Notice to TN govt on PIL seeking implementing police reforms

: The Madras High Court on Thursday issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government on a PIL, seeking a direction to to implement provisions of the 'Tamil Nadu Police Reforms Act, 2013' by constituting the State Security Commission and police establishment board in the state and district levels within a time prescribed by the court.

The petitioner also wanted the government to take immediate steps to fill 791 vacancies in Chennai city police and other such vacancies across Tamil Nadu.

When the plea by Y Akbar Ahamedcame up before the division bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and N Seshasayee, the bench issued notice to the Home Secretary and posted the matter for further hearing to September 26.

The petitioner said that as per the reply he received to his RTI query, Chennai South Zone alone has about 428 unfilled posts in the department and over 791 in East and west zones.

"Non-filling of such vacancies would obviously pass the burden to the existing police strength, which would result in inefficient and unprofessional performance naturally affecting the public, who would be put to suffer at the hands of such over-burdened police personnel," Ahamed said.

In public interest,the government should act immediately and fill up the sanctioned strength in the department across the state so that the police force could function smoothly without any mental and physical pressure, he said.

The petitioner further cautioned that such high vacancies in the department would pose a serious threat to the law and order situation in cities like Chennai.

Therefore, he sought a direction to the state government to consider his August 8 representation on the matter.