The Uttarakhand High Court stayed the arrest of 26 persons named in an FIR connected to a farmer’s alleged suicide in Udham Singh Nagar. A vacation bench led by Justice Ashish Naithani sought the State’s reply and listed the matter for April 15.
DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand High Court has temporarily stayed the arrest of 26 individuals named in an FIR linked to the alleged suicide of a farmer in the Udham Singh Nagar district, and has instructed the state government to provide a response regarding the case.
A vacation bench led by Justice Ashish Naithani issued the interim order, scheduling the matter for further consideration on April 15.
The case concerns the death of Sukhwant Singh, a resident of Paiga village, who reportedly died by suicide in a hotel room in Haldwani, Nainital district, on January 11. Before taking this drastic step, Singh allegedly recorded and shared a video on social media, claiming he had been defrauded of nearly Rs. 4 crore in a land transaction and accusing the police of inaction and siding with the alleged fraudsters. Subsequent to his death, Singh’s brother, Parvinder Singh, filed a complaint naming 26 people including six women as defendants. In response, local police registered an FIR and initiated an investigation.
One of the accused, Kulwinder Singh, along with others, petitioned the Uttarakhand High Court for a stay on their arrest and sought to quash the FIR. The petitioners argued that they were not involved in the alleged land dispute and asserted that there was no personal or legal conflict between them and the deceased.
After considering their arguments, Justice Naithani granted an interim stay on the arrest and requested a detailed response from the state government. The judge set April 15 as the next hearing date. This decision offers temporary relief to the accused while the case is under judicial review, particularly in light of the serious allegations made in the suicide video and the extensive scope of the FIR.
The farmer’s family alleged that police had disregarded multiple complaints claiming he was “cheated out of around Rs 4 crore in a land deal.” In a Facebook Live video, the farmer expressed his loss of faith in the justice system, stating that false cases were being used to coerce him into a settlement.
Following the incident, two police personnel, including a station house officer (SHO), were suspended, while an additional 10 officers and another 10 personnel from the Paiga outpost were reassigned to Police Lines in Rudrapur.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered a magisterial inquiry led by Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the situation. Despite these actions, the Congress party has been calling for the suspension of SSP Manikant Mishra, asserting that merely penalizing junior officials will not suffice in addressing the issue.
Congress staged a protest in Dehradun over the suicide of the farmer who had blamed police “mental harassment and inaction” before fatally shooting himself.
Led by state Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal and Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya, party members marched from their state office on Rajpur Road and surrounded the police headquarters, demanding a CBI inquiry into the farmer’s death.
They also met with DGP Deepam Seth to deliver a memorandum requesting a CBI investigation. Other demands included the immediate dismissal of Udham Singh Nagar SSP Manikant Mishra, the registration of a case against him, and the arrest of all accused parties.
Godiyal stated,
“The law and order situation in the state has been deteriorating for a long time, and the farmer’s suicide in Kashipur is a clear example. A farmer was forced to take his life due to harassment by the police administration and arrogance of power, destroying an entire family.”
Arya emphasized that the farmer had directly named SSP Mishra in a video recorded before his death, alleging that the officer’s support for land mafias contributed to his decision to end his life. He expressed concern that the officer had not yet been removed, pointing out that “the same SSP accused of forcing the farmer to commit suicide formed an SIT to investigate the case.”
Earlier the former Chief Minister Harish Rawat declared that the Congress:
“will not remain silent until justice is done for the farmer’s family.”
The proceedings are expected to attract significant attention as the High Court assesses the merits of the petition and evaluates the government’s response in the weeks to come.