NEW DELHI: The Allahabad High Court on Friday observed that police officers in Uttar Pradesh were mounting pressure on judges on a regular basis, particularly, chief judicial magistrates (CJMs), to pass specific orders of their liking.
In a terse message to the state authorities, a single judge bench of Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal told the state counsel that the court could not allow the state to become a police state. The judge made the observations while addressing Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Krishna and Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad during a hearing.
The officers had been asked to appear via video conference to explain the action being taken to curb the growing trend of Uttar Pradesh police shooting accused persons in their legs.
During the hearing, the court observed that police officers, especially, those new to the service, mount pressure on judges, particularly, in the trial court at the district level.
“Whenever a judicial officer or CJM asks the police authority as to why don’t they comply, then tussle starts between the Superintendent of Police (SP) and judicial officer. This has become a routine feature that the SP starts pressurising the judicial officer for a particular order,” the court said.
The judge further said that this trend of police high-handedness was not limited to any particular district.
“Once a judicial officer is sitting on the dais, he may be a junior division officer, but he is above all persons in front of him,” the court emphasised.
The judge stressed that there must be mutual respect between police authorities and the judicial officers.
‘Even junior judicial officer is supreme’
The Allahabad High Court bench said that a police officer should not consider himself superior to a judicial officer. “Once a judicial officer is sitting on the dais, he may be a junior division officer, but he is above all persons in front of him,” he noted.