IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY NAGPUR BENCH : NAGPUR CRIMINAL WRIT PETITION NO.1012/2025 Pritam s/o Harilal Khandate .Vs. Director General of Police, State of Maharashtra, Home Ministry, Maharashtra and ors.

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Office Notes, Office Memoranda of Coram, Court's or Judge's orders appearances, Court's orders of directions and Registrar's orders ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr S. Chavhan, Advocate for petitioner. Mr. S. S. Doifode, A.P.P. for respondents.

CORAM : ANIL L. PANSARE AND NIVEDITA P. MEHTA, JJ.

DATE : JANUARY 8, 2026.

The petitioner, who claims to be a practicing lawyer, has approached this Court with following prayers.

“1. Issue a writ of mandamus or any other appropriate writ, order, or direction, directing the Respondent- Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-2, Sitabuldi, Nagpur, to place on record before this Hon'ble Court the CCTV footage pertaining to the incident dated 16.09.2025 from his office chamber, so as to disclose the true and complete sequence of events.

2. Issue a writ of mandamus or any other appropriate writ, order, or direction, directing the State Government or the competent authority to initiate a departmental inquiry and to take appropriate disciplinary action against the Respondent-Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-2, for his arbitrary, high-handed, abusive, and unbecoming conduct in assaulting and humiliating the Petitioner and other advocates while they were engaged in the lawful discharge of their professional duties.;

3. Issue a writ of mandamus or any other appropriate writ, order, or direction, directing the State Government to ensure adequate protection and safeguards for members of the legal fraternity, so that advocates may perform their professional duties fearlessly, independently, and without any form of obstruction, intimidation, or interference from any quarters.

4. Issue a writ of mandamus or any other appropriate writ, order, or direction, directing the Respondent-State Authorities to forthwith initiate an independent, impartial, and thorough investigation into the incident dated 12.09.2025 concerning the assault on Advocate Shri Pritam H. Khandate, and to register appropriate offences under the correct and applicable provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanita, 2023, against the accused persons, without any delay or dilution.;

5. Pass such other and further orders as this Hon'ble Court may deem fit, just, and proper in the interest of justice and in the facts and circumstances of the present case.”

2. The reason for such prayers is that on 12.09.2025, petitioner was assaulted by certain criminal elements with weapons, as a result of which he sustained grievous injuries on vital parts of the body. The petitioner submits that despite such serious offence, crime was registered on 13.09.2025, vide Crime No. 584/2025 only under Section 118(1), 351(3) of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023 (“BNS”), thereby downplaying gravity of the assault. On 16.09.2025, the petitioner along with other advocates approached office of respondent No.3 - Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-2, Sitabuldi, Nagpur, requesting him to invoke stringent penal provisions. The Deputy Commissioner of Police, instead of redressing the grievance, allegedly displayed hostility, found fault in the written complaint lodged by the petitioner and directed his subordinate to physically push the petitioner out of his chamber. The petitioner on 17.09.2025, requested for CCTv footage under the Right to Information Act, 2005. According to the petitioner, CCTv footage discloses assault on three advocates. Hence, the aforesaid prayer.

3. Thus, the basic grievance of the petitioner was that police has not taken cognizan