CJI For Special Panels To Probe ‘Atrocities’
Chief Justice of India has mooted to form a Panel headed by High Court Chief Justice to probe any complaint received from Common man of “atrocities” committed by the bureaucracy, especially police officers
- Police have been in the spotlight for committing serious crimes:
- Gorakhpur (UP): The police officers in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh have been accused of causing the death of a businessman during a raid in a hotel.
- Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu): Nine policemen were involved in the custodial deaths of the father-son duo P. Jayaraj and J. Benicks for violating Covid19 Curfew in June last year.
- Agartala (Tripura): DM Shailesh Kumar Yadav was recorded on video physically manhandling citizens during the lockdown and was later suspended by the state government
- The politicization of Bureaucracy: CJI made the oral observation that Bureaucrats act with impunity with one government but have to “payback with interest” when there is a regime change
- ‘Targets of political vendetta’: Bureaucrats and especially Police officers find themselves being targeted by the new government.
- This impacts their efficiency, trust, and impartiality in the system.
- ADG of Police Gurjinder Pal Singh in Chhattisgarh had sought protection from arrest in Supreme Court in various criminal cases, including sedition, extortion, and criminal intimidation, arraigned against him by the current government.
