Unserved NBWs on Reddy : HC directs action on cops

Orders appointment of police for service of summons, warrants

  The order follows the submission of a report by Principal Secretary to Home Department, S M Jaamdar. The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice Ashok B Hinchigeri also directed the government to appoint police personnel to all the courts exclusively to serve summons and warrants.

G R Mohan had moved the court seeking directions to the Home Secretary and the Director General and Inspector General of Police for execution of the warrant against the former minister.

Damning report

Jaamdar, who appeared before the court, submitted that the police had failed to execute the warrant though Reddy was present in Bellary.

In his report, he has recommended criminal action against three policemen - C Suryanarayana, a constable; M Umesh, a police inspector, both attached to Toranagallu station; and H Ramakanth, CIP of Sandur police station.

‘Evasive’ replies

The reports term “evasive,” the statements of Additional Superintendent of Police Ashok Kurer and DySP H Y Turai during the inquiry. “Fresh charges will have to be served on them on the basis of the information gathered in this inquiry,” it says.

Describing the failure to execute warrants as a “collective failure,” the report points out that IGP (Eastern Range) H N Satyanarayana Rao and the then DG and IGP Ajai Kumar Singh “have not acted seriously and promptly in enforcing the non-bailable warrants.”
Each of the officers has tried to pass the buck to others as they were afraid of the consequences of enforcing the law against a powerful minister in the State Cabinet and turned deaf and blind to the judicial process, the report notes.

However, the Principal Secretary submitted in the court that he cannot initiate action against the police top brass, but can only act against lower rung staff directly under his purview.

The Bench later sought to know the fate of an earlier proposal to appoint police personnel to courts dealing with criminal cases for execution of summons and warrants.
Additional Advocate General K M Nataraj replied that the appointments would be made in a month.

The petitioner had stated that Reddy, despite being a minister, did not appear before the court though warrants were issued against him on nine occasions.