Supreme Court: Killing Civilian With Official Guns in Plain Clothes Not Official Duty, Cannot Claim Protection

The Supreme Court held that police officers who kill a civilian using official firearms while in plain clothes and not performing official duties cannot claim protection under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The court noted the 2015 Amritsar incident included nine plainclothes officers firing at a Hyundai i20, killing the driver, and later removing the number plate to conceal evidence. 

The Court clarified that such acts are not reasonably connected to official functions like maintaining public order or lawful arrest and fall outside the scope of police duty, so prior government sanction is not required to prosecute the officers.