A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking a forensic voice examination in an alleged sexual misconduct case involving a senior Punjab IPS officer. The matter is slated for hearing on Monday.
The PIL, submitted by Supreme Court advocate Nikhil Saraf, follows inaction from the Punjab State Commission for Women and the Home Department on previous complaints. The Police Complaints Authority had earlier dismissed the case on technical grounds.
Represented by advocate Amit Sharma, the petitioner submitted two audio recordings via a USB drive, requesting forensic analysis to verify the authenticity of the voice and determine whether it matches that of the accused officer or has been artificially generated.
The controversy stems from two audio clips that surfaced in April. One reportedly features a male voice negotiating paid sex, while the other allegedly captures the same voice instructing a woman to send an explicit photo. Saraf claims the voice matches that of a senior police officer.
The PIL alleges that authorities failed to respond appropriately and also challenges a gag order issued earlier by a district magistrate, arguing it was imposed without verifying the clips’ authenticity. The High Court has already stayed that order in a separate case.
In a related development, a former woman constable, previously arrested under the NDPS Act, was granted bail by a Bathinda court on Thursday. Media reports suggest her case may be contextually linked to the PIL.
Saraf’s petition also urges the court to direct the Director General of Police to disclose the identity, rank, and current posting of the officer allegedly identified by the woman constable. He argues the case exposes institutional lapses and reflects broader failures in addressing misconduct by high-ranking officials.
