₹1.01-crore extortion case: Investigating officer put on notice for contempt of court
The investigation officer did not follow court’s November 27 order to get dismissed SI Naveen Phogat medically examined at GMCH-32, accused’s counsel alleged
A local court has put the investigating officer (IO) on notice after a contempt petition was filed by dismissed Chandigarh Police sub-inspector (SI) Naveen Phogat, an accused in the ₹1.01 crore extortion case.
The plea submitted that the IO did not follow the court’s November 27 order to get his medical examination done from a medical board at GMCH, Sector 32.
Posted as additional station house officer (SHO) at the Sector 39 police station before his dismissal, Phogat is accused of kidnapping a Bathinda-based businessman, Sanjay Goyal, and extorting ₹1.01 crore from him by threatening to kill him in August this year.
After remaining on the run for three months, Phogat surrendered before court on November 24. Following his arrest, the medical report reflected no fresh wound or injury.
He was sent to three-day police remand, which ended on November 27, when the police sought three more days to question him. However, his counsel objected stating that Phogat had been tortured in custody.
On his plea, a medical examination from GMSH, Sector 16, was conducted the same day, which confirmed four injuries. Following this, the court of duty magistrate had denied police’s request for further remand, while also directing GMCH, Sector 32, to constitute another medical board for conducting the complete medical examination of Phogat and submit a report on or before November 28 before the ilaqa magistrate.
On Saturday, Phogat filed a contempt petition for “gross violations as well as deliberate disobedience of the order passed by the court of duty magistrate”.
Phogat’s counsel Mandeep Kumar mentioned: “The IO did not conduct medical examination of the accused/petitioner till date and in order to escape from his liability, he left him at Model Jail, Chandigarh.”
“The IO has not conducted medical examination only to hide the truth so that the injuries of the petitioner cannot come out before the court. The petitioner is still facing medical problems and as such necessary action be taken against the IO of the case,” the plea added.
The case is now listed for December 4.
