HC directive on Police Complaints Authority

Cuttack: Disposing of a PIL on the formation of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), Orissa High Court on Wednesday directed the petitioner to approach the state home secretary with a representation in this regard.

The home secretary in turn shall act upon the representation within 60 days, a division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice V Gopala Gowda and Justice B K Mishra said in its order.

Secretary of Nationalists Lawyers' Forum Nishikanta Mishra had filed the PIL last month stating that cases of police misconduct were mounting in Odisha and there was no independent accountable mechanism to address such blatant wrongdoings of the police personnel.

Mishra in his petition had maintained that the Supreme Court had in 2006 given guidelines to all the states to form PCAs at the district and state levels.

But the Odisha government had not bothered to do it, Mishra had alleged and urged the High Court to intervene.

As per the apex court guidelines, there shall be a PCA at the district level to look into complaints against police officers and up to the rank of DSP. The PCA at the state level would look into complaints against officers of the rank of SP and above.