Bombay High Court Reviews Allegations of Police Misconduct
This past Wednesday, the Bombay High Court responded to a significant writ petition submitted by two female advocates, Kirti Ahuja and Kanika Ahuja. The petition alleges grave misconduct by senior Pune Police officials, including allegations of a late-night abduction, physical assault, and custodial torture. The case, titled Kirti Ahuja and Anr v. State of Maharashtra & Ors, seeks either an independent judicial inquiry or a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter.
The petition names not only the State of Maharashtra and the CBI but also high-ranking police officials such as Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar and Additional Commissioner Tejasvi Satpute. A judicial Bench comprising Justices Sarang V Kotwal and Ranjitsinha R Bhonsale has issued notices to these respondents and scheduled the next hearing for two weeks from now.
Allegations of Midnight Police Raid
According to the allegations, a contingent of approximately 200 police personnel forcibly entered Kirti Ahuja’s home in Pune at around 1:40 AM on June 17, 2026. The advocates claim that the police arrived in unmarked private vehicles and police vans, equipped with gas cutters and sticks. Notably, many officers were reportedly in civilian attire without identification badges. The raid allegedly involved the illegal detention of 24 individuals, including guests, tenants, an elderly woman, and an infant, all without proper search warrants.
Kanika Ahuja has further claimed that male officers physically assaulted her, tearing her clothes and causing injuries to her chest and back. The advocates suggest that this raid was an attempt to disrupt a significant civil litigation case they were managing against key real estate developers. They accuse the police of severing power lines, disabling CCTV cameras, and looting valuables, cash, and original legal documents.
Discrepancies in Police Procedure
Further compounding their claims, the petition highlights discrepancies in the police records. While the police maintained that their actions were based on a First Information Report (FIR), records showed that this FIR was filed at 4:12 AM, several hours after the initial detentions.
The advocates also expressed concerns about the handling of their administrative complaint to the Director General of Police, Maharashtra. They alleged that the complaint was casually redirected to the very officers they accused.
In light of these developments, the petitioners are advocating for a judicial inquiry led by a sitting or retired High Court judge, as well as the criminal prosecution of the officers involved.
