The Tripura High Court has strongly criticized the state police and the Home Department in connection with an alleged custodial torture case involving a young man, Saikat Saha. 

A Division Bench headed by the Chief Justice rejected an affidavit submitted by an Under Secretary of the Home Department and directed the department to initiate action against the official for allegedly misleading the court.

According to advocate Purushottam Roy Barman, the case relates to an incident on April 4, when Saikat Saha was allegedly picked up from his residence by personnel associated with the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) Task Force and taken to East Agartala Police Station, where he was subjected to torture.

The alleged incident is linked to a construction project at Saha’s residence. It was claimed that AMC Task Force official Rabindra Narayan Ghosh demanded a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from Saha in connection with the construction work. When Saha reportedly refused to pay, he was allegedly detained and tortured at the police station. The case was subsequently brought before the High Court.

Expressing lack of confidence in the police investigation, the High Court had earlier directed the state government to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT). On Wednesday, the SIT submitted its investigation report before the Division Bench.

The SIT report reportedly confirmed that Saikat Saha was tortured inside East Agartala Police Station. This finding contradicted earlier submissions made to the court by a woman police officer, who had stated that no torture had taken place within the police station premises. Similarly, an affidavit filed by an Under Secretary of the Home Department had also claimed that Saha was not tortured while in police custody.

The investigation further found that Saha had been detained based on a complaint lodged by an Assistant Commissioner of the Agartala Municipal Corporation. However, the SIT reportedly found no basis for that complaint.

After examining the SIT report, the High Court directed the Home Department to take appropriate action against the concerned Under Secretary for allegedly attempting to mislead the court. The court also observed that Saikat Saha’s arrest was illegal.

A police Sub-Inspector involved in the case has already been suspended from service. Contempt of court proceedings had been initiated against the officer. Appearing before the court on Wednesday, the accused officer attempted to defend his actions, but the court made it clear that appropriate action would be taken against him in the contempt case.

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on June 23. The High Court has directed the Commissioner of the Agartala Municipal Corporation to file an affidavit before the next hearing.

It may be recalled that after the alleged torture, Saikat Saha’s mother had submitted written complaints to the Municipal Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police of West Tripura district. However, no significant action was reportedly taken until the matter reached the High Court.

With the court issuing stern directions and questioning the conduct of officials, the case has emerged as a significant test of accountability within the state administration and law enforcement agencies.