Highlights:
- Chief Justice of India said “such cops should be jailed” in the IPS officer facing Extortion case
- CJI, however, also granted interim protection from arrest to the suspended IPS officer in the case
- The Supreme Court had granted similar protection from arrest to the officer twice earlier.
On Monday, the Supreme Court of India said that the police officers who cosy up with the government of the day and make money illegally inevitably face payback time when there is a change in guard.
The Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said that such cops must not be protected but must be jailed, though he did grant interim protection from arrest to the official facing extortion charges.
The court of CJI was hearing the plea of the suspended IPS officer Gurjinder Pal Singh against the arrest in a case of disproportionate assets and sedition filed by the Chhattisgarh government.
This is the third such date in which Mr Singh has sought the Supreme Court’s protection. The court had granted him interim protection in the two earlier ones already.
The Chief Justice said, “You can’t take protection in every case. You started extracting money because you are close with the government.
“This is what happens if you’re close with the government and do these things. You have to pay back one day.
“When you’re good with the government, you may extract. Then you’ve to pay back with interest…This is too much. Why should we grant protection to such officers? This is a new trend in the country.”
The Counsel representing Mr Singh pleaded that the officers like him need protection. The court, however, shot back saying “No, they’ve to go to jail.”
Yet, Chief Justice Ramana granted Mr Singh interim protection and issued a notice to the Chhattisgarh government.
In the last hearing which took place on the 26th of August, the Supreme Court had granted protection from arrest to the suspended officer in another connected case. The court then expressed concern over the “emerging trend” of police officers facing sedition charges following a change of guard in the state government.
The Chief Justice of India had said that as long as a police officer sides with the party in power, things go smoothly, once a new party comes to power, sedition and other charges are slapped on the same officer.
The sedition case was filed against the IPS Officer based on a written complaint which was filed by the state Anti-Corruption Bureau following preliminary findings that he had amassed disproportionate assets.
The anti-graft body reportedly seized documents from Mr Singh that suggested his involvement in a conspiracy against the government.
The next hearing of this case is on 1st October.
