The Karnataka High Court has come down heavily on a woman Sub-Inspector accused of assaulting a lawyer inside a police station, dismissing her plea to quash an FIR and imposing a penalty of Rs 1 lakh for allegedly concealing crucial facts from the court.
The Karnataka High Court has come down heavily on a woman Sub-Inspector accused of assaulting a lawyer inside a police station, dismissing her plea to quash an FIR and imposing a penalty of Rs 1 lakh for allegedly concealing crucial facts from the court. Justice M. Nagaprasanna held that the police officer had abused the judicial process by seeking relief from a vacation bench without revealing an earlier High Court directive that had already ordered the registration of an FIR against her.
The court observed that suppressing material facts while seeking equitable relief strikes at the heart of the justice system and warranted exemplary costs.
A separate petition was filed by a woman advocate who had sought to quash an FIR registered against her over alleged unruly behaviour inside a police station following a road rage dispute.
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While hearing that matter on April 17, 2026, the High Court examined CCTV footage from the police station and found visuals showing the Sub-Inspector repeatedly kicking the advocate. Disturbed by the footage, the court directed that a criminal case be registered against the officer as well, noting that the alleged misconduct could not be dealt with through a mere departmental inquiry.
However, despite the existence of that order, the Sub-Inspector later approached the High Court's vacation bench on May 21, 2026, seeking protection from the investigation. She succeeded in obtaining an interim stay, but failed to disclose the earlier judicial direction mandating the registration of an FIR against her.
Once this omission came to light, the court took a stern view of the matter. It underscored that any litigant approaching the court must do so with clean hands and place all relevant facts before the bench.
Rejecting the officer's petition, the High Court vacated the interim protection granted earlier and cleared the way for the investigation to continue. The court further directed her to deposit Rs 1 lakh with the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KLSA) within eight weeks.
Emphasising the seriousness of the allegations, the court noted that claims of assault by a police official against a practising lawyer could not be brushed aside and deserved a thorough and impartial investigation.
