“People go to Ganga River to wash off their sins. But what happens if the river is polluted? Similarly, people go to the police station with confidence to seek security. But where can they go if unnatural deaths happen at the station?”
This was the observation made by a High Court division bench comprising chief justice D H Waghela and justice B V Nagarathna on Monday about custodial deaths.
The bench made this observation while hearing public interest litigations filed by advocate M K Vijaykumar about the increase in the number of rape and gang-rape cases seeking security for women in the state. “We cannot tolerate unnatural deaths during the custody of the accused. The police should end giving cruel punishment to the accused and instead, adopt scientific methods for investigation,” the bench added.
The bench suggested the government to set up a separate wing to deal with cases of rape and special crimes which would not be tasked with law and order responsibilities.
Police Transfer
Advocate General (AG) Ravi Varma Kumar, during the hearing of a petition which sought orders that all police transfers be based on directions of the Supreme Court in Prakash Singh case. The AG submitted that the apex court had already initiated a suo motu PIL over the issue and directed all state governments to submit a report on implementation of its directions in the Prakash Singh case. The government has also made an amendment and provided 10 per cent reservation for women in sub-inspector and constable posts, he informed the court.