Rajasthan Police Admits Lapses in Arresting Two from Delhi Without Due Process. Inquiry launched; Delhi High Court seeks CCTV footage, report by Oct 8.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court was informed on Wednesday that the Rajasthan Police has started an inquiry against its own officials who allegedly arrested two persons from Delhi without informing either their parents or the local police.
The incident happened on September 26 and has now come under judicial scrutiny.
The matter was heard by a division bench of Justices Jyoti Singh and Anish Dayal. On Tuesday, the bench had already raised serious questions against the Rajasthan Police for not following proper legal procedure.
The case reached the high court after the mother of one of the boys filed a habeas corpus petition. She claimed that her 15-year-old son and her relative’s 17-year-old son had been illegally detained.
Interestingly, the high court also noted on Tuesday that the two arrested boys were relatives of a tribal man who allegedly died in April this year while in the custody of the Madhya Pradesh Police.
On Wednesday, the Rajasthan Police filed a status report before the court and admitted that its officers had not followed due procedure.
They said that an official inquiry was now underway. The status report confirmed that the lapses were serious enough for the department to take action.
The bench recorded.
“Vandita Rana, SP, Ajmer, Rajasthan, has joined the court proceedings through video conferencing and submits that inquiry has been initiated against the erring officials and the report shall be rendered on or before October 8, 2025. She assures the court that the matter will be handled with responsibility and sensitivity, considering the background of the case,”
At the same time, Rajasthan Police told the court that a medical board had been set up at Government JLN Hospital in Ajmer to verify the ages of the arrested boys. The board confirmed that both of them were above 19 years of age.
The bench accepted this submission but still directed the Rajasthan Police to file an updated status report along with a copy of the inquiry report at the next hearing. The court also instructed the Delhi Police to produce CCTV footage from the Hari Nagar area, where the two boys were allegedly taken away.
The court further ordered that still photographs from the relevant part of the footage must be placed in a sealed cover for judicial review.
The bench said that the CCTV footage must be preserved until further orders are given. The next hearing has been scheduled for October 8.
The case has its roots in the complaint made by a woman who sells toys as a street hawker at Dussehra Park near Bharti College, Janakpuri.
She alleged that on September 26,
“her 15-year-old son and her relative’s 17-year-old son were ‘illegally and forcibly’ taken away by unknown persons in civilian clothes.”
She further claimed that when her relatives went to the Janakpuri Police Station at around 9 pm, they were told to approach Hari Nagar Police Station instead.
According to her, multiple attempts to file missing complaints at both police stations failed, and the children’s whereabouts were unknown until she moved the Delhi High Court.
This matter also connects to a larger issue being monitored by the Supreme Court. On September 25, the apex court pulled up the Madhya Pradesh government and the CBI for not suspending absconding police officers accused in custodial death cases.
The Supreme Court warned that it might initiate contempt proceedings.
The top court observed that the officials had been
“absconding since April and had not been suspended.”
It is presently hearing a contempt plea filed by the mother of the 24-year-old tribal victim, who alleged that authorities had failed to comply with the Supreme Court’s May 15 order transferring the investigation from Madhya Pradesh Police to the CBI.
The Delhi High Court’s latest intervention in the Rajasthan Police case now adds another layer of judicial oversight on how state police forces handle sensitive custodial and arrest matters, especially when minors and vulnerable communities are involved.
Case Title:
Kapoori Bai v. State of NCT of Delhi & Ors
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