BENGALURU: The Karnataka HC took the city police to task for its shoddy probe into a criminal case involving a matrimonial dispute of a couple, who are alumni of IIT-Mumbai. The court made scathing remarks after Viveknagar police filed a chargesheet against the husband under IPC 498A for dowry harassment only, ignoring offences under IPC 377 (unnatural sex), Section 66E (capturing nude pictures without consent and violating privacy) and 67 (transmission of obscene pictures) of the IT Act, for sharing nude pictures of his wife with her father and friends, though the crime was registered for all offences.
The court directed the police chief to refer the matter for further investigation to another investigating officer and file a report within two months.
Passing the order while allowing a petition by the wife Justice MN Nagaprasanna dismissed the petition filed by husband, a resident of Ejipura in Bengaluru, seeking to quash the chargesheet against him for dowry harassment.
“The crime was registered for all the offences, but the shoddy probe conducted by the jurisdictional police has led to filing of a chargesheet only for an offence under Section 498A IPC. This becomes a classic case where investigation has been so shoddy that further investigation is needed. It also becomes a case where the head of the department should take stock of such shoddy investigations...” the court said.