New Delhi: The Allahabad high court criticised Uttar Pradesh Police for its "falling standards" while referring to a "careless" affidavit filed in connection with an FIR (first information report) lodged against a journalist, The Telegraph has reported.

On June 20, the Uttar Pradesh Police booked freelance journalist Vineet Narain along with two others in connection with a social media post Narain had written, accusing a brother of senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader of land grabbing in Bijnore. A case was slapped against the accused under 14 sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Narain's June 19 post accused Sanjay Bansal, brother of VHP vice-president and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai, of grabbing 20,000 square metres from a cowshed run by Alka Lahoti, a social worker.

Narain talked about the alleged land grab on a YouTube show, ‘Loud Crisis'.

Also read: FIR Against Journalist, Two Others Who Questioned Ram Temple Trustee on Bijnor 'Land Grab'

When Bansal lodged a police complaint describing the social media post in question as a "conspiracy" and a "lie", the police booked Narain, Lahoti and Rajnish (a friend of Narain who allegedly visited the cowshed along with him) on the grounds that their post had created hatred on the basis of religion, besides accusing them of concocting evidence, cheating and trespassing. A clean chit was given to Bansal.

On July 28, when the case came up for hearing, the bench of Justices Surya Prakash Kesarwani and Piyush Agrawal served a notice on Bijnore superintendent of police (SP), Dharmveer Singh, ordering him to file an affidavit to demonstrate whether charges against the accused were justified.

Responding to the affidavit filed by the police, the court on Thursday, August 5, said, "A notarised affidavit of superintendent of police, respondent No. 2, alleging it to be a counter affidavit, without disclosing even name of the deponent (SP) and without any swearing clause, in a most careless manner, has been filed today, which, prima facie, indicates falling standard in the police department, particularly amongst its higher officers.”

The court further said the conduct of police (respondent No. 2) is "prima facie condemnable”.

The observations of the judges in the case were uploaded on the high court website on Friday, August 6.

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