Bengaluru: Within hours after a Madikeri court ordered the registration of an FIR against K.J. George and two top police officials, in connection with the alleged suicide of Deputy Superintendent of Police M.K. Ganapati, the two IPS officers - Pronab Mohanty, IGP, Lokayukta and A M Prasad, ADGP, State Intelligence, have approached High Court seeking legal relief. They have filed the petition under Sec 482 of the CrPC, seeking to quash the lower court order.
The high court has ordered issue of notice to state government, represented by Station House Officer of Madikeri Town police station, and to the deceased police officer's son Nehal Ganapati. Meanwhile when the advocate arguing for the two IPS officers, pressed for an interim stay of the lower court order, the high court refused to grant the relief on Tuesday, while expressing that the case needs a detailed hearing, and adjourned the matter to Wednesday.
The two IPS officers in their petition have questioned the lower court order directing to register and investigate the case under CrPC 156(3), and further on the ground that the government sanction is mandatory to investigate a public servant while passing such orders based on a private complaint.
The Additional Judicial Magistrate First Class Annapurneshwari had passed the orders on a private criminal complaint filed by the Ganapati's son Nehal requesting the court to direct the Kodagu police to take up investigation against the minister and two officers for allegedly abetting his father's suicide.
Nehal had approached the Madikeri court, stating the police had rejected a complaint lodged by them with the Kushalanagar police on July 10 against George and IPS officials Prasad and Mohanty.
Ganapati (51) was found hanging from the ceiling fan at a lodge in Madikeri on July 7, prior to which he gave an interview to a TV channel, stating that Minister George and Prasad (IG-Intelligence) and Mohanty (IGP-Lokayukta) will be responsible “if anything happens to me”.
