Paralysed man seeks Rs.20 lakh for police lapse

New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) A paralysed man facing domestic violence charges has moved the Delhi High Court for a compensation of Rs.20 lakh and sought action against two police investigators who allegedly arrested him without giving any notice despite a lower court direction.

Amit Bhandari, who came to court in a wheelchair, was arrested June 4, 2011 by two assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) from Rohini district court complex in north Delhi.

Justice Mukta Gupta, after taking up the petition last week, issued notice to Delhi Police chief and ASIs Krishna Devi and Prem Pal.

The court has also sought a status report on the issue. It would next hear the case April 27.

Bhandari said he was taken into custody while he was coming out of a courtroom after the hearing in the domestic violence case.

Bhandari got married in June 2009 but within six months he and his wife developed differences. His wife, who is originally from Delhi, filed a divorce case in December 2009. The domestic violence case was filed in March 2010.

He said the police investigators could not have arrested him without giving notice as he was protected by an earlier order by a sessions court which said a seven-day pre-arrest notice should be given to him before arrest.

He said the investigators failed to inform him about the reason for his arrest.

Bhandari, his wife and his father lived in Pune for some time after their marriage.

He said he filed a petition against the two Delhi Police investigators in a Pune court for allegedly demanding a sum of Rs.12 lakh from his father for closing the domestic violence case.

The petitioner said that in the complaint filed in the Pune court he had also mentioned that the two investigators allegedly harassed his father, leading to his death.

The Pune court Sep 9, 2011 initiated the process against the two Delhi Police investigators, stating that there was sufficient material to hold them prima facie responsible for causing death of Bhandari's father, the petition said.

Bhandari alleged that his physical disability was a consequence of the "immense stress" caused to him by both the investigators.

"Due to mental and physical pressure and torture, I suffered a paralytic attack," the petition said.

The petitioner said that due to his sudden illegal arrest he was terminated from service by his employer in Bangalore. He said he was not given time to inform his company about his whereabouts for 12 days, during which he was put behind bars in Delhi.

He was released from jail when the high court granted him bail in 2011.