Chennai: The Madras High Court has directed the higher government and police officials to take effective steps to eradicate the practice of policemen collecting 'mamool'(bribe) and initiate criminal action against the erring personnel.
Justice S M Subramaniam gave the direction on June 21 while dismissing a writ petition from K Kumaradass, a policeman, who challenged the order of punishment of reduction in the time scale of pay by three stages for three years and the period of reduction in 2010 and subsequent penal proceedings. "The punishment cannot be said to be disproportionate or otherwise and the proved charges against the petitioner are corruption charges and this Court does not find any perversity and consequently, the writ petition fails and stands dismissed," the judge said.
"At the outset, many illegalities and irregularities are being committed by traders, encroachers, hawkers, etc., which all are causing the greatest nuisance and inconvenience to the public at large. The public is unable to use the footpaths freely and further, there is no control against these kinds of illegalities and the rights of the citizens are infringed. Many offenses are unnoticed or allowed at the behest of the police officials as they have no moral courage to control these miscreants and offenders as they are receiving mamool one way or the other. Therefore, receiving mamool, which is commonly noticed in the public domain at large, must be effectively controlled by the government, more specifically, by the Home Secretary and the DGP," the judge said.
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It is not as if the higher officials are unaware of these offenses. However, there is little attempt to minimize such crimes being committed. For instance, for receiving mamool, a corrupt activity, no criminal case has been registered against such police officials under the Prevention of Corruption Act, ordinarily. Mostly the departmental actions alone are initiated and on some occasions, certain minor punishments are imposed.
"Therefore, in all such cases, where receipt of mamool is traced out, criminal cases are to be registered against the police officials. Effective monitoring of these offenses is imminent and warranted," the judge added. (PTI)
