HC directs police to issue notice to trainee IPS officer

The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the police to issue a notice to a trainee IPS officer, facing a wife harassment charge, to appear before the force for further investigation.

The woman belongs to the Scheduled Caste community.

The court directed the police to issue the notice to the probationer under Section 41-A of the Criminal Procedure Code, which mandates the appearance of a person against whom a reasonable complaint has been made.

Police said their investigation would be done as per law after getting a copy of the court order and the notice was likely to be issued soon, seeking his appearance.

On October 27, the IPS probationer was booked under IPC sections 498 A (domestic violence), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation) and SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.

He then moved the High Court to seek bail, though police had filed a counter against it.

Police also wrote to Mussoorie based Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), where the IPS probationer is currently undergoing training, a release from the Rachakonda Police Commissionerate said here.

According to the FIR, the couple who were in love with each other, got married in February 2018.

Police said the officer did not inform his parents about the marriage.

However, after getting selected for the IPS cadre, he reportedly started ignoring his 28-year-old wife as his parents were threatened to commit suicide if he continued to live with her.

Unable to bear the neglect, the woman attempted suicide on July 16 this year and later lodged a complaint with the police who counselled the couple.

She once again filed a complaint against the husband on September 3 and the police again counselled them.

The husband treated her as if she was an 'untouchable' and threatened her with dire consequences if she did not agree for divorce, the complaint said.

Earlier, the woman had taken to social media alleging that her husband was insisting on divorce as he wanted to remarry.