Aghast at the 2022 incident when four Gujarat police officers thrashed five men of a community in public after tying them to a pole in Kheda district, the Supreme Court said their actions were atrocious.
The men who were tortured were arrested for allegedly pelting stones at a garba event.
The High Court charged the police officers with contempt of court after the five men approached the court, alleging a violation of the DK Basu guidelines on custodial torture.
While the police officials were handed out a contempt sentence of 14 days in October last year, the High Court stayed the execution for three months, allowing them to contest the verdict.
The Times Now reported that the SC stayed contempt proceedings against the police officers.
Examining the case, the SC flayed the police officers for their conduct.
“What kind of atrocities…tying the people to polls, beating them in public view,” the bench said.
Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, who represented the police officers, submitted that his clients had been facing criminal prosecution and departmental proceedings, along with an inquiry by the National Human Rights Commission.
Dave questioned the High Court’s jurisdiction to proceed against them in a contempt case, saying it wasn’t a case of wilful disobedience of the court’s order.
The bench questioned Dave, “So you have authority under the law? To tie people to polls and beat them…and take videos?”
Dave, The Times Now reported, contended that the question was not about the culpability of the accused but the jurisdiction of the High Court.
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