HYDERABAD: Telangana high court on Wednesday directed the SHO of Karimnagar Two Town police station, O Venkat, to appear before the court on Friday for not registering a FIR against the son of a district judge for alleged assault and sexual harassment despite a complaint from a sacked woman employee.
A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Anil Kumar was hearing a petition filed by the woman office subordinate, who worked at the residences of additional district judges in Karimnagar. She was appointed in Jan 2023 and transferred thrice.
The Telangana high court on Wednesday came down heavily on the station house officer (SHO) of Karimnagar Two Town police station for failing to register an FIR against the son of a district judge for alleged physical and sexual harassment despite a complaint from a sacked woman office subordinate who worked at the residences of additional district judges in Karimnagar.
The court directed the SHO to appear before the court on Friday. The woman employee was sacked on Oct 6, 2023 on the ground that she suppressed her qualification, BSc, to secure the office subordinate post. As the prescribed qualification for the post was Class 7 pass or Class 10 fail, she hid her qualification and misled the authorities.
She, however, stated in her complaint to the Karimnagar police that she was singled out by the district judicial authorities, who had sacked some more persons on the same ground. But an FIR was registered against her alone by the administrative officer of the Karimnagar district court.
The reason, according to her counsel Kumara Swamy Namburi, was that she spoke against the harassment she faced at the hands of the son of a woman district judge.
In her complaint, she said: "The judge's elder son used to assault and subject me to physical harassment. Though I kept informing about his advances towards me to the hon'ble judicial member, she did not take action and asked me to keep mum. Such harassment continued for three months. My cries were not heard." "This is the reason why police were reluctant to register her complaint as an FIR against the judge's son," her advocate said.
The bench, during the last hearing, had given two days' time to Telangana home department counsel to ensure registration of FIR as it was mandatory under law. When the hearing in the case resumed on Wednesday, the state counsel informed the court that police could not register the FIR as the woman did not file any written complaint.
However, counsel for the woman informed the court that she did go to the police station on Tuesday and tried to get her complaint registered. But her attempts proved futile. She waited at the police station from 11am to 4pm, he said. Irked by this, the bench summoned the SHO. "We want to see your general dairy also. We understand under whose pressure you are acting," the judges said and warned the state counsel that if he fails to secure the SHO's presence before the court within 48 hours, they would issue a bailable warrant against the police officer.