The Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra government to file its affidavit in response to a PIL seeking disciplinary action against Navi Mumbai police officials for allegedly failing to take timely action due to which a teenage boy was murdered by his girlfriend’s family members.
Activist Yashwant Shenoy in his public interest litigation claimed that if the police had taken action on the complaint filed by 15-year-old boy Swapnil Sonawane’s family claiming that they had received threats from the accused, the murder could have been averted.
On July 20, Swapnil was allegedly beaten to death by the family members of his girlfriend who were unhappy with the relation as they were from different castes.
The Navi Mumbai police has so far arrested the girl’s parents, two brothers and two cousins along with other accomplices.
Shenoy stated that Swapnil’s mother Gauri had gone to Nerul police station on July 18 and 19 along with her son, but officials there did not pay heed to their complaint.
Shenoy sought direction to the Maharashtra Director General of Police to initiate disciplinary action against the errant officers who failed to take cognisance of the complaint lodged by Swapnil’s mother.
A division bench of justices V M Kanade and M S Sonak directed public prosecutor Purnima Kantharia to file an affidavit in reply to the PIL and also state what action police has taken so far in the case.
The affidavit will have to be filed in two weeks.
