MADURAI
The Tamil Nadu government informed the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday that it was yet to constitute the Police Complaints Authority at State and district levels to hear complaints against police personnel. However, it said draft rules had been framed.
A Division Bench of Justices K.K. Sasidharan and P.D. Audikesavalu sought a response from the Home Secretary on the time required to form rules for the Authority in accordance with a 2007 Supreme Court direction.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation petition filed in 2013 by G. Alex Benziger of Chennai who sought a direction to constitute the Police Complaints Authority in the State.
As per the Supreme Court order, there should be a Police Complaints Authority at the district level to look into complaints against police officers up to the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police and at the State level to look into complaints against officers of the rank of Superintendent of Police and above. The State was bound to comply with the direction of the Supreme Court, the petitioner said.
The Supreme Court, apart from ordering constitution of the Authority, had directed State governments to create the State Security Commission and formulate guidelines for selection and fix minimum tenure of DGPs and IGs. It had also directed the States to form the Police Establishment Board to decide on transfers, postings and promotions, and separate investigation by law and order police for speedier disposal of complaints.