Ranchi, Oct. 13 : Jharkhand High Court today strongly chided South Chotanagpur inspector-general of police B.K. Pandey for staying investigations into three criminal cases against Bhavnathpur MLA Bhanu Pratap Sahi.

It observed: “Everyone involved in the case seems to have committed a mistake and it has become more of a blame game”. It directed the advocate-general to “assist the court and not try to save the IG’s skin”.

The bench earlier going through affidavits observed that Pandey had committed a serious blunder and was playing with the court. “When the protectors of law take law into their own hands, no one can feel safe and secure,” the bench made an oral observation.

The division bench, on the basis of reports that Garhwa additional chief judicial magistrate B.K. Mishra recalled arrest warrants issued against Sahi, had asked the officers concerned to appear in person and file separate affidavits. The three warrants had been returned because of a stay on further proceedings by Pandey, on the basis of which Mishra gave his order.

In his explanation, the Garhwa additional CJM blamed the bench clerk.

“The bench clerk had wrongly written the order sheet, which I signed in a hurry. There was heavy work pressure and in the view of the matter, I could not apply my judicious mind due to which a wrong order has come to force. A showcause notice has already been issued to the bench clerk,” Mishra said in his affidavit.

Pandey, in his affidavit, tried to shift the onus of recalling the warrants on the three investigating officers who moved the Garhwa CJM’s court to surrender the warrants.

Pandey further said Sahi wrote two letters to him stating that he was being framed in a false case as part of a political conspiracy. “Sahi mentioned that he was not feeling secure and had lost trust in the local police. He also requested me to look into the matter personally, after which I asked the Palamau range DIG to supervise and investigate the matter, and stayed further proceedings of the case,” Pandey wrote.

DSP Amarnath Mishra, investigating the Meral police station case 89/05, and Bhavnathpur police station sub-inspectors Lallan Singh and Bishwanath Oraon, investigating into case 132/05, told to the court that they received written directions from the Garhwa SP in September 2006 asking them to stop the proceedings by orders of the South Chotanagpur IG.

The next hearing is on November 3.