PIL for withdrawal of SHO circular: HC notice to MHA, top cop

The Delhi High Court today issued notice to the Centre and the Delhi Police chief on a PIL seeking withdrawal of police circulars relating to "inhuman" working conditions of SHOs in the national capital.
Issuing notice to the Home Ministry and Commissioner of Police, a division bench of Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice Jayant Nath sought their responses by May 15.
The PIL, filed by advocate A K Biswas, states that as per the circulars, station house officers (SHOs) are not allowed to go home at all.
"If they do have to go home for some reason, they can go to their residence once a week at night but only if their seniors permit it," the petition also said.

Referring to the earlier circular, the petitioner said, "Both the circulars of August 30, 1995 and September 10, 2012 are not in conformity with the Delhi Police Act and Article 21 of the Constitution of India and are also not according to the general conscience of a human being.
"Petitioner writes to the respondents regarding both the circulars and demands the same be immediately withdrawn being inhuman. The respondents neither withdrew the circulars nor replied to the petitioner."

Seeking withdrawal of the circulars, the plea said, "The people of Delhi would suffer by way of degraded and inefficient policing.
"The institution of Delhi police will benefit by the orders prayed in this writ as their working will become more legal and efficient and which will in return give better legal policing to the people of the entire state."

Seeking better working conditions for police officers, the plea said, "Because of peculiar responsibilities of SHOs towards the people and society at large in their areas, their health and working conditions are major concerns.
"If their health or working conditions deteriorate then, they will not be able to deliver their best...