HYDERABAD: Vodela Venkat, the Station House Officer (SHO) of II Town Police Station in Karimnagar, on Friday appeared before a bench of the Telangana High Court and furnished a copy of the FIR filed on a rape complaint by the office subordinate who was terminated from service due to alleged suppression of educational qualifications.
The office subordinate later moved the high court, alleging that she was harassed by the son of a judicial officer and the SHO failed to promptly register the FIR, forcing her to wait from 11 am to 4 pm.
Following this, a bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti had ordered the presence of the SHO before it and explain the delay.
On Friday, the Chief Justice dispensed with the SHO’s further presence but demanded an explanation for the delay. The Chief Justice also addressed counsel for the petitioner, expressing concerns about the timing of the complaint post-termination.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the SHO’s attitude towards FIR registration and emphasising the importance of citizens’ access to justice, the Chief Justice directed the Additional Advocate General to ensure that the Director General of Police (DGP) organises a workshop to highlight the need for citizens to have free access to the police without fear and to stress the importance of promptly addressing grievances.