Vijayawada: Government forms State Police Complaints Authority

Vijayawada : The state government on Wednesday constituted Police Complaints Authority (PCA) with headquarters located in Kanuru near Vijayawada. The Police Complaints Authority has been formed in compliance to the directions given by the Supreme Court of India in Prakash Singh case. The state government has appointed staff and provided necessary infrastructure and facilities for the functioning of the Authority, which receives complaints against the police from the people and do enquiry on allegations.

Justice J UmaDevi, former High Court judge, AP, is the chairperson of the PCA. The government has appointed three members in the PCA. Retired IPS officer Bathini Sreenivasulu, retired IAS officers B Udaya Lakshmi and K V V Gopal Rao. B Madhubabu will be administrative officer of the PCA.

The Supreme Court of India in its historical judgment in Prakash Singh in September 2006, directed all state governments and Central government to set up Police Complaints Authorities in all states.

The state Police Complaints Authority will accept complaints against police officers of additional superintendent of police and above cadre on allegations of ‘serious misconduct’ involving -death, grievous hurt or rape in police custody only.

District Police Complaints Authority take up allegations against police officers up to the rank of Deputy superintendents of police on allegations of serious misconduct involving death, grievous hurt or rape in police custody, extortion, land/house grabbing and serious abuse of authority by the police.

The authority will not take up vague, anonymous, pseudonymous, illegible, trivial or frivolous complaints; when the complaint is presented after one year from the alleged act and/or inaction. It will not inquire in civil disputes, etc., except against police officers indulging in house or land grabbing, etc.,

Cases relate to service matters or labour or industrial disputes, matters in sub-judice before a court or any tribunal, matter covered by a judicial verdict or decision of the tribunal or any other judicial or quasi-judicial authority, matter outside the purview of the authority will not be accepted.

The people may utilise the services of the Police Complaints Authorities in resolving their grievances in above mentioned cases, said Justice J Uma Devi, former High Court Judge and the newly appointed chairperson of the PCA. District Level Police Complaint Authorities are already functioning in the state.