Allahabad High Court: HC raps Deoria cops, calls them a bunch of liars over illegal detention | Prayagraj News
PRAYAGRAJ: Allahabad high court on Wednesday rapped the police chief of UP’s Deoria district and an SHO in a case of alleged ‘illegal detention’ of four persons and irked over the absence of CCTV footage in the case, calling them a ‘bunch of liars’.A bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Divesh Chandra Samant expressed its disappointment with police officials over their explanation regarding the CCTV cameras, the alleged breakdown of the system, and the missing recordings for the period of the alleged detention — April 13-23, 2026.The court also directed UP govt to pay Rs 65,000 to the four petitioners, directing that the amount would be recovered from the salary of the SHO concerned.The bench was hearing a Habeas Corpus petition alleging that the four petitioners were unlawfully detained at the Gauri bazaar Police Station in Deoria.The court had directed the police to produce the CCTV recordings from inside the police station to verify the allegations made in the petitions but the SHO said that the same was not available as there was a technical fault in the system on the said dates.The court also questioned the SHO about whether any General Diary entry had been made regarding the repair of the CCTV system but he replied in the negative.Deoria SP stated that he had not been informed that the CCTV system was not functioning.The court expressed disappointment over the explanation and termed them a ‘bunch of liars’. ‘’Apologise to the people not to court,’’ the bench said when Deoria SP tendered an apology.The bench asked the SP about the action taken against the SHO, including whether he had been suspended or his service terminated. Justice Sreedharan orally remarked thus: “Did you suspend him, terminate him? An SHO of a Thana who cannot make a GD inquiry must be terminated. He is not fit to be a constable.”The bench further questioned the SP why no action was taken against the SHO after allegedly finding him guilty. The SP replied that the SHO had been sent to the Crime Branch but the bench was not satisfied with this action.The court also noted that the affidavit referred to the Supreme Court’s mandatory requirement requiring CCTV coverage at police stations and stated that the State Govt had released over Rs 46 lakh for police stations in Deoria district. However, the affidavit did not disclose the date on which the amount was released.The court termed the date of release “essential and vital” and noted that the further actions attributed to the SP were dated Aug 14, 2026, after the High Court’s Aug 4 order. The bench observed: “Prima facie, it appears that the district authorities have initiated action only as a response to the petition being filed before this court and the order dated Aug 4, 2026.”The bench also questioned the authorities regarding the payment made to the agency responsible for the CCTV system. The court questioned why the entire amount had been released despite the work allegedly not having been completed. It remarked thus: “Instead of blacklisting them, you released the entire fund. On the basis of assurance, you released the entire amount.”
