Resort owner arrested for not giving room in Jim Corbett, SHO suspended after High Court order
In Nainital, Uttarakhand, a police officer arrested the hotel owner by showing off his uniform, but now the High Court has issued an order to suspend the SHO in this case. The court said in its order that the police officer has ignored the orders of the Supreme Court. After this the DIG suspended the SHO.
Giving information about the suspension of SHO Amit Saini, officials said on Monday that the SHO of Ramnagar police station has been suspended on charges of arresting a resort owner.
The hotel owner has alleged that the police officer did not give him the room due to full occupancy, after which he along with his team raided the hotel and arrested him.
Officer ignored SC order: HC
On the petition of the hotel owner, the bench of Justice Rakesh Thapliyal of Uttarakhand High Court said in its decision that the arrest of Rajiv Shah was an act of revenge because he had refused to give accommodation to the police officer at the resort.
The court further said that the charges under which the police have arrested Rajiv Shah are bailable offences, and for such an offence, it is necessary for the police to first issue a notice to the accused. How the police officer ignored the Supreme Court order and arrested the resort owner.
He said that Kumaon Range Deputy Inspector General Yogendra Singh Rawat issued a suspension order to Ramnagar police station in-charge Arun Saini on Saturday after the intervention of the Uttarakhand High Court.
Police officer Amit Saini was suspended for arresting resort owner Rajeev Shah in Corbett Tiger Reserve on charges of serving liquor to guests, officials said.
Hotel owner had made serious allegations in the petition
Rajiv told the court in his petition that Amit Saini had asked for a room in the resort, but the entire hotel was booked for the wedding. That’s why we refused to give him the room and immediately after the wedding ended, the police officer along with his team raided the resort and arrested Rajiv Shah on the charges of serving liquor to the guests. Due to this, Shah had to spend the whole night in police lockup. However, after being released on bail, he challenged his arrest.
The officer also said in his report that ten empty liquor bottles and one half-full bottle of liquor have been recovered from the resort.
‘Notice has to be issued first’
Dushyant Mailani, the lawyer of the resort owner, said that as per the Supreme Court order, pre-notice or challan is issued for small bailable offences, but the police did not do so. In case of direct arrest, the police will have to explain the circumstances under which the notice or challan was not issued.
