Caption: Punjab-Haryana High Court (file photo)
Dayanand Sharma, Chandigarh. In the famous 18 years old Manoj-Babli honor killing case, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has upheld the dismissal of the Haryana Police constable, who was accused of giving the location of the couple to the accused while being present in the security.
The bench of Justice Jagmohan Bansal, while rejecting the petition of constable Jai Inder, said that no legal error or irregularity was found in the departmental investigation and punishment, hence there is no basis for the court's interference.
The court said in its order that it is clear from the records that the petitioner was part of the police team responsible for the security of Manoj and Babli and he had complete knowledge of the couple's location.
Despite this, he passed this information to the accused Gurdev Singh, who later murdered the couple. The court termed the act as “condemnable and extremely objectionable” and said that such conduct is completely contrary to the responsibilities of the police service.
The case dates back to 2007, when 23-year-old Manoj and 19-year-old Babli, residents of Kaithal district, got married against the wishes of their families. Due to marriage within the same Gotra, opposition from families and local people had increased.
The couple was given police protection for security reasons, but they were murdered on 15 June 2007. During the investigation, it came to light that after examining the call detail records of some police personnel deployed for the security of the couple, indications of contact with the accused were found.
The court was told that after a departmental inquiry, constable Jai Inder was found guilty and dismissed from service on April 29, 2008. Later on appeal, the Inspector General of Police reinstated him, but the Director General of Police issued a dissent note and reimposed the dismissal order on 11 August 2009. After this, the Home Department also rejected his appeal on July 2, 2013.
What argument did the state give?
On behalf of the state, it was said in the court that after convicting the concerned accused Gurdev Singh, the trial court had earlier given death sentence, which was later changed to life imprisonment. The State argued that location leaking by the petitioner was a serious offense and dismissal from service was an entirely appropriate punishment.
After hearing the arguments of both the parties, the High Court accepted that the petitioner was given full opportunity to present his case and the departmental inquiry was conducted in a fair manner. Therefore, there is no reason to interfere with the order passed. The court clarified that considering the circumstances, the decision of dismissal is fair and just and the petition is dismissed.
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