Police Accountability in Tamil Nadu: A thread (Please read till the end)
Following the horrific custodial deaths in Toothkudi, accountability for the involved officers is of imminent concern. So what next?
Following the horrific custodial deaths in Toothkudi, accountability for the involved officers is of imminent concern. So what next?
The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has launched an investigation into this case whose next hearing has been adjourned to June 30. What we HAVE to do is follow this case as it progresses, and not lose steam over time. The conversation CANT end here
businessworld.in/article/Thooth…
businessworld.in/article/Thooth…
Alright, but what about the thousands of other police brutality cases that have happened and that are to come in the future? All of them might not receive the same media attention or treatment from the high court
That's where the Police Complaints Authority comes in.
That's where the Police Complaints Authority comes in.
The Model Police Bill (as a response to Prakash Singh and Ors. v. Union of India) required a State and District level Police Accountability Commission for every state.
bprd.nic.in/WriteReadData/…
bprd.nic.in/WriteReadData/…
Tamil Nadu passed a police reform act in 2013 which it only implemented in 2019, six whole years later. The Police Accountability Commission as required by the SC has to be headed by a retired High Court judge at state level and retired judicial officers at district level.
In TN's commission however, it is headed by the Sec of the Home Dept at state level and the Collector at the district level, AGAINST the SC ruling. To make matters worse, the state level commission also has the DGP and Additional DGP as members, both high ranking police officers.
You now have police officers who will be part of a commission responsible for investigating crimes AGAINST the same police department, making it a huge conflict of interest.
thehindu.com/news/cities/ch…
thehindu.com/news/cities/ch…
We HAVE to push for and pressurise our local elected representatives for an INDEPENDENT Police Accountability Commission that looks into brutality cases committed by police officers. Complaints can be filed by either the victim or in the case of their death, a close relative.
This doesn't end with Jayaraj and Bennicks, we have to ensure that such officers in the future WILL be held accountable
#JusticeForJayarajandBennicks
#JusticeForJayarajandBennicks
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