VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court issued notices to the Principal Secretary (Home), Director General of Police, AP Police Recruitment Board chairman and AP Public Service Commission chairman to file a counter on the Public Interest Litigation filed challenging the induction of Mahila Protection Secretaries of the ward and village volunteers as Mahila Police in the AP State Police department.
The State government had earlier issued GO 59 inducting the Mahila Protection Secretaries as Mahila Police and the same was challenged by an unemployed person, A Umamaheswara Rao, of Peda Waltair in Visakhapatnam district. The petitioner sought suspension of the GO.
Arguing on behalf of the petitioner, advocate Y Balaji said it was against the law to give police uniform and duties and responsibilities of the police to the Mahila Protection Secretaries who were appointed as Mahila Police. Balaji maintained that recruitment into the department should be done only through the AP Police Recruitment Board.
The bench of Chief Justice Prasanth Kumar Mishra and Justice A Venkata Seshasai questioned as to what was wrong in empowering women. The bench said the women were inducted as Mahila Police to serve the people. The bench served notices to the respondents and posted the matter for hearing on November 24.