The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed a Madhya Pradesh High Court order that imposed a ₹1 lakh penalty on police inspector Chain Singh Uikey for allegedly conducting a “misguided investigation” into the kidnapping and murder of two minor girls.
A bench of Justices K V Viswanathan and P B Varale issued notice to the MP Police and sought its response, noting that the officer was not granted an opportunity to defend himself before adverse remarks were made.
What the MP High Court had ruled
The High Court had overturned the death sentence of the accused, observing that the investigation was malicious and negligent.
It held the officer responsible for wrongly implicating an innocent man and directed that the penalty be recovered directly from him. The judgment also contained sharp observations against the probe, specifically in paragraphs 55 and 57.
Background of the case
The case dates back to April 4, 2022, when the bodies of two girls, aged five and three, were found in the Kudwa canal near Rajiv Sagar dam in Balaghat district. Police arrested their uncle after claiming the children were last seen with him.
A special court sentenced him to death in January 2024, but the High Court later acquitted him, citing serious lapses in the investigation.
