1 week ago
Former Civil Servants Condemn Delhi Police Detention of Ashish Joshi
On September 2, Delhi Police took retired officer Ashish Joshi away while he was on a morning walk.
He was questioned for several hours and returned home that evening.
Joshi said the questioning involved things he had posted on social media.
One of those posts discussed alleged disagreements between senior officials after protests in Delhi.
Another report said the FIR concerned a post about Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Joshi said he received the FIR only on September 7 after going to court.
A group of 108 former civil servants said the police had not followed important fairness rules.
They asked police to inform families quickly and respect people’s constitutional rights.
Retired 1992-batch officer Ashish Joshi was picked up during a morning walk on September 2 and questioned for several hours by plainclothes Delhi Police personnel.
The Constitutional Conduct Group, comprising 108 former civil servants, called the detention an alleged unconstitutional use of police power.
Joshi said he was questioned about a post concerning alleged tensions between senior officials after student protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
A separate FIR reportedly concerned his August 26 call for a “Nuremberg-style trial” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The group said Joshi was not promptly given the FIR or his family informed of his whereabouts, and urged police to follow constitutional and legal safeguards.
- Who
- Retired civil servant Ashish Joshi, the Delhi Police Special Cell, and 108 former civil servants in the Constitutional Conduct Group.
- What
- Joshi was detained and questioned over social-media posts; the former civil servants criticized the alleged failure to promptly provide the FIR and inform his family.
- Where
- Delhi, India; the FIR was obtained through the Chief Judicial Magistrate, New Delhi district.
- When
- Joshi was questioned on September 2 and received the FIR on September 7; he was released around 7:30 p.m. on September 2.
- Why
- The questioning was linked to social-media posts, including posts about Delhi protests and senior officials, and a separate post concerning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Former Civil Servants’ Criticism
Reported Police Case
Legality and proportionality
Former Civil Servants’ Criticism
The Constitutional Conduct Group said using the Special Cell to question a retired civil servant over social-media posts, without promptly providing the FIR or informing his family, appeared disproportionate and unconstitutional.
Reported Police Case
The articles report that police registered an FIR under provisions concerning provocation with intent to cause a riot, but they do not provide a police response to the group’s criticism.
Posts linked to questioning
Former Civil Servants’ Criticism
Joshi said he was questioned about a post alleging a dispute between senior officials following police action against students at Jantar Mantar.
Reported Police Case
A separate report said the FIR concerned Joshi’s August 26 call for a “Nuremberg-style trial” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Key facts
- Person questioned
- Ashish Joshi, a retired 1992-batch Indian Post and Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service officer.
- Date of detention
- September 2
- Questioning duration
- Several hours; one account describes approximately 10 hours.
- Release time
- Around 7:30 p.m. on September 2
- FIR timing
- Joshi said he received a copy on September 7 after approaching the Chief Judicial Magistrate, New Delhi district.
- Signatories
- 108 former civil servants from the Constitutional Conduct Group.
- Group’s concern
- The group said the conduct raised Article 21, due-process and free-speech concerns.
Quotes
Constitutional Conduct Group
A group of former bureaucrats that includes Ashish Joshi
“We reiterate that no citizen, least of all a former public servant who has served the nation with dedication and honesty for over three decades, should be subjected to arbitrary detention or interrogation without due process.”
theprint.in
“CCG stands in full support of Shri Ashish Joshi’s efforts to secure his Constitutional rights and urges all concerned authorities to act in a manner consistent with the rule of law and the values of the Constitution”
theprint.in
Sources
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