The Mumbai Police told the Bombay High Court that they will not be arresting IPS officer Rashmi Shukla till the next date of hearing of her plea challenging an FIR registered by the police in a case of alleged illegal phone tapping, on Thursday.
Last month, the police issued two summons on April 26 and April 28 to Ms. Shukla, asking her to appear before the BKC cyber department in Mumbai for recording her statement, which she skipped stating reasons of Covid. The case also pertains to the alleged leaking of sensitive documents related to police postings.
Senior counsel Darius Khambata, appearing for the police, told a division bench of Justices SS Shinde and Manish Pitale on Thursday that a team of the cyber cell police would be sent to Hyderabad, where Ms. Shukla is presently posted, to record her statement in the case.
The bench, which was hearing Ms. Shukla’s petition, noted that the case pertains to offenses under the Official Secrets Act, the Information Technology Act, and the Indian Telegraph Act, which are punishable up to three years only.
“We will hear this petition after the summer vacation. Until then it will be graceful on the state government’s part to make a statement that it would not take any coercive action,” Justice Shinde said.
To this, Mr Khambata said the police would not take any coercive action or arrest the petitioner till the next date of hearing of the petition.
“It is a fairly important investigation. We don’t know when the COVID-19 pandemic will end. Hence, the police are willing to send a team to Hyderabad where they could record the petitioner’s statement,” Mr. Khambata said.
Ms. Shukla is currently serving as additional director general of the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) South Zone and is posted in Hyderabad.
