VIJAYAWADA: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the High Court alleging that the police are acting as ‘judges’ by parading arrested accused on roads and presenting them before print and electronic media, which is unconstitutional.
The petition was filed by Parasa Suresh Kumar, Krishna district president of the Society for Protection of Civil Property and Environmental Rights.
While presenting his arguments, he contended that in several cases, the police have been publicly parading accused persons after arrest and producing them before the media, in clear violation of constitutional rights.
In his petition, he stated that such practices go against the judgments of the SC as well as previous HC rulings.
Publicly parading accused and exposing them to the media amounts to a denial of fundamental rights guaranteed to citizens under the Constitution, he argued.
The petitioner urged the court to restrain the police from parading accused on public roads or producing them before the media, stating that it has increased recently and amounts to declaring them guilty. Determining guilt is judiciary’s prerogative, not the police, the petition said.
He noted that not every accused person is guilty and that public parading based on allegations causes irreparable harm to dignity and fundamental rights, and sought court orders to end the practice.