STATE Vs. BHAVANI SINGH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) On 6/5/1967, an application was presented by nine persons, all of whom were presumably school boys, to Shri Sohan Singh, Magistrate 1st Class, Lahehaul at Keylong, alleging that at about 6.30 p.m. on that day, whilthey were sitting in the local consumer's co-operative store building at Keylong, one Shri Dorje Angrup, a brother of Shri Sukh Dayal, storekeeper, was present in the upper storey of that very building. Shri Bhawani Singh, A.S.I. Station House Officer, Keylong Police Station, happened to pass that side on his way towards upper Keylong in the company of some other police men. Shri Dorje was about to throw out some water but he refrained from doing so on seeing these police officers. The police men mentioned above, however, entered Shri Dorje's residence by breaking open a window and arrested him.

(2.) What happened on presentation of this application, had better be reproduced as stated in the orders of the learned Magistrate himself : -

(3.) The learned Magistrate felt that the Station House Officer, Shri Bhawani Singh, A.S.I., was guilty of contempt of court in not obeying the Court orders promptly and in flouting them. He, however, considered himself helpless because in case he initiated proceedings for contempt of Court, there would be no agency at Keylong to execute his orders which would tend further to lower the dignity of the Court in the eyes of the people. A copy of this order was accordingly forwarded to the learned Sessions Judge, Mandi who has in turn forwarded it to this Court for perusal. Copies were also apparently forwarded to the Inspector General of Police, Himachal Pradesh, and to the District Magistrate, Lahaul & Spiti District at Key-long.