Court orders probe into role of officials after accused walks free
A Delhi court has directed the Chief Wildlife Warden and Delhi Commissioner of Police to investigate the role of six wildlife officials on charges of “dereliction of duty” and “callousness” after an accused, who was arrested with two leopard skins, was acquitted.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ajay Garg initiated action after the accused, Lokpal, was acquitted by the court. The court accused wildlife officials of conducting a “botched up investigation.”
“I would like to place on record that the case is a classic example of a botched up investigation resulting in the waste of precious judicial time of the Court and all concerned,” the judge said in his order.
“In order to deprecate such a practice on the part of police officials as well as wildlife officials, I deem it appropriate to direct the Chief
Wildlife Warden concerned, as well the Commissioner of Police, to take appropriate action against members of the raiding team for dereliction of their duties and callous approach,” he added.
The court also directed that a copy of the order be sent to the Chief Wildlife Warden and the Commissioner of Police, Delhi.
The accused, Lokpal, had been arrested in March 2014 in a DDA Park located in Samaypur Badli, in north-west …read more
