Setback for govt; High Court stays order to reorganise police associations

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has stayed the Kerala government's order to change the membership structure and reorganise police associations in the state. The court also restrained the ad hoc committee from functioning until further orders. Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas passed the interim order while considering a petition filed by the Kerala Police Association.

The court admitted the petition and issued notices to the state government, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department, and the State Police Chief. The court observed that the Home Department's order did not provide sufficient reasons for reorganising the police associations.

The government had dissolved the executive committees of the Kerala Police Officers' Association, the Kerala Police Association and the Kerala Senior Police Officers' Association. It had proposed reorganising the Kerala Police Association by including personnel from Civil Police Officer to Grade SI, and the Kerala Senior Police Officers' Association by including officers from SI to SP. The order also directed that new executive committees should be formed by September 30 and that ad hoc committees should function until then.

The petitioners argued that replacing democratically elected committees with ad hoc committees was against the rules. The High Court will hear the case again on August 6.

Blow for government: Govindan
Meanwhile, CPM state secretary M. V. Govindan said the High Court's order was a major blow for the UDF government. He alleged that transfers were being carried out through corruption in various departments and claimed that the reorganisation was aimed at bringing police associations under the control of the Congress.