Punjab and Haryana High Court Adjourns PIL on IPS Officer’s Suicide

The plea, filed by Navneet Kumar, President of a Haryana-based NGO, calls for an independent inquiry into the circumstances of the officer’s death, citing concerns over the impartiality of the Chandigarh Police investigation.

Officer Kumar reportedly shot himself at his residence in Chandigarh on October 7, leaving a suicide note blaming several officers, including Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and then Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya. The note also contained allegations of caste-based discrimination and harassment.

Court Proceedings

A bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry adjourned the PIL after counsel for the petitioner requested time to make submissions.

The plea highlighted that the death of a senior public servant under mysterious circumstances has caused nationwide concern, undermining public confidence in the civil services accountability mechanisms.

Allegations of Systemic Issues

The petitioner noted the recovery of multiple suicide notes, including one allegedly written nearly a month in advance, explicitly naming eight IPS officers and two IAS officers as responsible for the death.

The plea suggested that these facts point to a possible systemic abetment, caste-based persecution, and criminal conspiracy within the institutional framework in which the deceased served.

Concerns Over Ongoing Investigation

It was further submitted that the Chandigarh Police, currently investigating the matter, faces territorial, institutional, and administrative limitations.

Since the deceased was a Haryana cadre officer, and the UT Administration is closely linked to both Haryana and Central establishments, these conflicts of interest render the ongoing investigation neither impartial nor effective.

Case Title: Navneet Kumar v/s Union Territory of Chandigarh and Others