KOCHI: Coming down heavily on the police for their use of disrespectful words such as ‘eda’, ‘edi’, ‘poda’ and ‘podi’ while addressing the public, the High Court has said police could not be guided by anger.
“That is all cinematic, not in real life. The police officer has to maintain his composure. The citizens respect the police not out of fear but out of respect for the law,” Justice Devan Ramachandran said.
He also directed state police chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb, who appeared online, to issue a new circular banning the use of prohibitory vocatives like ‘eda’ and ‘podi’ by cops.
The court made the observations while hearing a contempt of court case for violating its directives against the police’s use of abusive language towards the public. At the last hearing, the court was informed that the now-transferred Alathur SI had used abusive language against a lawyer when the latter arrived at the police station on behalf of his client.
“No citizen in this nation is lesser than the other. This is how the Constitution defines each of us,” the HC said. Hence, the state police chief should take steps to ensure officers behave in a sophisticated and refined manner towards the public.
Saheb informed the court that the SI had been transferred and warned. An inquiry was also initiated and action will be taken against him, if required, based on the probe report, he said, adding that steps were being taken to reform the department.
Saheb also submitted that an additional circular will be issued giving stern warning to all officers to ensure no abusive language is used against citizens.
Campus events: HC directive to produce protocol
The High Court on Thursday directed the state government to produce the protocol to be prepared for compliance during events organised on university and college campuses by the committee constituted by the secretary of the higher education department. The committee was constituted against the backdrop of a stampede at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) that claimed the lives of 3 students and a visitor during a concert organised in connection with a tech fest. “Such a gruesome incident cannot be allowed to happen in the future and this is the primary intent of this Court, for which the protocols, as now thought of by the Committee aforementioned, will be required to be placed on record on February 2,” said Justice Devan Ramachandran.