Southern States
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Kerala
SHRC to conduct surprise checks at police stations
By Our Staff Reporter
THRISSUR, DEC. 8. The member of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), Mr. T.K. Wilson, said here today that the Commission would conduct surprise inspections at police stations suo motu and on receipt of complaints of illegal detention.
Addressing a press conference, Mr. Wilson said the Supreme Court had promulgated 11 guidelines to be followed by the police while effecting arrest and directed the respective SHRCs to form a sub-committee to conduct inspections.
The SHRC members, Dr. S. Balaraman and Mr. Wilson would be members of this sub-committee. It would also have to send a report to the apex court regarding the inspections it conducted before December 31.
The Commission had sent certain proforma regarding the guidelines to Station Head Officers through the Director General of Police (DGP). The Commission could invoke even contempt of court provisions in this regard. This, however, would in no way affect the normal functioning of the police.
The Commission could intervene effectively in cases of human rights violation using these provisions. For example, an inmate of the Kannur jail had alleged that there were instances of police charging persons with whom they had personal enmity with possessing drugs and producing the drugs stored in their possessions as evidences. This matter came to the notice of the Commission when these guidelines were not known. But now the Commission could successfully intervene in such cases by conducting surprise inspections.
Expressing satisfaction with the Government for its cooperation, Mr. Wilson said the Government nevertheless should give explanations why it had not taken steps regarding certain recommendations of the Commission. "It ought to present some of the recommendations before the Assembly. If the Government fails to take any action, the sub-committee even has the right to file writ petitions before the High Court."
He said some of the reports demanded from officials, especially Revenue Divisional Officers (RDOs), by the Commission often got delayed.
The Commission, which came into existence in 1998, had received 1,655 cases in 1999 and settled 1,335 of them. In 2000, it received 3,602 cases and settled 2,218. The number of cases received till December 4 this year is 3,625 and the Commission had settled about 1,143 cases till September 30.
Replying to a question, Mr. Wilson said the Commission had so far received about 1,800 applications from NGOs working in the human rights field for recognition. It was studying the credentials of the applicants, he said.
The Commission would organise a one-day seminar on human rights-related issues at the Town Hall here on December 10. The Managing Director of the `Mathrubhumi' daily, Mr. M.P. Veerendrakumar, would inaugurate the seminar. There would be special sessions on `police and human rights', `women rights and its protection' and `media and human rights' at the seminar.
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