Chandigarh: Accused stuck in Uttar Pradesh to join probe on phone

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has allowed an accused in a criminal case to join police investigation through his mobile phone due to the ongoing lockdown in the country. The accused, a native of UP, who has been booked in Yamunanagar district of Haryana has been told to provide a mobile number to the investigating officer of the case and respond to all queries over phone. The stay on the arrest of the accused would continue.
“It is brought to my notice that the petitioner is a resident of UP and due to the restrictions due to pandemic of Covid-19, it would not be possible for him to travel to Jagadhri police station for joining the investigation at this stage.
‘Give mobile number of petitioner to state counsel’
However, the petitioner shall immediately give his own mobile number as well as mobile number of some other person and he shall available for answering all queries as may be put to him by the investigating officer. The mobile number of the petitioner shall be conveyed to learned counsel for the state, today itself,” observed high court’s Justice Lisa Gill while allowing the accused to join probe on phone.
The HC made it clear that the accused shall join the probe within one week of easing of the restrictions which are in place at present and shall fully cooperate in the investigation of the case. In the event of his arrest, the petitioner shall be released on interim bail to the satisfaction of the investigating officer, the HC ordered. The counsel for the petitioner contended before the high court that the petitioner was a former employee of the complainant, who seems to have had a grudge against the petitioner for starting his own business. The counsel contended that the petitioner had been implicated only on statement of a co-accused.