'Ghost' files FIR against 5 people: What happened next
In what can only be considered dereliction of duty, an investigating officer in a land dispute case allegedly recorded the statement of a dead man as if he were still alive. In 2014, an FIR was lodged in Kushinagar district, Uttar Pradesh against five members of a family by Shabd Prakash, who had passed away in 2011. However, the investigating officer recorded statements and filed a chargesheet, leading to the continuation of the case.
High Court judge questions Kushinagar SP
This bizarre case reached the Allahabad High Court after the accused, Purushottam Singh, along with his two brothers and two sons, challenged the police chargesheet. Their lawyer, Rajesh Kumar Singh, presented a death certificate submitted by Prakash's wife, Mamta, confirming her husband's death in 2011. The court was taken aback when it discovered that not only had the investigating officer filed the FIR in 2014 but had also recorded statements from the deceased.
Court orders investigation into unusual circumstances
Adding to the confusion, an affidavit opposing the petition in the high court was allegedly signed by the same deceased person in 2023. After reviewing these peculiar circumstances, the court quashed the chargesheet against Singh and his family members. Justice Saurabh Shyam Shamshery of the Allahabad HC questioned the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Kushinagar about how a deceased person could file an FIR.
Justice Shamshery expresses strong displeasure over the incident
"It appears that all the proceedings are undertaken by a ghost," the judge said. The court also ordered an investigation into how a deceased person could file a case and how an investigating officer could record a statement from someone who had passed away. Expressing strong displeasure over these events, Justice Shamshery directed that a copy of his order be sent to the president of the High Court Bar Association.
