Arrested despite protection: Telangana High Court jails police officer for 1 month

The Telangana High Court has sentenced a police officer to one month in prison and fined him Rs 2,000 for arresting an accused person despite a court order protecting him from arrest. Justice K Sujana issued the ruling on September 18 in a contempt case filed by the accused in an alleged dowry death case. The court suspended the sentence for four weeks to allow the state to file an appeal.

The officer was aware of the initial protection order but failed to verify the subsequent status of the proceedings or the orders passed by the court, including from the official website. The petitioner, who was undergoing treatment in a hospital, alleged that the police pressured the hospital, doctors, and staff to discharge him so he could be arrested despite the court's protection. He claimed that on April 28, the hospital authorities discharged him, leading to his arrest.

The court rejected the officer's explanation, noting that he should have verified the extension of protection with the public prosecutor or through the High Court's official website before proceeding with the arrest. The court held that the officer wilfully disobeyed the court's orders, resulting in the one-month jail term and Rs 2,000 fine.