Karnataka - Shimoga   

Police system needs reforms: judge

Special Correspondent

`Law will prevail only if police function in responsible manner'

SHIMOGA: N. Kumar, judge of the Karnataka High Court and administrative judge of Shimoga district, said here on Saturday that the Supreme Court should help in bringing in reforms to make police personnel function more meaningfully.

Inaugurating a workshop on "Legal Awareness" for police personnel organised by the District Legal Services Authority, District Police and the Shimoga Bar Association, he said it was time reforms were brought in the police system.

He said when the Supreme Court sent notices to States on the proposed police reforms, most of the governments did not accept them, which indicated that they were not in favour of reforms.

He said the Police Department should be an independent body if it was expected to protect laws without any fear or favour. Law and peace would prevail only if police personnel functioned in a responsible manner.

Mr. Kumar said the police system, which was the British legacy having a 200-year-old history, had not changed even after India becoming independent as it was continued as an institution to serve the interests of a particular section of society.

He said it was ironical that policemen who were expected to respect laws were not doing so as they seemed to be under the impression that they were excluded from the legal purview.

He attributed the discriminatory treatment by police personnel to lack of awareness among them of the fact that "all are equal before law". There was a need for them to introspect whether they had lived up to the people's expectations.

Mr. Kumar said, "Policemen should learn to respect people more than their representatives as they are supreme in a democratic system."

Inspector General of Police (Eastern Range) M.F. Pasha, president of the Shimoga Bar Association H.R. Somasekharappa, chairman of the District Legal Services Authority Vijay Siriyannavar, and judge of the II Fast Track Court Savithri Vinayak spoke.

Member-secretary of the authority Prabhavati Hiremath welcomed the gathering.

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