A special court directed the Navi Mumbai police commissioner to conduct an inquiry into a complaint by an accused that the police escort party bringing him and others from Taloja jail to the Mumbai City Civil and Sessions court was taking their photographs.
Nadeem Akhtar, facing trial for the 2011 triple blasts in Mumbai, told the special court earlier this month that while he and others were being brought to court, two head constables from the police team began taking photos of the accused on his phone.
He submitted that when they opposed it, the official scolded them. Akhtar told the court that they had an apprehension that the photographs could have been taken for the purpose of identification to show witnesses and hence they were opposing it.
“Considering contention the accused no.2 (Akhtar) in person, referred herein above, Commissioner of Police, Navi Mumbai is directed to conduct inquiry about the incident complained by the accused no.2 Nadeem Akthar Shaikh and submit report to this Court. He is further directed to issue necessary directions to the escorting officials not to click/snapped photos and record video graphs of the under trial prisoners while taking them to the Court and taking back to the prison,” the court said in its order.
Accused in jail facing trial are brought before the court by police officials of various commissionerate depending on the jurisdiction in which the jail is.
The escort party picks up the accused based on the schedule dates in court from jail and they are brought under their security to the court where they are produced and then taken back after a warrant is issued.
Akhtar had sought an inquiry against the two officials citing that they are not permitted to take photos or videos of the undertrials, following which the court passed the order for the Navi Mumbai police commissioner to inquire into it.
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