Court tells Delhi Police chief to take action against DCP

New Delhi: A local court on Friday directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to take action against a senior officer for not properly conducting an inquiry into a rape case.

Additional Sessions Judge Ramesh Kumar`s order came as he observed that a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) had failed to properly inquire into misplacing of summons in a rape case, which was lodged in 2016 at Timarpur Police Station in north Delhi against four men.

The court had earlier ordered an inquiry after summons issued to the Investigating Officer (IO) of the rape case had been misplaced by police.

Police officials had claimed that they did not receive the summons and said that probably it was not issued by the court. But later it was found that summons were issued to the Investigating Officer.

The court then directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) to conduct an inquiry. When the court received the DCP`s report, it noted that the inquiry had not been done in a proper manner.

"He (DCP) has just enquired from a constable and an Assistant Sub-Inspector and done nothing else. Further, the DCP concerned has not taken pains to go through the record of this court whether summons had been issued or not," the court had said.

"Nor he has made any enquiry from the `Naib Courts` (police official posted in the court) of this court regarding the summons.

"It shows that the DCP has not followed proper proceedings of the inquiry and does not know how the inquiry should be conducted," the judge said.

"It is highly objectionable that an officer of higher level also does not know how to conduct an inquiry."

The court said that despite being given an opportunity, the DCP had failed to take the due course of inquiry.

The court directed the police chief to initiate proper action against the Deputy Commissioner of Police of North district and an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) related to the case.