Police arrive at Maloo’s door with court notice, family gets into scuffle

Nagpur: Tehsil police personnel, who went to serve the notice of judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) to Ram Jhula accident accused Ritika Maloo at her New Deshpande Layout residence on Friday, had to face tumultuous resistance, including a near scuffle-like situation with a woman cop at the receiving end. The notice was accepted after much drama at the Maloo residence, as per top police sources and court records.
The prosecution took cognizance of the shocking obstruction to a public servant while discharging official duty by Maloo family and placed it on court record, but police are yet to register an offence. The shocking incident just finds a mention in the station house diary.

The court had issued a notice to Ritika to remain present at 3pm on Saturday after Tehsil police moved an application to re-arrest her on Friday. She was earlier released on Tuesday by JMFC court after police sought her remand.
Sources stated a team from Tehsil police station, including a senior woman cop, had reached the residence of the Maloo family to serve the court notice. As per the document filed in JMFC court, the Maloos first refused to receive the notice, stating they would not accept it without consulting their advocates.
Unable to convince them, police opted to paste the court notice on the wall or door of their residence, which the Maloos opposed, stating they would not allow such action in their premises. Shockingly, the Maloos repeatedly told policemen to come back the next day, despite the notice being from court. The episode is now part of court record.
Amidst an escalating confrontation, the woman cop tried to contact the police station and videographed the standoff. One of the family members of Maloos charged at her and even tried to snatch the cell phone, as per the document submitted in court. The woman cop had to confront Maloo’s family member to ensure her cell phone was not taken away. Sources stated the notice was finally accepted by a family member after the altercation.
Though senior police officials stated cops are yet to register offence, legal experts stated the incident definitely attracts Section 132 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for obstructing a public servant from discharge of official duty.
“The incident draws criminal penal provisions as police had reached the Maloo residence to serve a court notice and they confronted cops engaged in official duty,” said the legal expert.
Ritika, whose rashly driven car rammed a scooter leading to deaths of two youngsters, Mohd Atif and Mohd Hussain Mustafa, on February 25, had surrendered before Tehsil police on Monday earlier this week after the high court rejected her anticipatory bail plea.