Gujarat Police Face High Court Contempt Action over Illegal Public Parading and Custodial Abuse
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Despite explicit Supreme Court rulings banning police from parading suspects in public or beating them in custody, the practice remains widespread across Gujarat, the High Court heard on Tuesday during proceedings in a contempt petition filed against state police officers.
The petition stems from a liquor case in which a minor boy, aged around 16 to 17 years, was arrested on 21 June and allegedly kept in illegal police custody for three days under Section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
Severe Custodial Violence and Illegal Detention
Presenting evidence before the division bench, counsel for the petitioner highlighted that detaining a minor for three days under preventive action provisions like Section 151 is unlawful. The petitioner, the minor's father, alleged that officers subjected his son to extreme physical abuse, leaving sharp injury marks across his body and committing atrocities during the unrecorded detention.
While state police argued that the allegations were baseless since the youth was subsequently granted bail, the court raised direct questions regarding the precise timeline of the arrest and the duration of custody. Counsel noted that the police had publicly paraded the boy through the streets before producing him in court, in direct violation of apex court guidelines governing arrest procedures and fundamental rights.
High Court Demands Complete Case Timeline
During the hearing, the respondent police personnel offered an unconditional apology to the bench. However, the petitioner argued that accepting mere apologies without strict accountability fails to deter repeated illegal actions, pointing out that public humiliation of suspects has become a routine tactic.
Demanding complete transparency, the Gujarat High Court ordered police officials to submit an exhaustive record detailing every step of the incident—from the initial apprehension to the minor's eventual release. The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on Thursday.
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