Updated on Feb 11, at 4 p.m.

Junagadh Range DIG Nilesh Jajdia presented the progress report to the High Court and informed that, the police has filed a summary report in the lower court for the offense under section 306, while the action has been taken in the lower court as non-cognizable offense under section 323 and 114 is applicable.

However, Justice Sameer Dave expressed strong displeasure with the police investigation report and ordered reviving the original writ petition seeking judicial investigation of the police driver’s son.

Updated on Feb 4, at 3.44 p.m.

Justice Samir Dave of the Gujarat High Court reprimanded Junagadh range deputy inspector general (DIG), Junagadh deputy superintendent of police (DySP), and Porbandar DySP in a hearing of a police driver’s suspicious death case in Junagadh.

Justice Dave questioned the officers for carrying out no substantial probe into this matter.

The range DIG was questioned over how the investigation in this case was transferred without HC’s permission or an intimation.

The HC questioned that if it was affirmed over an unbiased investigation in the past, then how can the probe be handed over all of a sudden?

Justice Dave expressed serious displeasure over this case and reprimanded Junagadh DIG, saying, “Is this a joke? What are you doing..? What are you doing as a DIG..? Isn’t it your duty.? Police officers are involved in this case so are you trying to save them..? Your service book will get spoiled..the way the police department is behaving...You are telling me the accused is a woman and a DySP? Have you seen the photographs? The dead person is the driver of your own department”

He further added, “If the High Court feels so, it will hand over the investigation of the entire case to you. In the FIR, you are writing the accused number two (accused PSI Praveen Narendrakumar Khachar saheb) as sir (saheb)... you write the accused as sir in the FIR...??”

All the officers were directed to present the detailed progress in the investigation, right from the date of filing the FIR (Aug 12, 2023) to date.

The DIG presented a defence, stating that lie detection tests have been conducted on the associated persons in this case.

However, the HC directed the DIG to present a list of lie detection tests conducted in a year in the three districts under his jurisdiction in an affidavit.

Junagadh range DIG has again been directed to remain present with these details in this case on Feb 9.

Updated on Jan 21, on 5.53 p.m.

In a year-old case of the mysterious death of a police driver, the Gujarat High Court came down on Junagadh police for transferring the investigation without permission and summoned the range director general of police (DIG).

Justice Samir Dave on Jan 20 rebuked the police department upon knowing that the investigation into the death of police driver Brijesh Lavadiya was transferred from deputy superintendent of police (DySP) from Porbandar to DySP of Junagadh.

Due to allegations against Jumagadh DySP in the case, on Aug 18, 2023, the HC ordered the probe into the death of the driver to be handled by DySP of Porbandar and supervised by the superintendent of police of Porbandar.

However, the investigation of the case was again handed over to the DySP of Junagadh on Sept 15, 2023.

On this, Justice Dave said, “The investigation was transferred within a month; why? Is there no other DySP in Porbandar? Why didn’t they (authorities) inform the court before transferring the investigation?”

A government lawyer defended the actions by submitting that the investigation was transferred following routine transfers of the officers concerned.

The Gujarat HC summoned the range DIG on Feb 2 and commented that his career record would be spoiled by this.

“If you’re on a high post, that doesn’t mean you’re above the law and the court,” said the annoyed Justice Dave.

Justice Dave also said that he can issue ‘contempt of court’ in seconds.

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