Bombay High Court summons Nashik rural SP over frivolous school staff FIRs
The Bombay High Court has strongly reprimanded the Maharashtra Police for registering First Information Reports (FIRs) and initiating inquiries into school staff appointments in Nashik rural based on complaints filed by unrelated "strangers."
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra V Ghuge and Justice Gautam A Ankhad summoned the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Nashik rural to appear personally before the court next week on July 20.
The court expressed deep displeasure over police officers entertaining frivolous complaints regarding Shalarth IDs and the appointments of professors, teachers, and non-teaching staff. The Shalarth portal is the state's digital system used for managing school employees' service and salary records.
During the hearing on Thursday, July 16, the bench criticized the police department's actions, stating that officers were behaving as if they were "real lords with law under them." The judges questioned why the police were investigating decades-old appointment irregularities at the instance of bystanders and extortionists, warning that such actions threaten to disrupt educational institutions.
The matter came to light through petitions filed by schools in Nashik rural. The schools alleged that police had registered FIRs based on frivolous complaints lodged against their teachers by unrelated individuals. In one case, the petitioner claimed that the police continued to pursue the FIR even after the complainant withdrew the accusation.
Acting Chief Justice Ghuge questioned the standing of such complainants, asking what an electrical contractor had to do with the appointment of an employee at an educational institution.
The High Court noted that the state government had previously issued a Government Resolution (GR) directing officers not to entertain complaints from unrelated strangers or extortionists. The bench pointed out that despite assurances from officials below the Chief Secretary-level, police officers were actively violating the state's own GR.
The bench has now directed top state authorities, including the Maharashtra Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP), to take immediate cognizance of the issue to put the department "in order." This follows a previous warning in May, where another High Court bench pulled up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for entertaining unverified complaints that adversely affected teachers' health.
