Sapna, a resident of Kalaburagi, accused Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Yeshwant Gurukar, who was also a District Executive Magistrate, of misconduct and threatening her while hearing her family dispute case.
Addressing a press conference in Kalaburagi on Thursday, the 36-year old homemaker also alleged that the officer had defamed her by making false allegations against her in the media when the matter was in court and misused his power to get a criminal case booked against her on the false charge of deterring a public servant from discharging his duty.
“The Assistant Commissioner (AC) Court in Kalaburagi had ordered me to vacate the house that I was sharing with my husband and mother-in-law and give the possession of the house to my father-in-law. I approached the High Court against the order and the High Court dismissed my appeal by asking me to appeal in the DC court. When I approached the DC court with the appeal on April 12, 2022, the DC objected to the criminal cases that I had filed against my husband and his parents for their harassment for dowry and domestic violence. He even threatened of booking a criminal case against me before sending me out,” Ms. Sapna said.
Ms. Sapna, on May 18, 2022, complained to Regional Commissioner, the Chief Minister, the Home Minister, and the Revenue Department secretary against the DC’s conduct.
“Enraged by my complaints to the higher-ups, the DC summoned me to his court on May 4, 2022. I went and submitted an affidavit requesting to hand over the case to another officer to hear. The officer got angry and asked the police to register a case against me. Accordingly, the police took me to the Station Bazaar police station and kept me there between 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. before sending me to jail on a false case. The DC later made baseless allegations in the media to defame me. The house was later given to the possession of my mother-in-law. Now, I am homeless and staying at my friend’s place temporarily,” Ms. Sapna said.
Ms. Sapna referred to an order given by the 3rd Additional JMFC Court in the case she had filed under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act and said that the court had allowed her to stay in the shared household till the disposal of the case.
“The court in 2018 ordered against dispossessing or disturbing living in the shared household till the disposal of the case. It is unfortunate that the DC overrode the JMFC Court’s order and threw me out of the house,” he said.
When The Hindu contacted Mr. Gurukar, he said that he had simply upheld the AC court order on merit and got the house vacated for Ms. Sapna’s mother-in-law, who was living at a rented house despite being the legal owner of the house.
“I upheld the AC order and get the house to the possession of her [Ms. Sapna’s] mother-in-law as per the provisions of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act. Her act of defiance to the magistrate court order would amount to contempt of court,” Mr. Gurukar said.
