The TV star-turned-BJP leader had accused scriptwriter Rekha Modi of threatening her. But the MSHRC has taken the punch out of her tiff.
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) has taken the punch out of Smriti Irani’s tiff with scriptwriter Rekha Modi.
A year ago, Irani, a BJP leader and TV star of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi fame, had lodged a complaint against Modi, scriptwriter of the serial. The reel heroine had convinced police and the press that Modi was a vamp and charged her with masterminding threatening calls that Irani had received from a man identified only as Kapadia.
Modi was summoned to the Oshiwara police station where Assistant Police Inspector Vasant Pingle beat her with his hands and with rubber strips.
The MSHRC has now found the police guilty of violating Modi’s human rights. It has instructed that a departmental enquiry be initiated against an assistant commissioner of police, a senior police inspector, and Pingle. It has also ordered that a cash compensation of Rs20,000 be given to Modi, deductible from Pingle’s salary.
According to the MSHRC, police flouted all norms in dealing with the case, probably because the complainant was a celebrity and a BJP leader. In its order, the commission said police did not send a copy of the first information report to a magistrate in the stipulated time. It also found the police guilty of arresting Modi without preparing a proper arrest memo, of not taking signatures of local witnesses, of denying bail to the victim and beating her up as if she were a criminal.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday, Modi’s lawyer, former IPS officer YP Singh, asked Irani as well as Police Commissioner AN Roy to “at least apologise to Modi”.
Modi and her father Sushilkumar also lambasted Irani for making a false complaint and accused the police of high-handedness.
Irani, who is in Assam, campaigning for the assembly election, said, “I have no comment to offer.”
Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Arup Patnaik said, “Since we are not sure whether the order is advisory in nature or binding on the government, we cannot say for sure what course of action the police will take. Possibly, the home department will seek advice from the law and judiciary department.”
But YP Singh said, “The MSHRC has all the powers of a civil court, so its orders are binding on the police. If they do not obey, they may invite contempt proceedings.”
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