LI Network
Published on: 09 September 2023 at 18:30 IST
The Bombay High Court has nullified two First Information Reports (FIRs) filed against Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Rashmi Shukla in connection with allegations of unauthorized phone tapping of political figures in Maharashtra.
One of the FIRs had been lodged by the Mumbai police, accusing Shukla of unlawfully intercepting the phone conversations of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Eknath Khadse.
The second FIR was initiated by the Pune city police, alleging that Shukla had engaged in illegal phone tapping of State Congress president Nana Patole during the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government’s tenure.
During the court proceedings, Advocate General Dr. Birendra Saraf, representing the police, revealed that the Maharashtra government had denied permission to prosecute Shukla under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in the Mumbai police FIR. Additionally, Saraf informed the court that the Pune city police had already submitted a closure report for their FIR in January 2023, and no objections or protest petitions had been filed by the complainant.
Taking into consideration these developments, the Bombay High Court decided to dismiss both FIRs against Rashmi Shukla.
The court’s decision stemmed from Shukla’s petition requesting the dismissal of the FIR registered against her, which included charges under Section 166 (pertaining to a public servant obtaining valuable consideration in a business transaction while serving as a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 26 of the Indian Telegraph Act.
Previously, on March 4, the High Court had granted interim relief, preventing any coercive action against Shukla in the Pune FIR, and a similar protective order was extended for the Mumbai FIR on March 11. These protective measures remained in effect until the recent verdict.
Rashmi Shukla has also filed a discharge application in a Mumbai court, citing the absence of necessary sanction. Both the closure report application and the discharge application are awaiting further adjudication.