The Jharkhand High Court has stayed the police investigation in cross FIRs arising from a Ranchi road accident involving an advocate and a software engineer. The Court granted interim protection, citing concerns over fairness, parallel probes, and attempts to give the case “another colour.”
In a significant development, the High Court of Jharkhand has stayed the ongoing police investigation in two criminal cases arising out of a road accident in Doranda, Ranchi. The interim order was passed on February 19 by Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi in the case of Manoj Tandon v. The State of Jharkhand through Director General of Police and Ors..
The matter relates to a road mishap that took place on February 17 between advocate Manoj Tandon and a software engineer. Following the incident, two separate FIRs were registered — one against Tandon and another filed by Tandon himself — leading to cross cases.
Tandon approached the High Court alleging that he was being harassed by the police and feared arrest without proper notice. He also questioned the fairness of the investigation, especially since two different investigating officers were handling the cross FIRs. According to him, this could lead to conflicting findings and injustice.
While hearing the matter, the Court noted that ordinarily, courts do not interfere with criminal investigations at an early stage. However, Justice Dwivedi observed that the present case raised larger issues that required judicial scrutiny.
The Court also took note of submissions made on behalf of the Centre and the CBI that attempts were being made to give “another colour” to the case, which could create serious law and order issues in the city.
Granting interim protection to Tandon, the Court remarked,
“The federal structure of our Constitution of India cannot be allowed to be destroyed and it is a duty of the High Court that once such type of matter is brought to the knowledge of the Court, the High Court is required to rise to the occasion,”
it added.
The High Court directed that no coercive steps be taken against Tandon for the time being. It also asked the Senior Superintendent of Police, Ranchi, to assess the situation and ensure that no harm comes to him. The interim protection will continue until responses are filed by the State of Jharkhand, the Central government and the CBI. The next hearing is scheduled for March 24, 2026.
As per reports, the incident occurred around 10 AM on February 17 when Tandon was allegedly on his way to the High Court. According to his version, a motorcycle suddenly swerved in front of his car and the two vehicles brushed against each other, leading to a heated argument.
However, the software engineer’s family has alleged that after a crowd gathered at the spot, Tandon drove away from the scene while the engineer was clinging to the bonnet of the car. They claimed that he drove nearly two kilometres in that condition and that the engineer was later assaulted after the vehicle stopped.
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Tandon has denied these allegations. He maintained that the collision was minor and did not justify any demand for compensation. His counsel also submitted that there is an alleged gang operating in Ranchi that intentionally hits vehicles to extort money from car owners.
In court, Tandon further claimed that after the incident, he was taken to Doranda police station and made to sit there from morning until about 5 PM without being formally arrested or served any statutory notice. He also alleged that his car was seized without preparation of a proper seizure memo. The State later informed the Court that seizure memos had since been prepared for both the car and the motorcycle.
Tandon’s counsel also referred to certain Instagram posts allegedly made by the engineer, claiming that they contained slogans linked to the banned organisation Popular Front of India (PFI). On this basis, it was argued that an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) may be required.
The plea also sought transfer of the investigation to an independent agency such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), citing apprehensions of bias and procedural irregularities.
After hearing the preliminary arguments from both sides, the High Court decided to grant interim protection and stay further investigation for the time being. The Court’s order aims to ensure fairness in the probe and prevent any possible misuse of process while responses are awaited from the authorities.
Advocates Ritu Kumar, AK Kashyap, Rajendra Krishna, Abhay Kumar Mishra, Siddharth Ranjan, Akansha Priya, Piyush Kumar Roy, Amritansh Vats and Karamjit Singh Chhabra appeared for the petitioner Manoj Tandon.
The State of Jharkhand was represented by Assistant Counsel to Government Advocate-III Deepankar. Central Government Counsel Kumar Vaibhav appeared for the Union of India, while Assistant Counsel to the Additional Solicitor General of India Shivani Jaluka represented the CBI.
The case is expected to further examine important questions regarding fair investigation, handling of cross FIRs, procedural safeguards during police inquiry, and the limits of judicial interference in ongoing criminal probes.
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