HC raps CID over sluggish probe against Kalani's son

Omie along with two others was arrested on August 23 by CID in a case of alleged threat and assault on a person. The arrest was made after intervention from the High Court.

A division bench of Justices V M Kanade and P D Kode was hearing a petition filed by Ulhasnagar resident Sunil Sukhramani who alleged that he was threatened and assaulted by Kalani and his friends as they wanted his aunt to withdraw her candidature in municipal corporation elections last year.

Advocate Ganesh Gole, appearing for the petitioner, today argued that while arrest was made, the CID was not probing the case properly and had not made any attempts to seek further custody of Omie.

"You (police) arrest people where it is not neccessary and put them in jail. But in serious cases like this where immediate steps have to be taken the police does not do anything. This is the problem with police," Justice Kanade said, after perusing the remand note submitted by CID before a lower court.

The bench directed CID to file an affidavit on September 25 pointing out steps taken by the investigating officer regarding investigations in the case.

"Police should see what kind of picture they are painting about themselves before the society and public at large," the court said.

According to the petition, Sukhramani's aunt had contested the civic polls against Papu Kalani's wife Jyoti on February 16, 2012. It also said that petitioner's aunt, Neetu, is the wife of Mahesh, who is a corporator belonging to the BJP due to which there was a hostility between the two families.

The petitioner said he was beaten up while police remained silent spectators. The complainant in this case, Prakash Kalwani, was assaulted when he tried to intervene.

An FIR was lodged in November 2011 under various sections of IPC and Arms Act against Kalani and others.