Station had refused to acknowledge receipt of a complaint seeking registration of an FIR over the alleged use of excessive force during the July 20 CJP protest, after the Delhi Police assured the Court that the acknowledgement along with the Daily Diary (DD) number would be issued to the petitioner later in the day. The matter was heard by Justice Prateek Jalan.

Appearing for the Delhi Police, Central Government Standing Counsel Ashish Dixit submitted that the petitioner's complaint dated July 23 could not be acknowledged due to a temporary technical fault. He informed the Court that the acknowledgement along with the DD number would be issued during the day and that the petitioner could collect it from Parliament Street Police Station after 5 pm. Recording the submission, the High Court disposed of the petition.

Details of the Petition

The petition, filed by Anand Legal Aid Forum Trust, had alleged that officials at Parliament Street Police Station refused to acknowledge receipt of a written complaint dated July 23 alleging commission of cognizable offences in connection with the alleged use of excessive force by Delhi Police during the July 20 protest march from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament.

According to the petitioner, despite waiting at the police station and making complaints through the Delhi Police helpline and to the SHO, no stamped acknowledgement bearing the Daily Diary (DD) number was issued. The plea had sought directions to the Delhi Police to mandatorily issue stamped acknowledgements with DD numbers on written complaints disclosing cognizable offences. It also sought directions to the authorities to frame a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and Citizen Charter requiring all police stations in Delhi to provide such acknowledgements irrespective of whether an FIR is immediately registered or the matter is marked for preliminary inquiry. The petition relied on Supreme Court judgments, including Lalita Kumari v. Government of Uttar Pradesh, to contend that the police are duty-bound to act on information disclosing a cognizable offence and that refusal to acknowledge such complaints undermines citizens' access to the criminal justice system.

Plea Seeks FIR Against Senior Officials

The petition also sought directions for registration of an FIR on its complaint against senior Delhi Police officials, including the Commissioner of Police, Joint Commissioner of Police, an Additional DCP, the SHO concerned, and other police, RAF and CRPF personnel, over the alleged use of excessive force during the July 20 protest march from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament. The petitioner alleged that the officials were liable for offences including attempt to murder, use of pellet guns, illegal lathi-charge, assault with iron rods, use of electric shocks through police batons and barricades, and other offences against peaceful protesters. (ANI)

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