Gujarat police chief apologises to high court

GANDHINAGAR - Gujarat’s Director General of Police (DGP) S.S. Khandwawala Monday apologised to the Gujarat High Court for chargesheeting a woman whom the court had given a clean chit in an abduction case.

He tendered apology through the government pleader after Sunita Yadav, an assistant commandant with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), filed a contempt petition against him.

She alleged that she was illegally chargesheeted by him during his earlier assignment of additional director general of police (ADGP) in a case related to alleged abduction of a senior police official in 1996.

The DGP stated that he was “not aware” about the order absolving Yadav from the case at that point of time.

The alleged abduction took place in 1996 and Yadav was named as an accused by the victim.

However, in January 1997 the high court dismissed the complaint against Sunita following her petition that she had nothing to do in the case.

Later, an inquiry into the incident of abduction was handed over to Khandwawala while he was serving as an ADGP.

He submitted a chargesheet against seven people, including Sunita Yadav, against whom a complaint related to alleged abduction of a senior police officer was quashed by the high court.

The chargesheet was filed in the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Ahmedabad, Sep 9, 2008.

Terming this act of the DGP a clear contempt of high court, Yadav had moved a contempt petition against him.