Bombay High Court Stays Order Against Cops in Extortion Case

The Bombay High Court has stayed an order requiring Mumbai's top cop and a deputy commissioner to pay Rs 10 lakh to a jeweller, Nishant Jain. Jain accused four policemen of extortion, but the court ruled that the commission's order was passed without giving the officers a chance to present their case.

The Bombay High Court has suspended an earlier directive by the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission requiring top Mumbai police officials to compensate a jeweller, who alleged extortion by police personnel. The court's decision came after Mumbai police chief Vivek Phansalkar and Deputy Commissioner Pravin Mundhe contested the order, questioning the due process followed in the case.

The controversy began when jeweller Nishant Jain accused four officers from the Azad Maidan police station of demanding Rs 50,000 under the threat of implicating him in a false case. Jain claims he was coerced into paying Rs 25,000 before being released. The MSHRC had directed police to pay Rs 10 lakh in compensation, citing human rights violations.

However, subsequent police inquiries suggested the incident involved illegal gratification rather than extortion. Phansalkar and Mundhe argued in court that the commission's judgment was made without a proper hearing and did not adequately assess the absence of evidence indicating a violation of Jain's rights. The High Court will reevaluate the case in the next hearing.

(With inputs from agencies.)