If The Cell Rings, I Ain't Here

Taking the cue, Pandey’s estranged ias wife Nidhi went public with her husband’s persistent violent behaviour. There had been no action on the complaint she had filed with the police in April this year, she said. Nidhi had claimed that Pandey had demanded more dowry, that he often beat her up, had burnt her with cigarette butts, accused her of adultery and had even demanded that their one-month-old son undergo a paternity test. Nidhi got the backing of senior ias officers, who petitioned the Maharashtra DGP to take action. Though the police initially showed some reluctance to book one of their own, external pressure helped Nidhi’s case. The Social Service branch of the police summoned Pandey for interrogation. The ignominy was complete when he had to appear before a sessions judge while his lawyer argued for bail.

Anti-dowry activists believe the case could be used to further their cause. Pandey’s hopes now lie in an old decision where the Centre had kept in abeyance a suspension order of the state on the grounds that the officer belonged to the central cadre. "If that happens, we will raise it again. The Pandey case has to send out signals to civil society," said an IAS officer close to Nidhi.