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The Madras High Court on Saturday recorded its appreciation for Special Sub-Inspector (SSI) of Police Uyikathan, a group of lawyers and others for having chased and caught one of the four armed assailants who had hacked a person to death within 50 feet from the main gate of Tirunelvei District Court premises on Friday.
Justices S.M. Subramaniam and C. Kumarappan directed the Tirunelveli Commissioner of Police to enter the court’s appreciation in the service records of the SSI and also award him necessary merit points as per the service rules. They also appreciated the lawyers and others who helped the SSI nab the accused.
Taking note of a complaint from a section of lawyers that 11 other police personnel deputed at the court gate had remained mute spectators to the crime and failed to prevent the murder, the judges directed the Commissioner to initiate departmental action against those who had failed to perform their duty.
The Division Bench expressed serious concern over complaints of policemen not being vigilant and remaining glued to their mobile phones even during duty hours. The judges said there was a strict ‘no mobile phone use policy’ in other uniformed services like Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Further, expressing concern over the murder having taken place close to the main gate of the district court complex when the victim had stepped out after meeting a lawyer, the judges said such incidents would send wrong signals to the witnesses in criminal cases and prove detrimental to the prosecution.
They directed the Home Secretary and the Director General of Police to provide adequate security to all court complexes across the State as an interim measure until the State government conducts a full-fledged security audit and arrives at the exact number of police personnel required for the job.
The Bench also called for a status report on the issue by January 7, 2025. The orders were passed after State Public Prosecutor Hasan Mohamed Jinnah apprised the court that the other assailants in the Tirunelveli murder were also apprehended on the same day following swift investigation.
Published – December 21, 2024 09:15 pm IST