Notice to cops for ‘sitting on’ Sassoon suggestion

The magistrate’s court on Monday sought an explanation from the investigating officer on why the police sat on Sassoon General Hospital’s recommendation to send Mane to Yerawada mental hospital for two days before acting on it. Judicial magistrate first class Umeshchandra More issued a show-cause notice to ACP Rajendrasinh Mohite through Commissioner of Police Meeran Borwankar in this regard.

According to the notice,Mane was arrested on January 25 and produced before the court on January 26,when the court granted him police custody till February 3. On January 28,the police produced Mane before the court again,claiming that Sassoon General Hospital had recommended that he be kept under observation in a closed psychiatric set-up at the regional mental hospital,Yerawada. However,this recommendation letter was received by the police from Sassoon on January 25,which,as per the court,was not submitted while seeking Mane’s police custody on January 26.

The judge observed that despite a Supreme Court order which allowed the court to grant police or magisterial custody not exceeding 15 days,the police said that the investigations were over and that Mane’s police custody was not needed and hence prayed for magisterial custody. “In my opinion,all these things are irrelevant and warrant an explanation,” the judge said.