HC reserves judgement in Manchanda suicide case

New Delhi, Dec 11 (UNI) Delhi High Court today reserved its judgement in the suicide case of 55-year-old Delhi Police Inspector Devendra Manchanda.

Justice A K Sikri reserved his judgement in the case relating to Manchanda, who had committed suicide on October 12.

Prashant Manchanda, son of the deceased, had moved the court seeking an FIR against Commissioner of Police Dr K K Paul for having allegedly harassing and abetting his father to commit suicide.

Arguing for Manchanda, R K Kapoor submitted before the court that cause of his suspension was malafide.

Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, however, strongly defended Paul's act. He expressed surprise at the source of key documents furnished by Manchanda accusing a bonafide resident of tresspasing his own house.

In any case, the court only needed to ascertain as to whether Manchanda's act evoked suspicion or not. And if there had existed enough grounds for a needle of suspicion to arise, he asked as to why a Commissioner of Police could not ask certain documents to be taken away from his subordinate.

It would be dangerous to disagree with Paul, he warned pleading with the court to disallow the petition.

Inspector Manchanda had been living in New Police Lines with his wife Meena, a cancer patient, son Prashant and daughter Pooja.

He was suspended on October 12, 2004, on charges of registering a false case against a businessman accusing him of having grabbed a prime property on Shamnath Marg. At that time, he was posted with the District Investigation Unit of North Delhi.

According to the police, the businessman lodged a complaint alleging that Inspector Manchanda had registered the case against him with an intention to grab his property.

''A vigilance inquiry was initiated and it concluded that the allegations had substance, following which he was placed under suspension. Later, the Economic Offences Wing also investigated the matter and found the Inspector guilty of forgery and misdeeds,'' said police spokesperson Deependra Pathak.

For their part, Inspector Manchanda's family alleged that he was being harassed for having booked a powerful businessman. ''He was confident that he would get justice soon. He took the issue to the Central Administrative Tribunal and then appealed in the High Court.

But court hearings were getting stretched due to which he went into depression,'' said his daughter Pooja.

However, the police have clarified that Inspector Manchanda's appeal against the departmental inquiry had been quashed by the CAT.

He had challenged the order in the High Court but that too was turned down in February this year.

UNI SSS PK RN1855