The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday asked the Punjab government to respond to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition seeking a forensic investigation into certain viral audio recordings purportedly revealing a senior police officer seeking sexual favors from women.
The Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel asked the State Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) to file an affidavit in response to the plea.
However, the Court did not issue a formal notice in the case filed by advocate Nikhil Saraf after the State objected to the maintainability of the PIL.
“The objection of locus raised by the State counsel shall remain open to be argued on the next date but only after affidavit is filed,” the Court said.
Saraf argued that the viral audio recordings “point to an officer engaged in prostitution, trafficking, and sexual abuse” and prayed for a report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory.
He sought disclosure of the name of the officers allegedly heard in the call recordings.
“This Public Interest Litigation brings to light serious institutional failures in investigating allegations that have major implications for police accountability and gender justice in Punjab. The case focuses on two audio recordings that, on the face of it, point to an officer engaged in prostitution, trafficking, and sexual abuse, and to a separate event that sheds light on possible links between police officers and the drug trade in the state.”
Saraf told the Court despite representations, the authorities had failed to probe the audio recordings.
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