High Court fracas: No progress in case related to violation of Section 144

The inquiry into the case registered by the Chandigarh Police against a mob of advocates of Punjab and Haryana High Court for violating Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure has come to a standstill. The UT Police seems to have "forgotten" the case which was registered soon after the advocates had broken the barricades near the Raj Bhawan on March 5.

In the video recording of March 5, the faces of those violating the Section 144 are amply clear. Still, the case was registered against the entire mob. Moreover, it has been five days since the FIR was registered and nothing has been done so far. The police top brass is also mum on the FIR which was registered by the police in a knee-jerk reaction to the ruckus created by the advocates near the Raj Bhawan.

Sources in the police department say that nothing is being done in the case while senior officials claim to have been waiting for the "right time" to proceed in the case. "Since the first FIR which formed the basis of the second FIR has been quashed by the HC, we are just waiting for the right time and instructions from the administration to proceed. The FIR, however, is likely to be withdrawn," says an police officer on condition of anonymity.

However, another senior police officer says, "The case can only be withdrawn by the administration as it is an administrative issue. If that is not done, the police are bound to investigate. There can be a possibility that the police may term the case untraceable if the persons are not identified."

The first FIR was registered after UT Police head constable Ramesh Chand had stopped the former additional advocate general (AAG) of Punjab, Rupinder Khosla, from entering the court premises without the necessary smart card. Following this, a group of 19 advocates had allegedly beaten up the head constable and even ransacked the security room of the court.

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