Kohima HC dismisses IAS officer Reny Wilfred’s petition, allowing criminal proceedings over sexual and mental harassment allegations.
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DIMAPUR — The Kohima Bench of Gauhati High Court has dismissed a petition filed by IAS officer Reny Wilfred, who sought to quash criminal proceedings initiated against him over allegations of sexual and mental harassment of women employees at the Investment Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN).
In an order passed on Friday, Justice Mitali Thakuria held that there was “no procedural irregularity or illegality” in the actions of Nagaland State Commission for Women (NSCW) or police, and that the material on record disclosed a strong prima facie case warranting criminal prosecution.
It emphasised that the FIR was not registered solely on the basis of the NSCW complaint, but only after a preliminary inquiry found prima facie evidence of cognisable offences.
Wilfred, who was Joint Secretary at IDAN at the time of the alleged incidents, had challenged the NSCW’s complaint dated March 17, 2025, the FIR registered by the State Crime Police Station, and the chargesheet filed on June 30.
He argued that the NSCW exceeded its powers under the Nagaland State Commission for Women Act, 2006, and that no written complaint had been filed before an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) as required under the PoSH Act.
Also read: High Court reserves judgment in Reny Wilfred case after concluding hearing
The court rejected these arguments, noting that ten women employees had given statements before the NSCW and later to the police, describing unwelcome sexual advances, sexually coloured remarks and persistent misconduct by the officer.
It recorded that the victims were contractual staff working under the officer and that IDAN’s Internal Committee was constituted only on March 3, 2025, making it unavailable to them at the relevant time.
The court accepted the state’s submission that the NSCW acted within its statutory mandate under Sections 5 and 6 of the 2006 Act, which empower the commission to inquire into the status and conditions of women in workplaces and to summon persons and documents.
The charge sheet cites offences under Sections 74, 75(2), 79 and 238 of the BNS, 2023, as well as provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Statements recorded under Section 180 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) were also placed before the court.
On Wilfred’s reliance on the Supreme Court’s Bhajan Lal principles—which outline the limited circumstances in which courts may quash criminal proceedings at an early stage—the court held that none of those conditions were met in this case.
“But here in the instant case, it is seen that there is a strong prima facie case...to initiate a criminal proceeding against the accused petitioner,” the court observed, adding that the investigation had already resulted in a chargesheet with adequate supporting material.
Finding the matter “not at all a fit case for quashing” under Section 528 of the BNSS, 2023, the court dismissed the petition.