Hyderabad HC orders panel to take action on cops who don't register complaints

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court has directed the AP and TS governments to constitute a security commission and a police complaints authority at the state level for redressal of grievances of the public against the police. This had been directed by the Supreme Court more than a decade ago in the case of Prakash Singh, former DGP of Bihar.

Justice A Ramalinges-wara Rao was disposing of a batch of petitions challenging the action of the police officers in summoning them to their offices and illegally confining and indulging in physical and verbal abuse. The petitioners urged the court to direct the senior police officers to prosecute the erring officials. The judge directed the principal secretaries, home, of AP and TS to  constitute  co-opt the Member Secretary of the State Legal Services Authority of  the concerned states  as member of the  State  Security  Commission  and  the  secretary  of  the  District  Legal  Services Authority as a member of the Police Complaints Authority.

The judge said, “More  than  a  decade  has  passed  after  the  Supreme Court   issued   directions   and   there   is   an   urgent   need   to   create   a  mechanism  for  redressal  of  the  grievances  of  the  public  in  respect  of  police   actions”. The judge said that the   Security   Commission and   the   Police   Complaints Authority shall be constituted expeditiously  but not later than three months from the date of  receipt of the order. Following this, the  complaints  of  the  petitioners  should be  sent  to  the  State  Security  Commission  for  further  action.