Satara police pulled up for asking septuagenarian to appear before HC

While there is always a practise of court’s insisting parties (of a case) to remain present for the hearings, but in a rare event, the Bombay High Court recently sought an explanation from the Satara Police officials for directing a respondent to appear before the court. The explanation is sought by a division bench presided over by Justice Naresh Patil and Justice Prakash Naik while hearing a petition filed by a daughter of a 90-year-old woman. The daughter had alleged her 90-year-old mother is being ‘ill-treated’ by her stepbrother, with whom the old lady lived in Karad, Satara. The daughter also alleged that her old mother was being forced to live with the stepbrother.

Earlier, the bench had asked the government pleader to direct the senior inspector from Karad Police station to visit the house of the petitioner’s stepbrother and verify the allegations. The bench had also directed the government pleader to instruct the senior inspector to record statements of the old woman in respect of the allegations levelled by her daughter.

However, the bench was surprised, when the concerned officer directed the 90-yearold woman to remain personally present in the next hearing. In its order, the bench said, “It is surprising to note that the concerned officer from the Karad police station informed the respondent (stepbrother) and the 90-yearold woman to remain present in the court, that too by a ‘Samajpatra’.”

Accordingly, the bench pulled up the concerned police officials and sought an explanation. “We direct the Superintendent of Police, Satara to call for an explanation from the concerned officer, in what circumstances he had issued such a communicated and made a 90-year-old lady to travel from Karad to Mumbai only to remain present in this court,” the bench said.

Upon noticing that none of the officials from Karad police station were present for the hearing and had rather asked the old lady to remain present, the bench directed the SP to give a detailed explanation on this aspect too.

The bench also clarified that this issue (directing the lady) should be dealt ‘departmentally’. Meanwhile, the government pleader informed the bench that the old lady has refuted the allegations of being ‘forced’ to live with her stepson. After hearing both the sides, the bench disposed the petition but at the same time directed the SP to submit his explanation within two weeks.