SC slams UP police officer for defying its order, saying “I don’t follow any SC’s directions”
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has sharply criticised a police officer from Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district for openly defying its order and assaulting a petitioner who was under the Court’s interim protection.
The officer, identified as Gulaab Singh Sonkar, Station House Officer of Kandhai Police Station, had allegedly arrested and beaten the petitioner on April 23, 2025, despite a Supreme Court order dated March 28 granting protection from coercive action.
According to the complaint, when the petitioner showed the SHO a copy of the Court’s order, the officer responded in Hindi, saying, “Main kisi Supreme Court ka aadesh nahin manunga, mai tumhara sara High Court aur Supreme Court nikal dunga aaj” (I will not obey any Supreme Court order; I will get your entire High Court and Supreme Court removed today).
A bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria, hearing the contempt petition, expressed deep concern over the blatant defiance, observing that such conduct “pollutes the stream of justice under the guise of a police uniform.” The bench noted that the state government’s inquiry, conducted by an officer not below the rank of ADGP, had confirmed the willful disobedience.
“Prima facie, there is willful disobedience of the order of this Court by the first respondent, which requires to be dealt with an iron hand,” the bench stated.
While the Court was prepared to issue a stern order against the officer, it deferred its decision after the Uttar Pradesh government’s counsel assured that immediate action would be taken based on the inquiry report. The Court accepted the request for time and scheduled the next hearing for November 7, 2025.
The Court order recorded: “The learned AAG for the State, having perused the inquiry report, has assured that the Government will act immediately and inform the Court of the action taken by the next date of hearing. The matter will be re-listed on November 7, 2025.”
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Karnataka electoral roll SIR exercise to begin from June 20
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka will begin SIR of electoral rolls from June 20 as part of a nationwide exercise covering 16 states and three Union territories, CEO Anbu Kumar said on Friday.
The drive will cover more than 5.55 crore electors in the state, he said.
As per the schedule notified by the Election Commission (EC), preparation, training and printing activities will be carried out from June 20 to June 29 and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct house-to-house visits from June 30 to July 29.
The rationalisation of polling stations is scheduled to be completed by July 29. The draft electoral roll will be published on August 5, following which claims and objections can be filed between August 5 and September 4.
The notice phase and disposal of claims and objections will continue from August 5 to October 3, and the final electoral roll will be published on October 7, it said.
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Addressing a press conference here, CEO Kumar said that in Karnataka, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer is fully prepared to proceed with the SIR of electoral rolls.
As part of this exercise, we have successfully mapped 86.46 per cent of our voters, he said.
"The primary objective of this entire exercise is to ensure that every eligible voter is enrolled, while simultaneously ensuring that no ineligible individuals are included in the voter list. Therefore, I seek the support and cooperation of all the voters of Karnataka, all political parties, and our friends from the media," he added.
According to the statement issued by the CEO's office, 59,050 BLOs will be involved in the SIR of the electoral roll in the state. The exercise will cover approximately 5,55,74,064 electors in the state as of May 12.
The SIR is a participative and transparent exercise involving electors, political parties and the election machinery. During the revision process, BLOs will undertake house-to-house visits for the distribution and collection of enumeration forms, the statement said.
Stating that there are currently 25,284 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by recognised political parties, the CEO urged all recognised political parties to appoint BLAs for every polling station to ensure active participation and transparency in the revision process.
Electors have been requested to cooperate with BLOs during the house-to-house distribution and collection of enumeration forms.
Further details regarding the revision process, forms and schedule will be made available on the official websites of the District Election Officers, the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, and the Election Commission of India, the statement said.
