Gujarat HC charges 5 cops with contempt of court for beating & parading an accused in custody

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court has formally charged five policemen for contempt of court due to their involvement in beating an accused individual in custody and parading him in public in Rajkot back in 2016.

The court rejected the policemen’s unconditional apology and cited their violation of the Supreme Court’s guidelines outlined in the D K Basu and Arnesh Kumar judgments, which provide instructions on how to treat individuals in custody.

The accused, Ajay Kumbharwadiya, was subjected to brutal beatings within the Pradyumnanagar police station and was then paraded and beaten in full view of the public. The officers involved also allegedly extended his custody beyond the permissible 24-hour limit. B T Gohil, M J Dhandhal, V S Lamba, Jaybha Parmar, and Pradumansinh Zala are the five officers involved in the case.

The bench of Justice A S Supehia and Justice M R Mengdey scheduled next hearing on  July 13. The court also directed the state government not to take any departmental action against the charged policemen until the contempt charges are resolved. DeshGujarat