Why should the magistrate also not be punished?
HC pulls up cop, judge for jailing blind woman
Chennai: The Madras HC has summoned a police inspector on March 29 to offer an explanation on the sufferings of a blind woman, who was jailed and denied bail illegally.
The HC has also directed the Namakkal principal sessions judge to furnish a report and ordered the release of the blind woman on bail, on her own bond.
Citing Selvamani as a second accused in the case and charging her with “intention to cause injury” and “creating nuisance”,
the police filed the chargesheet in November 2008. During probe, she was never arrested, and the police had dubbed her “absconding accused”.
Well after the chargesheet was filed, the judicial magistrate had issued a non-bailable warrant against Selvamani and the police arrested her. Though she was blind, the magistrate remanded her in judicial custody. Though she was facing only minor charges and was entitled to bail, the principal sessions judge dismissed it saying probe was still on. This, when the case diary submitted to judge clearly showed that it had been completed and chargesheet filed in November 2008. TNN