Chief secretaries as well as home secretaries of Punjab and Haryana governments were on Thursday issued notices by the Punjab and Haryana high court in a contempt of court petition alleging failure of both the governments in setting up of police complaints authorities (PCAs) in each district despite the high court directions.
The court headed by justice Mahesh Grover directed the officers of both the governments to file their replies before April 4 on the contentions raised in two separate petitions.
The court was informed by the petitioner that it was on September 18 last year that a division bench of the high court had directed both the states to set up the PCAs in every district within three months. But till date both the state governments had failed to comply with the high court directions.
As per the apex court's judgment in the case 'Prakash Singh and others vs Union of India and others', the state governments are bound to constitute PCAs at district as well as state levels and recommendations of PCAs for any action, departmental or criminal, against a delinquent police officer will be binding on the authorities concerned.
The petitioner also put before the court that he had sent legal notices to both the chief secretaries last month demanding compliance of the high court orders but only Punjab chief secretary Rakesh Singh responded through e-mail that he had called an urgent report from the home department and thereafter there was no reply from the Punjab government.
{{/usCountry}}The petitioner also put before the court that he had sent legal notices to both the chief secretaries last month demanding compliance of the high court orders but only Punjab chief secretary Rakesh Singh responded through e-mail that he had called an urgent report from the home department and thereafter there was no reply from the Punjab government.
{{/usCountry}}The petitioner has now sought action against both the chief secretaries as well as the home secretaries under the contempt of courts Act.