Hyderabad, May 2: A traffic policeman yesterday fined an Andhra Pradesh High Court judge for not wearing a seat belt in an act that won him applause from his boss but had the judiciary smelling a rat.

“I am glad that my officer had fined a person even as high as a high court judge for violating a traffic regulation,” director-general of police Swaranjit Sen said, reacting to the news that Justice L. Narasimha Reddy had been fined Rs 100. He was sitting on the front seat of his official car but had not put on the seat belt.

Sen said the incident showed how “duty conscious” the city traffic inspector was.

But members of the judiciary are looking at the incident as an act of revenge for the high court’s recent criticism of the police force for failing to trace a missing person.

On April 21, a high court bench had castigated the police as “licensed goondas”, prompting loud protests from the police associations. State home minister K. Jana Reddy had to step in to calm down the policemen.