Meghalaya HC quashes FIR against former DGP L K Bishnoi

Shillong, Feb 19: The Meghalaya High Court has quashed an FIR and charge sheet against former Director General of Police (DGP) Dr. Lajja Ram Bishnoi, ruling that the charges lacked legal merit.

The case stemmed from an FIR filed on May 9, 2024, by suspended police officer Gabriel K. Iangrai, who accused Bishnoi of misusing and tampering with the registration number of his official vehicle. The FIR included charges under Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust), 467 (forgery), 471 (using forged documents), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC, and Section 192 of the Motor Vehicles Act. However, following an investigation, only a charge under Section 192 of the MV Act (using a vehicle without proper registration) was included in the charge sheet filed on September 19, 2024.

Justice B. Bhattacharjee noted that while Bishnoi used an Assam-registered Kia Carnival Limousine, the Meghalaya government had approved its use under state registration. However, no specific Meghalaya registration number had been assigned. The charge sheet alleged that the vehicle was used with the number “ML-02-A-0001,” which belonged to a different police department vehicle, but there was no evidence that Bishnoi had instructed this.

Furthermore, the Transport Department’s conditions were found to be contradictory. While approval was granted for the vehicle’s use under Meghalaya registration, it did not specify a particular registration number, making the basis of the charge unclear.

The court highlighted that Section 192 of the MV Act is a non-cognizable offense, meaning police could not investigate or file a charge sheet without prior approval from a Magistrate. Since no such approval was obtained, the charge sheet was deemed invalid under Section 155(2) of the CrPC.

The court also took note of Bishnoi’s claim that the FIR was filed with an ulterior motive, as the complainant, Iangrai, had been suspended and faced multiple proceedings during Bishnoi’s tenure as DGP.

Concluding that the charges were baseless and procedurally flawed, the High Court quashed the FIR and charge sheet, bringing the case to a close.