Constable dismissed for taking HC judge's car for joyride, crashing it

Nagpur: A police constable has been dismissed from service for taking an official car of a High Court judge for a joyride and crashing it into an electric pole, a senior official said here on Tuesday.

Besides dismissing him, Nagpur police commissioner Amitesh Kumar also directed recovery of the car’s repairs cost from the constable’s pocket, he said.

The constable, who had joined the police force in 2016, was posted on guard duty at the official bungalow of Justice Valmiki Sa Menezes of the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court.

On April 4, he took a car assigned to the judge for a ride without permission. While passing through Vayusena Nagar, he crashed it into an electric pole, the official said. The front portion of the car was severely damaged, but the constable brought the car back to the judge’s bungalow and parked it there without informing anyone about the accident, he said.

Sadar Police initially registered a case against an unidentified person but investigation, aided by CCTV footage, revealed the constable’s role.

Following an inquiry, the police commissioner on Monday dismissed him from service and also ordered recovery of Rs 2.28 lakh from his retirement benefits towards the cost of the car’s repairs, the official said.