The Madhya Pradesh High Court criticized the Rajasthan Police for their failure to produce three Congress IT cell workers detained in Bhopal and later taken to Rajasthan. This reprimand came during a hearing of a habeas corpus petition filed by the families of the detained workers. The court expressed strong displeasure over the police’s non-compliance with earlier directives.
A Division Bench, led by Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf, rejected the police’s explanation of “miscommunication” and labeled the lapse as “unacceptable.” The court granted a final two-day opportunity for the accused individuals – Nikhil, Bilal, and Inam – to be presented before it on April 29 without fail. Additionally, the court instructed the police to provide all documents related to the arrests, including CCTV footage and a detailed account of the events.
The case stemmed from a fake letter that circulated on social media in the name of senior BJP leader Vasundhara Raje, raising concerns about women’s reservation and the delimitation exercise. After the letter was debunked as fake, the Rajasthan Police, with assistance from the Madhya Pradesh Police, detained the three Congress workers in Bhopal and transferred them to Rajasthan for further investigation. Senior Congress leaders, including advocate Vivek Tankha and state unit chief Jitu Patwari, questioned the legality of the police action.
Family members of the detained workers alleged that due process was not followed, claiming that the workers were unlawfully held in custody for over 27 hours without valid grounds. They raised concerns about the timing of the police response and the lack of adherence to stipulated procedures, leading them to seek intervention from the High Court.
