LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court made the police chief of Basti district wait until the court rose, to teach him a 'lesson' in caution after he reportedly filed an affidavit with incorrect facts in connection with a murder case.
The court said that the person who was in charge of the district should be vigilant about the information given by his inspector or constable. The court said that a lenient view was being taken on the SP's apology.
Instead of passing any order against him, he was directed to remain present in the court until the court rose, so that in the future, he will remember to exercise caution before filing affidavits, added the court.
An affidavit in the murder of a woman was filed with incorrect facts in the court by the Basti police. The post-mortem report also did not reveal the evidence that the police had included in their investigation.
The murder case dates back to September 25, 2025. A young woman who had ventured into the fields under Walterganj police station area of Basti was found dead. Though initially she was suspected to have been attacked with a brick/ heavy object, postmortem report did not find any serious injury.
The accused in the murder were Manjeet Kumar and three unknown persons. According to the family members, the accused were pressuring the woman for marriage. When she refused, she was murdered by the accused.
The district police had registered an FIR in this case after 17 days. The accused in the case had filed a bail petition in the High Court. During the hearing, the court requested para-wise comments from the police station.
However, the police took considerable time to send the report. The court strongly objected to this. Station House Officer (SHO) Walterganj Upendra Singh was also summoned.
During the hearing, SHO Upendra Singh and investigating Head Constable Manoj Yadav held the prosecution officer responsible for the delay.
Following this, the court also summoned Prosecution Officer Rajiv Kumar. Subsequently, the court summoned SP Basti on April 7, 2026.
On April 16, 2026, both Basti SP Yashvir Singh and the Prosecution Officer Rajiv Kumar appeared personally in court. The court took notice of negligence on the part of the Basti police in taking action in the murder case.
The court expressed displeasure at the SP's inaction and directed him to wait. SP Yashvir Singh admitted his mistake and apologised unconditionally. After this, the court warned him to be careful in the future.
Meanwhile, considering the merits of the case, the court granted bail to the accused Manjeet Kumar. The court also said that there was no eyewitness in the case. There was only the circumstance of being seen together for the last time.
The post-mortem report also did not give a clear evidence of serious injury, which created a situation of doubt. While granting conditional bail, the court directed the accused not to influence witnesses and directing him to cooperate in the trial.