Police to Somanna’s rescue

Finally register complaint against Somanna, but experts say victim could seek court intervention if not satisfied

Police to Somanna's rescue

Finally register complaint against Somanna, but experts say victim could seek court intervention if not satisfied

CITY police have finally registered the complaint against minister Somanna in the slapping case, but it might prove to be little more than eyewash.

MiD DAY had reported yesterday that the police had refused to accept the complaint against the minister, filed by the victim's wife. The police had claimed that the alleged incident of theu00a0 minister slapping BBMP engineer Somaraju never occurred.

According to city police commissioner SM Bidari, "The complaint has already been taken under non-cognisable offense based on its merit. We have asked the Kamakshipalya police to investigate the matter and submit the report."

However, senior figures in legal circles see this as merely a delayed pre-emptive tactic by the police, to pacify the victim's family and keep them from approaching the courts. "The law stipulates that any person whose complaint has been denied by the police can approach the court with a private complaint," said a senior advocate. "But if the police have already taken up the case for investigations then there is little scope for the person to approach the court," he added.

Yet, according to another advocate, the victim still has the option of filing a writ petition at the high court seeking directions from the court to convert the case into cognisable (serious) offence.u00a0

The advocate's views were echoed by Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde, who said, "If the magistrate takes cognisance of the case and directs the police to investigate then it would be a slap on the face of the police."

According to human-rights NGO South India Council for Human Rights and Education, (SICHREM), the victim also has the option of approaching the State Human Rights Commission.