Delhi court orders FIR against trainee IPS officer for assault

A Delhi court has directed the registration of a criminal case against a 2023-batch trainee Indian Police Service (IPS) officer for allegedly assaulting a man with a glass bottle during an event in Kapashera in December 2024. The accused, identified as Rahul Balhara, is currently posted in Tripura.

In an order passed on May 3, judicial magistrate first class Nidhish Kumar Meena of the Dwarka court instructed the station house officer of Kapashera police station to lodge an FIR against Balhara and others, including Ashwini Balhara, Vivek Chaudhary, and Kallu. The court asked police to file the FIR and submit a compliance report within two days, which they did on Monday.

The complainant, Vikas Dhayal, a civil service exams coach from Rajendra Nagar, had moved the court seeking registration of a case, alleging that Balhara and his associates assaulted him during a ceremony on December 6, 2024. A verbal altercation between one of Dhayal’s friends and Balhara reportedly escalated, following which Balhara allegedly smashed a glass bottle on Dhayal’s head, according to the complaint.

Dhayal sustained multiple head injuries and was treated at a hospital in Gurugram. In his application, he alleged that police initially refused to register an FIR due to Balhara’s IPS status and only filed a non-cognisable report after he released CCTV footage online. Dhayal was represented by advocate Anshul Kumar.

The court stated, “At this stage, I am of the considered view that prima facie cognisable offences have been committed by the alleged accused persons... The injury has been caused on the vital part of the body, i.e., the head, and the interest of justice demands that a thorough investigation be conducted.”