Now Reading: Delhi court says Gujarat cops used child as bait like ‘colonial overlords’
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Delhi court says Gujarat cops used child as bait like ‘colonial overlords’
Delhi court says Gujarat cops used child as bait like ‘colonial overlords’
A Delhi court has dismissed a plea by four Gujarat Police officers accused of taking a minor boy from Delhi to Ahmedabad while searching for his father. Additional Sessions Judge Parveen Singh, in an order dated August 12, said the officers acted like 'colonial overlords' and 'hanged that minor child as a bait' to force the father to surrender. The Times of India and Hindustan Times both report the court's strong language.
The boy's mother alleged that on May 25, 2008, five to six Gujarat Police officers in civil clothes came to her scrap shop in Delhi, forcibly took her son, and transported him to Gujarat. The court noted allegations the boy was confined, abused, and beaten during the journey, and was kept in a police lock-up and tortured, as per a magistrate-recorded statement.
The officers argued they were performing official duties and needed prior government sanction for prosecution. The court rejected this, stating the protection for public servants applies only to acts with a reasonable connection to duty, and taking the minor 'can by no stretch of imagination' be considered part of official duty. The court upheld the trial court's 2010 order to frame kidnapping charges.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both Times of India and Hindustan Times provide neutral, detailed reporting on the court's strong rebuke of the Gujarat Police officers. Neither outlet adopts a pro-government or critical stance, both focus on the judge's language and legal reasoning. The coverage is uniform straight reporting, with no discernible slant. The key takeaway is the court's clear rejection of the officers' immunity claim, emphasizing that official duty does not cover actions lacking reasonable connection to that duty. The case now proceeds to trial on kidnapping charges, with the 2010 cognisance date anchoring the timeline.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report), hindustantimes.com (neutral report)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
