High Court seeks Punjab government response on plea for forensic probe into audio clips involving IPS officer
Chandigarh: The
Punjab and Haryana high court
has directed the Punjab govt to submit an affidavit responding to explosive allegations involving a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer caught on
audio recordings
allegedly linked to a
cash-for-sex scandal
.
The directive came from a division bench comprising chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sumeet Goel during a hearing on a public-interest petition filed by Nikhil Saraf. The court said it would address the petitioner's legal standing only after receiving the state's response.
Clips raise misconduct questions
The PIL includes two audio recordings that the petitioner claims feature a senior
IPS officer
. In one, a man with a voice resembling that of the officer is allegedly heard negotiating paid sex, requesting "unusual services", and bargaining with a woman arranging the meeting. In the second clip, the same voice instructs a woman — changing out of uniform reportedly — to send explicit images to a group chat.
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Petitioner's counsel, advocate Amit Sharma, told the court the matter signals "a serious collapse of institutional accountability," accusing law enforcement agencies of silence and inaction in the face of serious misconduct. "This is a matter where institutional silence strikes a blow at the core of our constitutional values," Sharma argued before the bench.
Alleged link to drug case
Sharma also drew attention to a related Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case, in which a woman constable was arrested with heroin and luxury goods. During her arrest, she allegedly invoked the same IPS officer's name — further deepening concerns of collusion and systemic rot. Citing delays, selective inaction, and a broader pattern of institutional failure, Sharma said the case typified a repeated lack of accountability for senior officials.
'Govt objections, legal hurdles'
The Punjab govt opposed the public-intertest petiton, arguing that the petitioner lacked locus standi and should have approached a magistrate to seek an FIR (first-information report). However, Sharma countered that the newly introduced Section 175(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) complicates this process. He explained that under the provision, a magistrate would first need to seek a report from the accused official's employer and allow the officer a chance to respond before taking cognizance — a process he described as a protective barrier for officials, potentially undermining justice.
The petitioner said complaints were filed with several statutory bodies, including the chief minister's Office, the home department, the Punjab Police Complaints Authority, and the Punjab State Women's Commission. Only the CMO responded, referring the complaint to the home department, which allegedly took no action. Other agencies either rejected the complaint on technical grounds or failed to respond. The court ordered the Punjab govt to file its affidavit before the next hearing, scheduled for July 17.
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