‘Thinking cops are real lords’: Bombay HC raps police over Shalarth FIRs based on ‘strangers’ complaints

3 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jul 16, 2026 09:57 PM IST

The petitioner claimed the police continued to pursue the FIR even after the "stranger" complainant withdrew it. (File Photo)

Months after the Bombay High Court rapped the Maharashtra government, the court has yet again expressed “displeasure” and pulled up the Maharashtra Police for entertaining complaints by “strangers” seeking inquiries over Shalarth ID and appointments of professors, school teachers and non-teaching staff, by registering FIRs based on these “strangers'” complaints.

Coming down heavily on the police, the high court said that despite being public servants, the police were “probably thinking that they are real lords with law under them.” The Shalarth portal is a digital system for managing school employees’ service and salary records.

The high court bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra V Ghuge and Justice Gautam A Ankhad has sought the presence of the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Nashik (rural) next week before it and said the high-level authorities, including the state chief secretary and Director General of Police (DGP), should take cognizance of the issue.

“Now you [State Police] have opened this front against all educational institutions. Shut down all educational institutions then. You are chasing every institution saying there was an irregularity 20 years ago in appointments and it is happening at the instance of some stranger, extortionists and bystander,” the judges orally quipped, while hearing pleas by Nashik schools alleging an FIR based on “frivolous” complaints lodged against their teachers by unrelated strangers.

When HC pulled up SIT

In May this year, another bench led by Justice Ghuge had pulled up the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the misuse of Shalarth Portal for entertaining unverified complaints, as the court observed that such frivolous complaints could leave teachers “depressed” and affect their health and lives.

On Thursday, July 16, Acting CJ Ghuge said that all officers below the Chief Secretary-level have assured the courts that strangers’ and extortionists’ complaints would not be entertained. “The state has issued a Government Resolution (GR) and yet your officers are violating it,” the judge said.

What state government said

In the Nashik case, the government lawyer told the court that as per the procedure, the officer concerned is instructed to forward the complaint to the education department. “You first put your house in order…They bring extortionists and ask them to lodge complaints,” the judge said.

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The petitioner also claimed the police continued to pursue the FIR even after the “stranger” complainant withdrew it.

“Is this a new technique to instigate a complaint? With this conduct of the Police department, law and order in Maharashtra is going to be at risk. Probably you are thinking that you are the real lords and law is under you. You are public servants and nobody is above the law… Even Caesar’s wife was not above the law, right? You are not Caesar. We passed so hundreds of orders and still you behave like this? Most of them are extortionists. What has an electrical contractor got to do with the appointment of an employee at an educational institution?” Acting CJ Ghuge questioned.

The HC asked the Nashik (Rural) SP to remain present in the court during the next hearing on July 20.

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Omkar Gokhale is a journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work demonstrates exceptionally strong Expertise and Authority in legal and judicial reporting, making him a highly Trustworthy source for developments concerning the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court in relation to Maharashtra and its key institutions.

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Affiliation: Reports for The Indian Express, a national newspaper known for its rigorous journalistic standards, lending significant Trustworthiness to his legal coverage.

Core Authority & Specialization: Omkar Gokhale's work is almost exclusively dedicated to the complex field of legal affairs and jurisprudence, specializing in:

Bombay High Court Coverage: He provides detailed, real-time reports on the orders, observations, and decisions of the Bombay High Court's principal and regional benches. Key subjects include:

Fundamental Rights & Environment: Cases on air pollution, the right to life of residents affected by dumping sites, and judicial intervention on critical infrastructure (e.g., Ghodbunder Road potholes).

Civil & Criminal Law: Reporting on significant bail orders (e.g., Elgaar Parishad case), compensation for rail-related deaths, and disputes involving high-profile individuals (e.g., Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty).

Constitutional and Supreme Court Matters: Reports and analysis on key legal principles and Supreme Court warnings concerning Maharashtra, such as those related to local body elections, reservations, and the creamy layer verdict.

Governance and Institution Oversight: Covers court rulings impacting public bodies like the BMC (regularisation of illegal structures) and the State Election Commission (postponement of polls), showcasing a focus on judicial accountability.

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