Bombay HC grants IPS Rashmi Shukla interim protection from arrest in phone-tapping case
India Today
The Bombay High Court has granted IPS officer Rashmi Shukla interim protection from arrest in the FIR case involving illegal tapping of phones of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and NCP leader Eknath Khadse.
The Bombay High Court has granted IPS officer Rashmi Shukla interim protection from arrest in the case involving illegal tapping of phones. An FIR was registered against Shukla at the Colaba police station on March 2 for tapping the phones of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and NCP leader Eknath Khadse.
The next hearing on this petition will be held on April 1, along with Shukla's plea against the FIR in the Pune case.While opposing the bail plea on Friday, the prosecution said that the charges against IPS officer Rashmi Shukla are bailable. The prosecution also cited previous incidents in the Pune case when Rashmi Shukla did not cooperate or appear before the police after she was given interim protection from arrest.
In her petition, the IPS officer has claimed that she has been singled out in the FIR, “There is no justifiable basis to single out the Petitioner when the Petitioner dutifully carried out her duties and responsibilities as Commissioner of the State Intelligence Department in the interest of the state. Furthermore, ACS Home had also granted necessary permissions to conduct surveillance. This inexplicable act of singling out the Petitioner itself reinforces strong apprehension of further malafide action at the hands of the State Government,” the petition reads.
Public prosecutor Aruna Pai, however, argued in court on Friday that a careful reading of the FIR will reveal “others” mentioned along with Rashmi Shukla. The public prosecutor added that subsequent names will be added as the case progresses.
While refusing to commit that the police will not arrest Shukla, Pai insisted that the offences are bailable and the question of arrest does not arise.
The bench then asked IPS officer Rashmi Shukla to show her bonafide and appear before the Colaba police to meet police inspector SR Mohite on Friday and again on March 23.
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