HC grills govt on cop bodies

The Telangana High Court observed that the state government appeared to be delaying setting up of Police Complaints Authority (PCA) and State Security Commission (SSC).

These bodies are to be constituted as per guidelines framed by the Supreme Court in 2007 to take action against police personnel who abuse their power.

A division bench of Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A. Abhishek Reddy was hearing the suo motu contempt case against the Telangana State and Andhra Pradesh governments for not constituting the two bodies at the state and district levels.

Telangana state government special counsel A. Sanjeev Kumar informed the bench that the government had addressed a letter to High Court requesting it to recommend the name of a retired judge to act as chairman of the State Security Commission.

On this, the Chief Justice observed, “Without there being required rules and regulations framed pertaining to constitution of the State Security Commission and the Police Complaints Authority, how can the High Court recommend a name? Under what rules will the chairman perform his duties? This is nothing but delay tactics by the state government. This is gross negligence on part of officials in the Telangana state government.”

Saying so, the bench directed the state government to frame rules and regulations pertaining to the constitution of SSC and PCA by March 6.