NEW DELHI: Justices AS. Anand and M.K, Mukherjee reserved judgment at the Supreme Court last week on the appeals by Ms. Ruppan Deol Bajaj and her husband, B.R, Bajaj.
The two senior IAS officers of the Punjab cadre had appealed against a Punjab & Haryana High Court judgment which upheld the claim of privilege by Director General of Punjab Police K.P.S. Gill on the noting’s between the then Adviser, Julio Ribeiro, and Governor .S. Ray on the DGP’s attitude to women while under the influence of liquor.
In July 1988, Ms. Bajaj lodged a report with the Inspector General of Police, Chandigarh Administration, alleging that her modesty was outraged by Gill at a dinner given by Financial Commissioner S.L.. Kapur on the 18th of the month at which 50 people including high-ranking officials and members of the Press were present.
In November 1988, the investigating agency concluded that the evidence on record did not substantiate Ms. Bajaj’ allegations against Gill.
Ms. Bajaj and her husband then lodged an FIR and a private complaint respectively in the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Chandigarh.
Gill filed a petition in the Punjab & Haryana High Court praying for the quashing of the FIR as no offence had been disclosed against him.
In January 1989, the Magistrate holding the inquiry summoned the note recorded by Ribeiro on July 28, 1988, and the orders thereon by Governor S.S. Ray. The latter said that Gill should be warned about his behavior to women while under the influence of liquor and the matter should be closed at that. Gill’s plea that the notes exchanged between Ribeiro and Ray were privileged was not accepted by the Magistrate but on appeal the High Court upheld the claim for privilege.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 29, 1995
