New Delhi, February 27 The Supreme Court strongly criticized the Rajasthan Police on Friday for filing an FIR against the former regional head of Zee Rajasthan on charges of blackmail and extortion, based on a complaint from Zee Media, and said it was shocked by the manner in which the case was lodged.
Rejecting the FIR against Ashish Dave, the former regional head of Zee Rajasthan, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said that the investigating officer should have investigated the allegations and confirmed them before registering the complaint.
"We are shocked by the way the FIR was registered. Which specific allegation of extortion, which specific offense of misusing his position in the company was mentioned in the FIR and the complaint, which required the concerned police station to immediately register the FIR? Without any allegation at all! It's all fabricated – a complete fictional story," Justice Mehta observed.
The court remarked that the FIR was lodged only because the complainant (the media company) was a powerful agency.
"If a common citizen goes to the police station, would you register such an FIR? This FIR contained nothing. Simply because the complainant happens to be a powerful agency, you registered the FIR without any investigation.
"We are making serious comments about the conduct of the Rajasthan Police. What is this FIR? If a common citizen goes to the police station, they will be thrown out for such allegations. This is a fact you cannot deny. The complainant was so privileged that the police opened the doors for them and registered the FIR. Is this James Bond? Shoot first, think later?" the judge asked.
Dave had approached the Supreme Court against a Rajasthan High Court order that had refused to quash the FIR against him, stating that "Media professionals are expected to avoid causing undue harm to anyone by way of threats or extortion."
The channel management had lodged a complaint at Jaipur's Ashok Nagar police station against its then regional head, Dave, and others, on charges of cheating, criminal breach of trust, and criminal misconduct.
The alleged scam came to light after the channel received several complaints against Dave and others. Subsequently, a team from the company's head office visited the regional office, and during an internal inquiry, an employee was allegedly caught on CCTV fleeing with Rs 5 lakh from a locker.
Following the revelations, Dave and others were asked to resign by the channel management.
Dave had applied for anticipatory bail in the district and sessions court, which had denied him the relief. He then approached the Rajasthan High Court, which directed the Jaipur Police to complete the investigation within six weeks and submit evidence.