Jaunpur (UP), Jul 12 (PTI) Four police personnel, including a station house officer, and a revenue officer have been suspended in connection with allegations of exerting pressure on a person to withdraw his PIL filed in the Allahabad High Court in a land dispute, a police official said on Saturday.

On the instructions of the High Court, Superintendent of Police Dr Kaustubh had investigated the case, they said.

Petitioner Gauri Shankar Saroj, a resident of Baragaon here, had filed a PIL regarding a land issue. The lekhpal and two constables allegedly exerted pressure on him to withdraw the petition. The petitioner appealed to the High Court on this matter, following which it ordered the SP to investigate.

Superintendent of Police Kaustubh said that SHO of Mungrabadshahpur police station Dilip Kumar Singh, sub-inspector Indradev Singh and two constables, Pankaj Maurya and Nitesh Kumar Gaur, were suspended late on Friday night.

Lekhpal Vijay Shankar was suspended by the Sub-divisional magistrate of Machhlishahr.

A case was registered against two police personnel, the lekhpal and the petitioner's opponent Shivgovind, who was allegedly involved with the police in this case, in Mungra Badshahpur police station under sections 61(1) (criminal conspiracy), 352(intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of BNS, Prevention of Corruption Act and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. This action has been taken on the instructions of the High Court, the police said.

Vishnukant Tiwari, the advocate of Gauri Shankar Saroj, in an affidavit submitted to the court on July 8 had said that Saroj was threatened by the lekhpal and two constables.

The constables took him some distance away on the pretext of taking him to the police station in a vehicle and left him after taking Rs 2,000.

On complaining to higher officials, the SHO Dilip Kumar Singh called the petitioner and put undue pressure on him, he alleged. PTI COR NAV RT

Coercion to withdraw public interest litigation prompts suspension and FIR under corruption, intimidation and atrocity provisions. Allegations that a lekhpal and two constables pressured a petitioner to withdraw a Public Interest Litigation led to an investigation ordered by the court. The SHO later allegedly exerted pressure on the petitioner. Four police personnel and the lekhpal were suspended, and a criminal case was registered against two police, the lekhpal and the opposing party invoking criminal conspiracy, intentional insult, criminal intimidation, Prevention of Corruption provisions and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) regime.