The High Court has directed Haryana IPS officer Manisha Chaudhary to expedite the investigation into three criminal cases, including a high-profile incident at the Golden Temple on September 22. In the incident, a man snatched the service pistol of a judge’s personal security officer (PSO) and subsequently shot himself dead. Chaudhary, entrusted with the probe on October 1 after the court expressed dissatisfaction with the Punjab Police’s investigation, informed the court that the primary case investigation would be concluded within four weeks.
The directive was issued by a bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Anil Kshetarpal while hearing a suo motu plea initiated on September 24, shortly after the incident surfaced. Chaudhary noted that the remaining two cases would require additional investigation time.
The court noted that the ASI was accompanying a High Court judge who had come to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple when the man, later identified as Hariprasad from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, allegedly snatched the ASI’s pistol and shot himself. Local authorities reported that Hariprasad was believed to be mentally unstable.
The bench emphasized the urgency of the probe, stating, “This court hopes, expects, and directs the Investigating Officer to conclude the investigation and submit a final report as expeditiously as possible, preferably before the next hearing date.” The matter is now scheduled for a hearing on November 25. Two of the FIRs stemmed from the Golden Temple incident, while another involved an obstruction of the same judge’s convoy by protesters.
