Shivani Pandey-
The Kerala High Court issued notice to the State and sought its response regarding the appointment of a Chief Investigating Officer at the State Police Complaints Authority (PCA).
The PIL was filed by Jaffer Khan who was the Advisory Committee member of the Road Accident Forum for the State and a Human Rights protection activist he approached the Court aggrieved by the failure to appoint a non-police independent investigating officer, i.e., a Chief Investigating Officer at the State Police Complaints Authority (SPCA).
Advocate Praveen K Roy representing the petitioner in his plea alleged that there were several government notifications published for the recruitment of CIOs in the State and that they have not been implemented since 2016.
The plea also stated that Section 110 of Kerala Police Act 2011 also instructed the constitution of a Police Complaints Authority, comprising of State and District authorities respectively.
The main aim of these authorities was to make clear to the public that the doors of justice were open to them, despite the number of grave human rights violations reported through some officials.
On that ground, he alleged that the stand adopted by the government authorities in not taking positive steps for appointment of the CIO at SPCA is highly illegal, arbitrary and agents the law.
Unless the same is appointed, the smooth functioning of the State Police Complaints Authority was not possible.
The petitioner had prayed that there was a possibility that the matter will be delayed if directions were not issued by the Court. It was stated that without urgent interference, irreparable loss and injury will be caused to the public at large.
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