HC notice to Punjab over Kota man’s arrest

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has issued notice to the Punjab government on a plea filed by Harnoor, a 21-year-old resident of Kota in Rajasthan who was picked up by the Punjab Police in a drugs case. Harnoor has sought directions to probe the case against him by an independent agency. While adjourning the hearing of the case till July 14, the HC has also asked the trial court not to proceed in this case till the next date of hearing.
It is the same case in which the Rajasthan Police had recently booked 14 cops from Hoshiarpur district for alleged abduction of Harnoor. Justice Harnaresh Singh Gill passed these orders while hearing a petition filed by Harnoor, seeking directions to set aside the investigation report, dated March 30, presented before the local court by the Punjab Police in this case. Further directions have also been sought to hand over the investigation of the said FIR to some independent agency for re-investigation.
The petitioner’s counsel contended that he had falsely been implicated in the present case. On March 7, the petitioner was picked up from a hotel in Kota and brought to Hoshiarpur; the petitioner’s transit from Kota to Hoshiarpur was recorded in CCTV footage, clearly showing the date and time.
The FIR in the drug case under NDPS Act against the petitioner was registered on March 9 with the allegations that 10kg of opium was seized from Verna. However, the said car was parked outside the said hotel, as deciphered from the CCTV footage, and brought by two police officials through another route. tnn