“Betrayal of Trust”: Allahabad HC Denies Bail to Ex-Cop in Bikru Ambush Case
Last Updated on October 17, 2024 by Amit Patra
In what is being seen as a strong message against police corruption, the Allahabad High Court has rejected the third bail application of Krishna Kumar Sharma, a dismissed UP Police Sub-Inspector accused in the infamous 2020 Bikru ambush case. Justice Saurabh Shyam Shamshery’s verdict stressed upon the gravity of betrayal by the police personnel themselves siding with the criminal elements.
The case relates to an infamous incident in which eight policemen were ambushed and killed by gangster Vikas Dubey and his associates after an alleged leakage of information about a raid that was to be conducted by police. Sharma, who was then posted at Chaubeypur Police Station, was accused of being on good terms with Dubey and intentionally compromising the raid by leaking vital information about it to the gangster’s gang.
The grounds of rejection of the Court are based on several factors, inter alia, like serious charges under different sections of the IPC, the Criminal Law Amendment Act, and the Explosive Substances Act. Though Sharma has already undergone four years imprisonment, the bench underlined that the fact he was a law enforcement officer who broke the trust resulted in the ultimate loss of his colleagues’ lives weighed heavier in counting against his release.
This case had, of late, attracted some salient judicial remarks on the issue of corruption in the police force. In one rejection of bail, Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava had pointed out the disturbing trend where police personnel showed more solidarity with criminals than with their department and caused loss to the reputation and credibility that accrues to the force.
Sharma’s termination of service in 2022 came after an internal inquiry confirmed his complicity in leaking sensitive operational information. The firmness of the court’s stand, through three refusals of bail, has demonstrated the judiciary’s commitment to accountability within law enforcement agencies.
While denying Sharma immediate relief, the Court has left a window open for him to file a fresh bail application-after six months, of course-provided an update on the trial status is included in the application. In so deciding, the Court has effectively weighed the seriousness of the betrayal alleged with the probability of amelioration with the progress of the trial.
This conviction serves as a stern reminder of the fate that awaits police officers who breach their duty and betray the trust placed in them by colleagues, further entrenching the judiciary’s role of ensuring police integrity and professional ethics.
