Mumbai, August 27: Expressing regret over police inaction in a missing child case, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday said that sometimes it is “ashamed” over its own helplessness.
“Sometimes we are ashamed…people come to us but we are not able to help them,” said Justice Bilal Nazki, who had yesterday summoned Director General of Police S S Virk to the court.
The court was peeved yesterday when a DCP level officer filed a probe report in the case, instead of Virk himself, as court had earlier directed.
Preeti Chug, who suspects that her estranged husband Bunti has abducted their four-year-old son Sujal, has moved the court. But police have not yet found either child or his father, both missing since last November.
Today Virk sought 15 days’ time from the court. “We will get some information,” he assured. He also said that child’s father was apparently in Nepal.
Virk also apologised for not submitting his own report yesterday. “I had dictated my report to secretary, but it was not put before court by mistake,” he said.
However, the court reminded him that apart from the present case, there are some 17,000 missing person cases in the state, as per government data.
In another matter, Justice Nazki had requested Virk and chief secretary Johny Joseph to meet him for formulating some scheme for tackling this. “But you have not found time so far,” the judge said today.
Virk said that he will talk to Joseph and meet the judges soon, but Justice Nazki said, “Only after this child is found.”
Earlier, when Virk sought 15 days’ time for showing some results in the case and added that he was “hopeful” that the child would be found, the judge said that if police were not in position to find the child, they should tell the mother so.
“Tomorrow it could happen to my child or your child,” he said.
“What is the use of our privileges, what is the use of you being DGP and we being judges,” if people cannot be helped, Justice Nazki asked.
He also referred to another case, where a new-born was stolen from government-run Sion hospital in January. The baby is yet to be found, despite High Court’s intervention.
Virk said that in the present case, the persons who provided passport to Bunti Chug, have been arrested.
He also said that the state has sought cancellation of bail granted by lower court to Preeti’s father-in-law and other relatives, who are allegedly involved in the crime.
The case has been adjourned for two weeks.
–Agencies–