Maha govt circular over police diary is odd: Bombay HC

The state government had on November 11, 2010, issued a circular stating that the police must not record in their station diary any instructions coming from Members of the Legislative Assembly or any other minister.

"The circular is rather odd. First of all, phone calls should not be made by ministers. Even if they are, why police officers should be prohibited from entering it in the station diary. Transparency is required," a division bench of Justices Ranjana Desai and R V More said. The court, which was hearing a petition filed by former journalist Ketan Tirodkar, challenging the circular, directed the state government to re-look into their decision of issuing the circular.

"We are not forcing the government to cancel issuance of the circular. But we find the circular odd. If the government decides to go ahead with the circular then the court will decide the case on merits," Justice Desai said while adjourning the matter till June 15.

"The circular has been issued in the background of an order passed by the Nagpur bench of the High Court, imposing cost of Rs 25,000 on the state government, after an aide of former Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh tried to interfere with a criminal case registered against a family member of a MLA," the court observed.

After the High Court imposed the fine, the state government had appealed in the Supreme Court, which dismissed the plea and imposed a cost of Rs 25 lakh on Deshmukh for interfering in a criminal case.