Upset over the behaviour of bureaucracy (especially of police officers), Chief Justice of India NV Ramana stated that he had thought of creating a panel to examine complaints against bureaucrats and police officers who willingly become the tools in the hands of regimes to carry out illegal orders from their political masters.
“I have lot of reservations at the way, how bureaucracy particularly, how police officers are behaving in this country. I was at one time thinking of creating a standing committee to examine atrocities and complaints against bureaucrats, particularly police officers, headed by the Chief Justice of the high court. I want to reserve that. Don’t want to do now,” CJI said.
ADG Gurjinder Pal Singh Case
The observations were made while the three-judge top court bench was hearing a plea by suspended Additional Director General of Police of Chhattisgarh Gurjinder Pal Singh seeking protection against arrest. He was booked in several criminal cases including extortion, sedition, and owning disproportionate assets.
The three-judge bench comprised of CJI NV Ramana, Justice Hima Koli, and Justice Surya Kant.
Falsely Implicated
Gurjinder Pal Singh alleged that he was called late in the night at CM Bhupesh Baghel’s residence. He was allegedly pressured to implicate former CM Raman Singh in the PDS Scam. “When he refused to abide by the illegal order, he was implicated in case after case,” submitted senior advocates Fali S Nariman and Vikas Singh.
During the September 27 hearing, Gurjinder’s counsel submitted that they are not able to get protection in any case and mentioned that things take a wrong turn when people start extracting money, as they were close to the government.
“Have To Pay Back One Day”
CJI replied with scathing remarks, “When you’re good with 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.”
“State of affairs in the country is sad. When a political party is in power, police officials side with it…. then, when a new party comes into power, the government initiates action against those officials. This is a new trend, which needs to be stopped,” he added.
Talking in context to the extortion allegations against ADG Singh, CJI remarked, “You have started extracting money because you are close with the government, this is what happens if you’re close with government and do these type of things, you have to pay back one day, that is exactly what is happening.”
