LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court reprimanded the police chief of Basti district, making him stand in court for nearly four hours over negligence in a murder case. The court observed that a district police chief must remain vigilant about information provided by subordinates, including inspectors and constables. Following the reprimand, Basti SP Yashvir Singh apologised to the court.
On Thursday, the court said it was taking a lenient view of the SP’s apology. Instead of passing strict orders, it directed him to remain present in court until proceedings concluded, stressing that greater caution must be exercised while filing affidavits in future. The case relates to the murder of a young woman, in which the Basti police filed an affidavit containing incorrect facts and failed to submit reports on time. The post-mortem report also did not corroborate certain claims made during the investigation.
The incident dates back to September 25, 2025, when the woman was found murdered in the Walterganj police station area. She was allegedly attacked with a brick and a heavy object, and poison was later forced into her mouth.
Manjeet Kumar and three unidentified persons were named as accused. The FIR was registered 17 days after the incident.
During bail proceedings, delays in submitting para-wise comments drew the court’s ire. SHO Upendra Singh, Head Constable Manoj Yadav, and Prosecution Officer Rajiv Kumar were summoned. On April 16, both the SP and prosecution officer appeared in court. While granting conditional bail to Manjeet Kumar, the court noted lack of eyewitnesses and inconclusive post-mortem findings.