IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA CWJC No.2336 of 2009 NAUSHAD IQBAL Versus THE STATE OF BIHAR & ORS ----------- 2. 18.2.2009 Heard Mr. Ganesh Prasad Singh, learned Senior counsel for the petitioner and the counsel for the State. The petitioner basically is aggrieved by an order of punishment as originally passed by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Eastern Range, Bhagalpur vide his order contained in Memo No. 846 dated 4.9.2007 (Annexure 8) and its affirmance by the Inspector General of Police, Bhagalpur Zone, Bhagalpur in appeal, as contained in a communication in Memo No. 950 dated 15.7.2008 (Annexure 11). Mr. Singh raises a short but very effective question. He submits that an appeal as per Bihar Police Manual would lie before the Inspector General of Police who is non-else but Director General cum Inspector General of Police and not the Zonal I.G.. For this purpose he would refer to a judgment of this Court in the case of Ram Anugrah Singh vs. State of Bihar & ors., reported in 1992(1) PLJR 502, wherein it has 2 Surendra/ been held that the Zonal I.G. is not the appellate authority against an order of punishment passed by the D.I.G., rather it is D.G. cum I.G., who is the appellate authority. Counsel for the State does not dispute this proposition in law but then he would submit that the petitioner may file a representation before the Director General of Police. In the opinion of this Court once an order passed by the Zonal I.G. is without jurisdiction, the appellate order must go and accordingly, the order, contained in Annexure 11, is hereby quashed. The Zonal Inspector General is hereby directed to send the records of appeal to the office of the Director General of Police who is expected to consider the appeal on merits and pass an appropriate order preferably within a period of six months from the date of receipt/ production of a copy of this order. This application stands disposed of to the aforementioned extent. (Mihir Kumar Jha,J.) 3