Illegal act of a Sub-Inspector of Police,Chettinadu

Police Department plays an important role in protecting the rights of fellow citizens and thus has our country’s legal system has provided special powers to the officers working under this department.  And it is, in fact, playing a crucial role in maintaining law and order in the country. However, due to the illegal activities of a few of its officers, the faith kept by the citizen on the Police is diminishing day by day.

Recently, a person working with a Public Sector Undertaking company has become a victim of an illegal and autocratic act of a Sub-Inspector of Police, Chettinadu Police Station in the state of Tamil Nadu. According to him, on 8.12.2017 at around 5:30 PM, he and his colleague have gone to check flats (for the purpose of purchasing) in the nearby area of Chettinadu Police Station. At that time, Mr.Chandran, the Sub-Inspector of Chettinad Police Station made an inquiry about their name and address and got their Aadhar Card and  Driving Licence. However, after getting the Driving License, the officer did not return the license but, took it away by stating that “get your license from the Police Station”, without giving any reason whatsoever. Upon asking at the Police Station, the official at the station told the person, that “Mr.Chandran is not in the Station”.

He was made to visit the Police Station more than 10 times. On 23.12.2017, one of the officers at the Police Station demanded Rs.1000/- as a bribe from the person in order to return the Driving License.

The affected person filed an online complaint on 26.12.2017 through Tamil Nadu Police Department’s website. However, for that, the Police Department without holding any inquiry and without contacting the complainant closed the complaint by denying the occurrence of such an incident.

This kind of act itself deems to be an autocratic act. How can one dispose of the complaint without summoning the parties to the complaint and conducting an inquiry with them? Instead of holding an inquiry, the police department acted against the principle of natural justice, thereby doing the greatest disservice to the person whose right to freedom (of movement) has been curtailed because of illegal appropriation of driving license from the said person. Now, for more than a month he is not able to drive a motorcycle because of this illegal act of the police officer. 

Now, the aggrieved person is about to file a complaint with the Superintendent of Police, Sivagangai (who is the supervising authority of Chettinadu Police Station ) about this incident. I hope appropriate action will be taken against the erring police official and the Driving License of the aggrieved person would be returned.