AGENCIES / WEB DESK
Gujarat High Court on Thursday Oct 20 convicted four policemen, who had publicly flogged a group of Muslim youth in the Kheda district. Gujarat High Court sentenced four policemen to 14 days of imprisonment reports India Express. According to reports they committed contempt of court in violating the Supreme Court’s DK Basu case Guidelines as the victims had refused to take monetary compensation.
Video of public flogging had gone viral and an inquiry identified four of the 14 policemen accused in the incident. Following this identification contempt charges were framed.
In the DK Basu case of 1996, the Supreme Court had laid down guidelines to be followed by the police while arresting or detaining any person.
Mujahid Nafees of the Minority Coordination Committee said that though the amount of punishment is much less compared to the crime, it is still a ray of hope in these dark times. He said that even the home minister of Gujarat had issued a statement in support of the accused policemen.
Mr. Mujahid expressed hope that this verdict will be useful in the other three cases which are pending before the High Court. Minority Coordination Committee had sent legal notice to the Gujarat DGP in this case. Later on, the victims sought relief under the contempt of court of the guidelines laid down in the DK Basu case.
A bench of Justices AS Supehia and Gita Gopi sentenced Inspector AV Parmar, sub-inspector DB Kumavat, constable Rajubhai Rameshbhai Dabhi, and head constable Kanaksinh Laxmansinh to simple imprisonment for fourteen days.
The High Court fined them Rs 2,000 each. They would be jailed for another three days if they failed to pay the amount. However, it stayed the order for three months to enable the policemen to file an appeal.
A group of Muslim men was alleged to have thrown stones at a garba site near a mosque at Undhela village of Kheda in October 2022. In this case, five Muslims Jahirmiya Malek, Maksudabanu Malek, Sahadmiya Malek, Sakilmiya Malek and Shahidraja Malek were dragged out in public, tied to a pole and beaten with a stick by the convicted policemen.
The family members of the victims had moved the Gujarat High Court asking for contempt of court action against the policemen for the violation of Supreme Court guidelines.
In January this year, the state government had submitted before the High Court that it had found the five policemen guilty of flogging the victims.
Earlier, Senior Advocate Prakash Jani appearing for the accused policemen had informed the Bench that the cops had met the victims and their advocate wherein they refused to accept any monetary compensation.