Uttar Pradesh: DGP issues directive to curb police extortion after High Court rebuke

To curb corrupt practices and the blackmailing of innocent citizens, the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) has issued a strict directive that no police officer is allowed to call or summon anyone without first recording the case in the Case Diary or making an entry in the General Diary.

The instruction comes in the wake of the Allahabad High Court’s directive to the state police to prevent the policemen from committing such illegal acts.

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State DGP Prashant Kumar issued a circular on May 23 to all the police commissionerates and district police chiefs to issue clear instructions to investigating officers and inquiry officers to not call complainants over the phone without mentioning in the Case Diary and General Diary.

There were several complaints related to extortion by police from innocent people on fake charges.

“There have been frequent allegations that police officers demand money from complainants over the phone in exchange for favourable reports. Recently, the Allahabad high court had raised concerns over such complaints and directed the police to take corrective measures,” a senior police official here on Wednesday confirmed.

In the circular, it has been clearly mentioned that the cops should record the details of conversations with the complainants over the phone to curb corrupt practices and corruption allegations.

The DGP issued this circular following the Allahabad High Court’s order, dated May 8, 2025, in which he was asked to issue directives to cops to not demand money from complainants for filing counter-affidavits by contacting them over the phone. The court issued this order while hearing a petition filed by one Kamlesh Kumar on May 5, 2025, alleging that an investigating officer in a complaint filed by him demanded money for filing a counter-affidavit in his favour.