Bench says officer ‘cannot be allowed to pollute the stream of justice’; directs state to act on inquiry report
The Supreme Court has come down heavily on the Station House Officer (SHO) of Kandhai Police Station in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, for wilfully disobeying its order and assaulting a petitioner despite specific directions against any coercive action. The court said the officer “cannot be allowed to pollute the stream of justice.”
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria, in an order dated October 17, noted that the petitioner alleged the SHO, Gulab Singh Sonkar, refused to comply with the Supreme Court’s March 28, 2025 order granting him protection. The petitioner, Ram Sagar Tiwari, claimed he was arrested and dragged to the police station on April 23, 2025, despite showing the court order.
The bench recorded that the SHO allegedly shouted in Hindi, “Main kisi Supreme Court ka aadesh nahin manunga… mai tumhara sara High Court aur Supreme Court nikal dunga aaj” (“I will not obey the order of any Supreme Court, I’ll deal with your High Court and Supreme Court today”).
An earlier court-directed inquiry by an ADGP-ranked officer found that Tiwari was “unnecessarily detained” and “not informed of his arrest as per due process.”
“The report clearly indicates prima facie wilful disobedience of this court’s order… under the guise of the police uniform, the first contemnor cannot be allowed to pollute the stream of justice,” the bench observed, stressing that such conduct must be dealt with “iron hands.”
The Additional Advocate General appearing for the UP government assured the court that immediate action would be taken based on the inquiry findings. The matter has been listed for further hearing on November 7, 2025.