Allahabad High Court orders inquiry against police department over non-disclosure of facts

Prayagraj (UP): The Allahabad High Court has ordered an inquiry against the Uttar Pradesh Police, the office of the director of prosecution and the office of the government advocate over "non-disclosure" of material facts and evidence in a case involving a "mahant" (priest), who has been accused of secretly filming women while they were taking a bath.

Expressing concern over the prosecution's failure to present key evidence as sought by the court, Justice Vikram D Chauhan emphasised that non-disclosure of material particulars and evidence from the court amounts to an interference in the dispensation of justice.

According to the high court's order, the inquiry would be conducted by an officer not below the rank of principal secretary, to be nominated by the chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh, who would look into the role of the police and prosecution in withholding vital information.

The court passed the order on August 23 while dealing with an anticipatory bail plea of Mahant Mukesh Giri, who has been accused of filming women while they were bathing.

The court had, on July 5, directed the state to file a counter-affidavit disclosing the evidence found during the investigation against the applicant.

Pursuant to the court's order, the state, through an additional government advocate, filed the counter-affidavit on July 15. However, according to the court, no evidence was annexed to the said affidavit, despite its specific order in this regard.

The court has listed the case on September 12 for further hearing.

Giri was booked by the Ghaziabad Police in May after a woman complained about the presence of a CCTV camera in the changing room on a ghat in Ghaziabad's Muradnagar area.

Police had claimed that inappropriate footage of a woman changing clothes was found on Giri's mobile phone, which had live feeds from the CCTV camera installed on the ghat.