HC seeks status of district police complaint authority

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat high court on Wednesday sought to know the status of the district-level police complaint authority, during a hearing of its suo motu PIL over last month’s incident of policemen extorting Rs 60,000 from a couple who were returning from the airport. The bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha Mayee asked the state government to apprise it about the formation of the police complaint authority at the district level. This came after senior advocate Shalin Mehta, who is on the HC’s panel of lawyers, provided a list of suggestions. One of the suggestions was a helpline number linked to the state’s police complaint authority. As the present litigation involves an alleged crime by the policemen, keeping the police complaint authority in the loop is necessary. The senior member submitted that the police complaint authority was formed based on a Supreme Court order, and every state government was told to create such police complaint authorities at state and district levels. He submitted that such an authority exists at the state level. The chief justice inquired about its existence at the district level and the government lawyer promised to inform the court about the matter. The court adjourned the hearing on the case till Friday.The high court has initiated proceedings after two policemen and a traffic regulation brigade (TRB) volunteer allegedly extorted Rs 60,000 from a Bopal couple near the Ognaj toll plaza.

Rape and extortion complaint: Naam Tamilar Katchi chief coordinator Seeman appears before police

Naam Tamilar Katchi chief coordinator Seeman appeared before the Valasaravakkam police station in Chennai in response to a summons related to a rape and extortion complaint filed by actress Vijayalakshmi. Vijayalakshmi had initially filed the complaint but later submitted a letter to withdraw it, stating that she was not forced by anyone. Seeman claimed that he had not spoken to her since 2011. Seeman's car was stopped by police barricades as his supporters gathered outside the police station. He was questioned for several hours and then left.

Authorities told to preserve CCTV footage of Karkardooma court after security breach

A Delhi court has ordered the preservation of CCTV footage after alleged security breach by individuals posing as lawyers during a court hearing. The court directed the preservation of footage from cameras at the entry gate of Karkardooma court as well as near the courtroom of the concerned magistrate. The application for preserving the footage was made by an advocate who claimed that people posing as lawyers entered the courtroom and threatened the sister of the applicant. The court deemed the entry of these individuals without security checks as a threat to the court premises.