High Court Rules Ritu Maloo’s Midnight Arrest Legal, Cancels Judge’s Intervention
Nagpur, India: The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has canceled Principal District and Sessions Judge Dinesh Surana’s decision to file a criminal revision application regarding the midnight arrest of Ritu Maloo. Maloo is accused in the Ram-Jhula accident case, which took the lives of two young people on February 25, 2024.
The High Court, in its decision, said there was no clear reason for Judge Surana to step in. The court found no issue with the Magistrate’s original order that allowed the CID to arrest Maloo after sunset and before sunrise. The CID had arrested her just after midnight on September 26 from her home in Deshpande Layout, Wardhaman Nagar.
On September 30, Judge Surana took suo motu (on his own) action to question the legality of the midnight arrest and asked the court to file a revision application. However, the High Court ruled this action unnecessary and illegal, stating that it served no purpose as the arrest had already taken place, and the investigation had moved forward.
The case was brought to the High Court by a petitioner, Shahrukh Zia Mohammad, who challenged Judge Surana’s actions. The court ruled in favor of the petitioner, emphasizing that the original arrest order was lawful, and there was no need for further intervention.
Lawyers Amol Hunge, Shreerang Bhandarkar (representing Maloo), Senior Advocate Firdoz Mirza, and Government Pleader Devendra Chavan (for the State) were involved in the case.
This ruling has confirmed that the midnight arrest of Ritu Maloo was legal, and the suo motu action taken by Judge Surana was unnecessary.
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