THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state police chief has warned police officials of disciplinary action if they post audio clips of senior officials on social media. The order was issued in the light of the audio clip of a conversation between a police officer attached to the Parassala police station and Tiara Rose Mary, then Judicial First Class Magistrate -1, Neyyattinkara, going viral on social media. The clip was posted on social media by the same police officer.
The act of the police officer invited the wrath of the High Court as the magistrate was heard using unsavoury language against the police officer during the conversation over mobile phone. The High Court had then noticed that the act of the police official in recording the conversation and posting the voice clip on social media had tarnished the image of the judiciary as a whole.
Following this, the Registrar (District Judiciary) requested the state police chief in June to take necessary action for issuing general directions to avert occurrence of such incidents in future. Taking note of the adverse remarks of the court in the episode, the state police chief directed all police officers/personnel to be more vigilant while using social media platforms and avoid occurrences of such incidents in future, which will tarnish the reputation of the judiciary before the public.
“It is hereby informed that henceforth any such act from the part of the police officer/personnel will be viewed seriously and will attract disciplinary action,” said the order. However, the order has not gone down well with a section of police officers in the force. A senior IPS officer said it is a fact that police personnel have been recording the calls of even senior officials to use them on different occasions, which is not a good practice.
A senior IPS officer in the force who was in charge of the investigation in the Hummer murder case in which controversial businessman, Mohammed Nisham, was convicted for murdering Chandrabose, a security guard at Sobha City in Thrissur, had recorded the audio clip of a senior police officer in the rank of an ADGP and made it public. Judicial officers should also apply the same rule during interactions between judiciary and police, an officer said.