State seeks nod to appoint judicial magistrates

More than a year after the high court restrained all politically-appointed special executive officers from conducting Test Identification Parades (TIPs) and recording dying declarations, the state government has sought approval for authorising special judicial or metropolitan magistrates for the job. Kanchan Chaudhari reports.

More than a year after the high court restrained all politically-appointed special executive officers from conducting Test Identification Parades (TIPs) and recording dying declarations, the state government has sought approval for authorising special judicial or metropolitan magistrates for the job.

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The state has stated in its plea they have already appointed 33 special metropolitan magistrates in the city and 7-8 special judicial magistrates in each district for conducting TIPs and recording dying declarations.

The state has moved the application seeking modification in the restraining order following a request from the high court registry that additional burden of recording dying declarations and conducting TIPs was causing lot of problems in the lower judiciary.

On March 26 last year, the high court had restrained the state government from allowing any SEO to conduct TIP or recording dying declaration. Instead the court had directed that until state makes arrangement, judicial magistrates or revenue officials, not below the rank of Nayab Tehsildar’s should to the job.