Activist approaches SHRC, demand Investigation against Anil Kumble

A city-based human rights activist has approached the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), seeking action against the police for failing to investigate a case against cricketer Anil Kumble for impersonation and forgery.
In his complaint, Anil Naik said article 14 of the Constitution guarantees equality before the law. However, the police deprived this right to Kumar V Jagirdar—former husband of Kumble’s wife Chethana Ramatheertha—when he went to file the case against Kumble, he said.
Jagirdar and Chetana had secured a divorce by mutual consent and the Supreme Court had ordered joint guardianship of their daughter, who is a minor. Despite the ruling, Kumble and Chetana went ahead to apply for a passport with a forged signature. This is a clear violation of the Passport Act, Naik said.
Kumble, who applied for the renewal of his step-daughter’s passport under the tatkal scheme, allegedly misused his influence by securing police verification from a colleague in the forest department.
After gathering the required documents through RTI, Jagirdar filed a complaint with Bharathinagar police. However, the police neither filed an FIR nor initiated investigations. Jagirdar ran from pillar to post, seeking senior police officers’ intervention, but in vain.
“The police’s claim that the complaint does not have any evidence to corroborate the allegation and initiating an investigation is ridiculous,” Naik said, adding that he took up the matter as a responsible citizen and filed a petition with the city police commissioner.
“It has become a fashion for the city police to treat legitimate complaints in lighter vein,” Naik said. As the city police commissioner refused to take action, Naik requested the SHRC to take action against the police for negligence and denying justice.
SHRC officials said they received the complaint on Wednesday and are looking into it.