Police may challenge order against investigating officer

We will defend her if the charges against her are found baseless. For this, we will challenge the city court’s order in a higher court.

A day after a court ordered the Delhi Police to register an FIR against a female investigating officer for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl, the force said that they may challenge the order in Delhi High Court.

The female investigating officer was probing a case of sexual assault on the 13-year-old.

Senior police officials said that they were seeking opinion from legal experts to approach a higher court in staying the trial court’s order. They said that they were yet to receive a copy of the court order.

According to a police officer, they already had initiated an enquiry by the district vigilance unit into the allegations of the girl, in which she accused the woman sub-inspector, posted at district investigation unit, of allegedly sexually assaulting her before her medical examination.

A similar complaint was filed before the concerned court. The girl alleged that the IO had threatened her father to get her medically re-examined or she would implicate her in a false case. The court took cognizance of the minor’s complaint and directed the city police to file a case against the woman officer.

“We will defend her if the charges against her are found baseless. For this, we will challenge the city court’s order in the high court. But if during our enquiry the charges are found true, we will register a case against the woman officer,” an officer said.

The officer said that the court has asked them to file the status report on April 29. “We still have 10 days to complete our internal enquiry, take legal opinion and decide our next course of action,” the officer. He added that legal experts will take a day or two to give their final opinion.

On Monday, a city court passed the order after the 13-year-old girl told it that she was sexually assaulted by the woman investigating officer, regarding which she had already lodged a complaint with the police.

The court also dismissed the third bail plea of the teacher of a government school, facing prosecution in the same case, saying there was no change in circumstances.