A civil contempt petition has been filed in the Uttarakhand High Court, stating that the order of 2024 of the court has not been complied with a year to change the revenue police with regular police in the hilly areas, it has not been complied with.
The court has asked the state to direct compliance.
The petition, filed by Haldwani -based Amit Kholi and was represented by advocate Dushyat Menli, argues that the state government is not able to establish regular civil police stations in rural parts of the state, in its decision of May 21, 2024, the Revenue Police instead within the time given by the High Court.
An earlier PIL had sought directions to implement the 2018 order of the High Court, which also settled to establish regular civil police stations in all rural areas of Uttarakhand and to abolish the revenue police within six months of order. The court order came under the backdrop of a woman’s alleged murder for dowry in 2011, which comes under the revenue police system, which is in a village in Tehri Garhwal district.
In 2024, when the PIL was filed, the state sought another year for the same, which the court gave.
Menli argued that the state had failed to fulfill the orders despite the completion of one year, indicating a civil contempt petition against the IGS of Home Secretary, DGP and Kumaon and Garhwal Divisions.
The revenue police system is more than a century old in many parts of the state. Under the system, civil officers of the revenue department have regular police powers and functions. Whenever there is a crime, the revenue police of the area file an FIR, investigate the case, arrest the accused and also file a charge sheet in the local court.
The story continues below this advertisement
In September 2022, the issue was noted that after delay in registration of an FIR by Revenue Police in Ankita Bhandari murder case. The 19 -year -old, the night, was working in a resort owned by a former son of a BJP leader, the accused was informed by the accused about the disappearance of the local Patwari (as is under the area revenue police jurisdiction), but no case was registered. Patwari did not inform anyone about the case and went on leave, and after the case came to light, the matter was transferred to the regular police, four days after the incident. He was suspended and later arrested by the Special Investigation Team.
The incident expressed concern about the revenue police system in the state, and the Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri wrote to the Chief Minister, demanded a replacement of revenue police with regular police.
In October 2022, less than a month later Bhandari murderedThe state government took a cabinet decision to abolish the revenue police system and replace it with regular civil police.
The current petition also claimed that the petitioner sent a representation on 26 May, reminding the respondents about their assurance to follow the court order and was given a copy of the decision, “but the instructions issued by this honorable court have not been complied with,” the petition said.
District (T) Kumaon and Garhwal Division (T) Indian Express
