The Bombay high court on Wednesday directed the Navi Mumbai commissioner of police to appoint an independent officer to probe the allegations made by Mangal Jadhav, 43, whose 27-year-old daughter committed suicide in July last year after an alleged casteist assault.

Justice Ranjana Desai and justice Mridula Bhatkar came down heavily on the police who registered an FIR two months after Jadhav’s elder daughter Soujanya died of a lethal dose of sleeping pills. “This is the failure of duty in the highest degree and stringent action should be taken if the erring officials are found guilty,” said justice Desai.

Jadhav’s complaint stated that their house was attacked by 40-50 people on May 5, 2009 who assaulted, disrobed and molested the women, vandalised the house and stole their possessions. She moved the high court alleging police inaction owing to the involvement of Suresh alias Daji Sanas, brother-in-law of NCP corporator Rupali Sanas, in the attack. She alleged that they were being cornered in the Maratha-dominated area as they belonged to a scheduled caste.

Additional public prosecutor Usha Kejriwal told the court that eight people were booked for the offence and the police obtained a security bond of Rs3 lakh each from six of them. Moreover, five of the six erring police officers were transferred from the Koparkhairane police station and a departmental enquiry was initiated against them.

“We expect the CP to ensure that the enquiry is conducted impartially,” the judges said in their order.

Jadhav’s advocate Rajesh Bindra told the court that there have been inadequate investigations into Soujanya’s suicide.
The court, however, asked Jadhav to make an appropriate application for the same.