The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition seeking initiation of a criminal contempt proceedings against police officials who allegedly assaulted Dr Dinesh K. Pradhan, District Judge of Aurangabad, Bihar.
The bench of Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and Aniruddha Bose refused to entertain the plea filed by lawyer Vishal Tiwari, saying the petition was not supported by official record.
Earlier, the bench of Justice Khanwilkar and Justice Ajay Rastogi, while hearing the plea, had asked petitioner advocate Vishal Tiwari to amend his petition to include the name of the officer against whom the allegation has been made.
The petition filed by Vishal Tiwari also sought action against other senior police officials, including the Director General of Police, Bihar and Superintendent of Police, Aurangabad for their alleged inaction.
The plea further sought lodging of FIR in the matter against the erring police officials and direction to all state governments to ensure and take safety and security measures for the judicial officers of the subordinate judiciary in their respective states.
The matter relates to an incident in Aurangabad where a District Judge was threatened and chased by a police sub-inspector and other police personnel when he was on an evening walk in September 2020.
The petitioner has submitted: “Attack and assault upon the judges and magistrates by police not only lowers the dignity of judiciary but it also leaves the impression in the minds of the public that when the judicial officers are not safe from police atrocities then what safety public will expect.”
“The judges of the subordinate judiciary are the vital part of our judicial system. Assault upon them with the feeling of grudge is the assault upon the dignity and supremacy of the judiciary of this country which cannot be tolerated and requires strict punishment against the erring police officials under the contempt law,” said the petition.
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