DG Mukesh Gupta has filed a writ petition in supreme court against the Chhattisgarh Police alleging “persistent hounding and victimisation at the behest of the present political dispensation”.
Mukesh Gupta is accused of financial impropriety and illegal phone-tapping.
The petition comes up for hearing in the supreme court on Friday.
Mukesh Gupta, who was Director General of Police of the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) under the previous government (BJP) was removed in September this year, also alleges that the state police are illegally tapping phones of his two daughters.
Since then, he submitted, the police are “hounding the applicant/petitioner and his family members in a patently mala fide exercise of state power”.
The petition mentions that Chhattisgarh Police officials are “permanently parked” outside his flat in Panchsheel Park, New Delhi, and have allegedly threatened the family’s security guard and driver.
It says a complaint on this was made to the SHO of Malviya Nagar in Delhi on October 6.
“(But)…officers of Chhattisgarh Police on October 10 threatened the driver named Heera at his residence and attempted to abduct him in a Pajero sports car bearing number CG 13 U 0001,” it states.
The petition says the officers drove away, leaving behind Heera, after a Delhi Police van arrived following a PCR call.
Delhi Police’s DCP (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said, “We received a complaint on October 6 and the matter is being investigated.”
In his writ petition, Gupta mentions that although the apex court granted him “relief” on September 2 with the stay order, the respite “was short-lived, as the respondents (state police) soon unleashed their full might”.
On allegations of abduction attempt, DCP (PCR) Sharat Sinha said, “A PCR call was made and police personnel did reach the spot, but there was no case of kidnapping.”
Last month, Gupta was demoted, along with two other police officers of the same rank, to ADG rank. It is mentioned in his petition. Gupta also held the post of IGP, intelligence wing, during the BJP government.
The BJP lost to the Congress in the Vidhan Sabha polls in December 2018.
Even before he became Chief Minister, Bhupesh Baghel, as then state Congress chief, had accused Gupta of corruption, and alleged that the BJP was protecting him.
Two FIRs registered against Gupta in February this year accuse him of misusing state power by ordering illegal phone-tapping, forging official documents, and fudging evidence. According to the FIRs, these took place when he, as then chief of ACB and EOW, was investigating the Chhattisgarh PDS scam.
In the third case, registered three months later, Gupta was accused of using his influence as then SP of Durg district, and allegedly using manipulated documents to get land allotted in Bhilai Special Area Development Authority.
Gupta has fought these cases in court, and has been granted relief through a stay. The Supreme Court had also taken cognizance of his allegations of hounding by the police and issued notices to the state government, including CM Baghel.
Chhattisgarh DGP D M Awasthi said, “As the matter is sub judice, it would not be appropriate for me to say anything.”
Senior Congress leader R P Singh also pointed out that the matter is in court, and “what has to be said will be said in court.”
