M A I N   N E W S

Will act against top Tarn Taran policemen, Punjab tells SC
R Sedhuraman
Legal Correspondent

police brutality Punjab’s counsel Dushyant Dave said he had suggested the dismissal of the two constables who had beaten up the girl and suspension of the SHO and four other cops. He had also advised the state government to transfer the DM and the SSP. The state government had accepted his advice, he said. After hearing him and Attorney General GE Vahanvati, the Bench passed an order incorporating Dave’s statement that the government would take effective corrective measures

New Delhi, April 11
The Punjab Government today assured the Supreme Court that it would take action against top police officers of Tarn Taran district in connection brutal thrashing of a 22-year-old girl by policemen.

Senior counsel Dushyant Dave, appearing for Punjab, told a Bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and Kurian Joseph that the police brutality was “indefensible” and as such he had advised the state government to proceed against several policemen, including the Station House Officer (SHO).

Dave said he had suggested the dismissal of the two constables who had beaten up the girl and suspension of the SHO and four other cops. He had also advised the state government to transfer the District Magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police. The state government had accepted his advice, he said. After hearing him and Attorney General GE Vahanvati, the Bench passed an order incorporating Dave’s statement that the government would take effective corrective measures.

The Bench has initiated the PIL case after taking suo motu cognisance of the Tarn Taran incident and another similar development in Patna in which Bihar police lathi-charged teachers, including women, who were agitating outside the state Assembly seeking regularisation of their jobs. Subsequently, the court has enlarged the scope of the case to question all the states on the implementation of police reforms as suggested by the SC in a PIL case filed by former Uttar Pradesh police chief Prakash Singh.

In today’s order, the Bench directed all states and Union Territories to file status reports within a week on the constitution and functioning of state security commissions, comprising among others the Chief/Home Minister and the DGP of the concerned state to prevent undue political pressure on the functioning of the police. The SC had directed the states to set up such commissions on September 22, 2006.

During the arguments, the Bench agreed with Dave that “crowd mentality” also led the police to commit excesses. In this connection, he cited the recent developments in West Bengal. At the same time, corruption and caste considerations in police recruitments, long hours of duty and deployment of a large part of policemen for VVIP security leaving few personnel for taking care of law and order were also to be blamed for their unacceptable behaviour.