The Bombay High Court has put a pause on the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission’s (MSHRC) order that directed Mumbai’s Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Zone 1, Pravin Mundhe, to pay Rs 10 lakh as compensation to a jeweller. The jeweller, Nishant Jain, accused four police officers from the Azad Maidan station of extortion.
The controversy began when the MSHRC, in December last year, responded to Jain’s complaint alleging that on March 1, 2024, he was coerced by Sub-Inspector Kajal Pansare and officers Sudarshan Puri, Shrikrishna Jaibhai, and Rajesh Palkar into paying Rs 25,000 to avoid false charges of dealing in stolen jewellery. Jain, the owner of Gurjar Jewellers located in Bora Bazar, South Mumbai, claimed he was threatened with implication in a criminal case and was only released after he paid the demanded amount. Following his release, Jain lodged complaints with Phansalkar, DCP Mundhe, and the MSHRC, which eventually led to the registration of an FIR and the awarding of compensation by the commission.
However, the police conducted a fact-finding inquiry that suggested the incident was a case of illegal gratification rather than extortion. Phansalkar and Mundhe challenged the MSHRC’s decision at the Bombay High Court, arguing that the order was issued without a proper hearing and that the allegations did not constitute a human rights violation.
Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Neela Gokhale of the Bombay High Court stayed the MSHRC’s order and a related compliance request issued on December 18, 2024, pending further review. The police officials contended that the commission had erred in its judgment and failed to consider the facts appropriately, asserting that there was no breach of rights related to life, liberty, equality, and the dignity of Jain as alleged.
