1 week ago
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The Madhya Pradesh High Court has summoned the Principal Secretary of the State’s Home Department, a day after the police informed the court that six personnel have been suspended over lapses in the arrest of an 18-year-old youth in a drugs case in Mandsaur district.
In an order dated December 9, a single Bench of Justice Subodh Abhyankar in Indore expressed concerns over the adherence to the provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, during search and seizure.
“From the aforesaid provisions, which have been introduced for the first time in the B.N.S.S., the legislature has already taken into account the necessity to record the search and seizure through audio-video mode, however, it appears that the aforesaid provisions have been conveniently forgotten by the officers of the State,” the court order read, asking the Principal Secretary to appear through video-conferencing on the next date (January 12, 2026) and inform the court about steps taken for the implementation.
During the hearing, Mandsaur Superintendent of Police (SP) Vinod Kumar Meena had told the court that six personnel of the Malhargarh police station had been suspended on December 6, a day after the court granted bail to Sohanlal Jaat and termed the case “rather suspicious”.
Sohanlal, a resident of Rajasthan’s Balotra district, was arrested by Malhargarh police on August 29 for alleged possession of 2.7 kg of opium. He was apprehended from a bus he was travelling in from Mandsaur.
His family, however, moved the High Court seeking bail for him and accusing the police of “abducting him and planting the opium to build a fake case”. The family presented a CCTV footage of the bus from which Sohanlal was escorted out by three men in civil attire at 11.39 a.m., while questioning a six-hour delay in the formal arrest.
Speaking to The Hindu, advocate Himanshu Thakur, Sohanlal’s lawyer, questioned the contradicting responses by the police in the court.
“During the December 5 hearing, the investigating officer told the court that he did not recognise the men who took Sohanlal out of the bus. But now, the SP has admitted that they were cops and that they did not follow the legal procedure. A departmental inquiry has been launched now,” Mr. Thakur said.
The suspended personnel are Station House Officer Rajendra Pawar, sub-inspectors Sajid Mansuri and Sanjay Pratap Singh, and constables Narendra, Jitendra, and Dilip Jat, Mr. Thakur added.
In Balotra’s Baytu, Sohanlal’s elder brother Khartaram Jaat alleged that his brother had been “confined” in a private room at a remote location for about six hours by the police.
“He was beaten up and tortured. They asked him to arrange ₹12 lakh for his release. He knew he could not afford it so he refused. They planted the opium after that and arrested him,” he said. “He has been very sad and silent ever since he is back home, and keeps reiterating the bus episode,” Mr. Jaat said.
Mr. Jaat said that Sohanlal was among the top students in his school in class 12 and wanted to prepare for civil services.
“He had gone to Mandsaur to visit the Pashupati Nath Temple before beginning his preparation. Now, he is worried about his career due to the case against him,” he added.
Sohanlal is the youngest of three brothers.
Mr. Thakur also said, “Even though the SP has admitted to negligence, the police’s counsel is still claiming that opium was recovered from Sohanlal. This claim will also soon fall flat as he is not seen carrying anything in the CCTV footage.
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