Add-on charges in FIR against ex-DGP, others: SC stays Himachal HC orders

Shimla: The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the Himachal Pradesh high court order directing special investigation team (SIT), probing allegations of a Palampur businessman against former DGP Sanjay Kundu and others, to add sections pertaining to extortion and intentionally threatening someone to give up property in the FIR registered at McLeodganj in Dharamshala.
Kundu’s special leave petition challenging Himachal high court’s September 23 division bench order came up for hearing before the bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra on Tuesday.After hearing Kundu’s counsel and former attorney-general of India Mukul Rohatgi, the bench put the Himachal government on notice for filing its response and posted the matter for Nov 4.
In his initial complaint, Palampur businessman Nishant Sharma had levelled serious allegations of threat to his life and family, attempts of coercion, intimidation, extortion and land grabbing against senior lawyer KD Shreedhar, former IAS officer Tarun Shreedhar and former IPS officer Sachin Shreedhar regarding taking over control of M/s Shri Chamunda Laboratories and Projects Private Limited at Baddi, Himachal Pradesh. The complainant had also alleged that then DGP Kundu had tried to pressurise him on October 27, 2023 to come to Shimla for a police-led mediation and had got 15 missed calls from his landline, got a WhatsApp message sent from SHO Palampur to call the DGP. The complainant had alleged that when he refused to go to Shimla, shortly thereafter the incident of threat with him happened at Bhagsunag in Dharamshala.
The Himachal Pradesh high court’s division bench on September 23 had observed that the incumbent DGP Atul Verma had indicated several lapses in the SIT’s tardy probe in which various important angles have not been investigated. Therefore, the high court also ordered to add a SP-level officer from the HP Armed Police Battalion as a member of the special investigation team to probe all the aspects of the case as mentioned in his report by DGP Verma.