The Gujarat High Court on July 1 rebuked the police for their shoddy investigation into the abduction of Atul Prajapati, a fruit vendor from Ahmedabad’s Paldi.

The court was hearing a plea filed against Ravindra Patel, the then SP of Patan, in connection with the alleged abduction and subsequent dramatic release of Prajapati from the Paldi area.

Justice Nirzar Desai of Gujarat HC expressed serious displeasure over the investigation carried out by the police so far. The court asked the government to clarify its stand on whether a prima facie case is made against the police officer or not.

The court also questioned the government for its double standards and said, “You move swiftly in other cases but take time in this case”.

It directed the Police Commissioner of Ahmedabad, G S Malik to submit a detailed report along with an affidavit by this evening (July 2). The affidavit must explicitly address whether there is any leniency shown towards the accused Officer Patel by the police due to his position.

The HC also came down heavily on the government when the latter asked for more time to investigate, and ordered to file a chargesheet within a week.

The next hearing on the case will be held on July 4.

A writ petition was filed concerning the abduction of a fruit trader and offline stock market businessman. It alleges that four unidentified individuals abducted him in a car, reportedly under the orders of Ravindra Patel, the police chief of Patan district.

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