The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Courts in block panchayats soon

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Tuesday, Feb 05, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Courts in block panchayats soon

Staff Reporter

If Centre’s proposal to establish 7,000 village courts becomes a reality: Kodiyeri

Photo: S . Mahinsha

KEY INITIATIVE: Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan at the launch of Family Police scheme as part of the government’s community policing initiative, in the city on Monday.

Thiruvananthapuram: Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said on Monday that 152 courts will be established at the block panchayat level in Kerala if the Central government’s proposal to establish over 7,000 village courts in the country becomes a reality.

Speaking at a function organised by the managers of Janamaithri Suraksha (the government’s community policing initiative), he said Kerala agreed with the proposal in principle. However, the scheme would bring a huge financial burden on the State government.

The Centre has said it would pay, for the first three years, 50 per cent of the cost for establishing and running village-level courts. The States would get no financial support after the initial three years. The Home Minister said the Central scheme would be implemented in the best possible manner after consultation with other State governments.

He said the proposal was aimed at reducing the huge backlog of un-settled cases and ensuring speedy justice for the common man. The Minister said the scheme also envisaged special programmes that would enable judicial officers to travel to far flung regions in their area of jurisdiction, hear complaints, settle disputes and give relief to aggrieved parties.

Mr. Kodiyeri said people are often forced to seek the intervention of the Home Minister even in cases that could easily be solved by the concerned Station House Officer. Only 10 per cent of the petitioners got their complaints redressed by the police. The situation has to change. Senior officers should review police functioning periodically, he said.

The State government’s community policing scheme envisages the appointment of a policeman as beat officer for 500 households. The beat officer will be responsible for collecting intelligence, recording the grievances of citizens, serving summons and executing warrants in his area of responsibility.

The government will constitute State, district and police station level committees (consisting of elected representatives, senior citizens and social workers) for helping the police function better with the cooperation of the people.

Beat officers will verify people of other region living in their area of jurisdiction.

The police will rope in the service of private security guards (employed by various organisations and individual households) for better coverage of urban areas, particularly at night. They will be trained to be the eyes and ears of the police.

The police will seek the help of students to check campus centred crimes such as drug peddling and substance abuse. It will train auto rickshaw, truck, bus and taxi drivers in safe driving practices.

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