BIJU SEBASTIAN Vs. SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Petitioners have approached this Court complaining of alleged police harassment. The prayers in the writ petition read as follows:

(2.) Briefly put, the case of the petitioners is as follows: Petitioners are arrayed as accused in some cases which arose purely from the transactions of certain extent of lands. Petitioners 1 and 2 were called to the office of the 2nd respondent where they were abused, threatened and intimidated. The subject matter of the cases are pending consideration before civil courts. While the petitioners are on bail, the 2nd respondent unnecessarily, illegally and arbitrarily with malafide intention is demanding to settle the dispute between respondents 3 to 7 and the petitioners and is asking to pay huge amounts to the 4th respondent and his team whose characters and antecedents are bad. The 4th respondent and his wife 5th respondent have been keeping grudge and vengeance on the 3rd petitioner since 2007 due to his ouster from a partnership firm in which the 3rd petitioner is the Managing Partner. The demands to withdraw the criminal and civil cases pending against them instituted by the 3rd petitioner and to pay off huge amounts to the 4th respondent are made by the 2nd respondent. Hence, the writ petition seeking the above said reliefs.

(3.) We heard the learned counsel for the petitioners and learned Government Pleader. Learned Government Pleader, on instructions, would submit that apart from the crimes registered, mass representations were received stating that the petitioners are money lenders and after lending money they are grabbing the properties. We dispose of the writ petition as follows. It will be open to the police officers to investigate the matter in accordance with law. But, we make it clear that, under the guise of investigation there will be no harassment to the petitioners.