BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court imposed exemplary cost of Rs 1 lakh on woman police sub-inspector Padmavathi TB for suppressing the fact that the crime she questioned before the court was registered at the court’s direction.
“The conduct of the petitioner, therefore, does not merely reflect omission; it borders on abuse of jurisdiction. The extraordinary remedy under Section 528 of BNSS or Article 226 of the Constitution is a discretionary remedy, and discretion of the court can never be invoked by one whose hands are tainted by suppression.
They who seek equity must come with clean hands; a litigant who approaches with concealed hands cannot seek the court’s indulgence,” the court observed.
Justice M Nagaprasanna imposed the cost to be paid to the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority, while dismissing the petition filed by Padmavathi questioning the impugned crime.
“The interim order of stay secured by the petitioner on April 17 stands vitiated at its very inception, having been obtained by suppressing the foundational judicial order in a criminal petition. Such suppression, by itself, is sufficient to nonsuit the petitioner, with exemplary costs,” the court noted.
In an incident of road rage on the night of February 23, 2025, a trivial altercation between the complainant, a practising advocate, and an autorickshaw driver escalated in a locality without adequate lighting. It is alleged that the auto driver, in a display of rashness, overtook the petitioner’s vehicle, forcibly brought it to a halt, and proceeded to hurl stones, shattering the glass of the complainant’s car.
The complainant drove to the nearest police station to register a complaint, and seek protection. However, the police authorities registered the complaint only after a lapse of nearly two hours. This inaction appears to have tested the complainant’s patience, and in an an outburst of frustration, certain papers and materials in the police station were dislodged and scattered.
At this juncture, WPSI Padmavathi of Madiwala Traffic Police Station, who was on night patrol duty, arrived at the scene. What followed was an act of physical aggression, with the policewoman raining blows and kicking the complainant. This incident stands recorded in the CCTV footage of the police station.
When the matter came to the notice of the court, an order was passed to register a crime against Padmavathi. It was registered. However, she concealed this during questioning before the High Court.
“The investigation shall continue, after which the result of investigation shall be placed before this court, prior to placing it before the concerned court,” the court noted.