Abuse of Power: Laina Rawat Seeks Rs 75 Million from State, Police

Laina Rawat, the daughter Dawood Rawat, former Chairman Emeritus of the defunct British American Investment (BAI) Group, is seeking Rs 75 million in damages from the state, the police commissioner, and former Assistant Police Commissioner Heman Jangi.

She accuses them of abuse of power and degrading treatment following her arrest on June 1, 2015.

The state, alongside the Commissioner and the former Assistant Commissioner, is represented by Me Niroshini Ramsoondar, Deputy Solicitor General, who contended that Rawat’s complaint, filed on 30th May 2017, is barred by the statute of limitations.

According to the Public Officers Protection Act, any legal action against police officers must be brought within two years.

Me Ramsoondar asserted that this timeframe commenced on 2nd April 2015, the day Bramer Bank’s licence was revoked and the BAI Group was dismantled.

However, Laina Rawat’s attorney, Me Rishi Hardowar, vehemently disputed this assertion, arguing that the two-year period should commence from the day of her arrest—1st June 2015.

The presiding judge, Véronique Kwok Yin Siong Yen, has reserved her decision.

In her complaint, Rawat alleged that she was unlawfully dismissed without compensation and subjected to a malicious campaign of defamation.

She recounted a harrowing experience of arbitrary arrest, describing her detention at Moka in appalling conditions.

She alleged that she was stripped and only released on bail on 2nd June 2015, facing provisional charges of fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy—charges that were eventually dismissed in April 2017 due to lack of evidence.

As this significant case unfolds, the implications of power, justice, and accountability hang heavy in the air, leaving many to ponder the boundaries of law and human dignity.

Source: Defi Media