HC directs Chennai Police Commissioner to appear before it

The Madras High Court today directed Chennai Police Commissioner S George to appear before it on March 27 to avoid issuance of non-bailable warrant, saying a report over which it had summoned him had been filed without its knowledge.
However, the court later in the day dispensed with the personal appearance of the city police chief on March 22 in another case.
Justice S Vaidyanathan had on March 18 directed the Commissioner of Police (CoP) to appear before him today for not complying with the August 22 order seeking a status report on cases pending before the Central Crime Branch up to 2011.

When the matter came up for hearing today, the government lawyer sought to dispense with the personal appearance of the CoP, saying the report had been filed.
Justice Vaidyanathan refused to take note of the report, saying it was not there in the case bundle when he perused it on Friday last. However, the cause list for today showed that the report had been filed, he said.
Stating that there were 'blacksheep' within the court itself, the judge directed the registry to ascertain who inserted the report without his knowledge.

The government counsel also submitted that police had inadvertently filed the report before the first Additional Sessions Court without informing the CoP or the high court.

The CoP had no intention to violate court orders and that he had high regard for the judiciary, he said.
Rejecting the explanation as an 'afterthought' aimed at avoiding the appearance of the CoP, the Judge said "Such excuses are given for avoidance of the appearance."
He then ordered the CoP to appear in the court on March 27. "The Commissioner of Police, Chennai is directed to appear on March to avoid non-bailable warrant. Let him appear in court and offer his explanation... Nothing wrong... If he too says the police did not keep him informed (about filing of the report in another court), we will order appropriate action in that regard."

However, the First Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh and Justice R M T Teeka Raman later in the day dispensed with the personal appearance of the COP in another case on March 22.
Justice N Kirubakaran had last week directed the CoP to appear in the court on March 22 in a contempt petition for failure to provide protection to a petitioner as ordered by the court.