24-Hour Courts, Revival Of Telegram System Must For Public Safety – RPC Chief Meda Srinivas

RAJAHMUNDRY – AP: Doruvu Paul Jagan Babu – Assistant Chief Editor: Demanding sweeping judicial and police reforms to save the justice system from collapse, Rashtriya Praja Congress (RPC) Founder President Meda Srinivas on Sunday called upon the government to make courts function 24 hours, create a separate special investigation police to prove crimes, set up an exclusive wing for online police complaints, constitute a special monitoring cell to check hired witnesses in courts, and immediately revive the abolished Telegram Department as a shield for human rights and victims.

He was addressing the party’s weekend meeting held at the RPC headquarters.

Courts need 500 years to clear pendency, litigants in agony

Meda Srinivas said expert estimates suggest that at the current pace it would take about 500 years to dispose of cases piled up for years in courts. Lack of time discipline, shortage of judges and staff, and chronic delays have left litigants in deep mental agony.

Law and order is going astray daily, he said, adding that governments must focus on full-fledged reforms. He demanded appointment of eligible new judges, fresh recruitment of staff, construction of new courts, and release of special funds for litigant and staff amenities – rest complexes, libraries and bathrooms. Special orders should be issued to keep the judiciary accessible to people 24 hours, he said.

The meeting was presided over by RPC Senior Secular Pendyala Kamaraju.

Investigation system has failed, 98% cases collapse

Stating that crime graph is rising by the day, Srinivas said the capacity of the regular police and even agencies like the CBI is inadequate to control and punish crimes. Once a case is transferred to CBI, its completion remains uncertain.

The performance of present investigation wings lacks ability to punish the guilty and 98% prosecution failure is the main reason for cases collapsing. Old, moth-eaten investigation methods are still followed and not a single case can be proved in court, he alleged.

Courts’ time is wasted on false cases, politically pressured cases and abuse of power for corrupt gains. Charge-sheets filed by police read longer than crime stories. In five trial cases running in a court, mediators and witnesses are often the same person, a suspicion that even judges rarely question. Virtually the entire trial runs at the nod of the court constable. In some situations, even the judge and lawyer remain mere spectators, he said.

In courts, both accused and victim have to wait equally. That police and government pleaders do not bother to protect even the witness is painful, he said, expressing anguish.

Online complaints eithout visiting police station

Meda said there should be no need to go to a police station to lodge a complaint. Citizens should be able to file complaints even at Mee Seva centres and get relief through online services.

Despite Supreme Court guidelines and orders, police are habituated to finding alternative routes favourable to them and indulging in abuse of power. No police station follows the rule of issuing immediate receipt for a complaint. Without officer’s permission, receipts are almost never given, he alleged.

To divert attention of senior officers, to hoodwink courts and cheat governments, official duties are performed perfunctorily, he said. In some police stations, records of incidents against police are burnt. The official order that records can be burnt once in 10 years as per rules is preserved carefully for years. Police training needs to be changed from the roots, he said.

Such unbridled powers are in some cases used by one section of police to destroy the life of another section. At present, police duties are implemented not as per law but as per leaders’ orders. With no alternative, citizens too are becoming slaves to such corrupt ways. Today, majority of criminals roam freely, innocents live in grip of fear and victims consider approaching a police station itself as another risk and suffer in despair. The day a victim gets immediate help at a police station, that day real police prestige will be celebrated in society, he said.

Abolished Telegram was poor man’s shield, revive it

There is no doubt that today’s governments are ruled by corruption and political rule patronises illegalities and terrifies common people, he said. Governments should be support and protection for victims. To some extent, the Telegram system provided relief and protection to victims, he noted.

Once rulers became slaves to corporate forces, the Central Government conspired to abolish the Telegram system to continue corporate loot, he alleged. Both Central and State governments should focus on restructuring the Telegram system to ensure social security, he demanded.

If governments themselves become a curse for common people’s lives, who is refuge for citizens? Judiciary is losing its independence day by day, police system is derailing, entire political rule is rotting, legislatures have become dens of economic crimes. At this juncture, Indian youth must shoulder the greater responsibility of wiping out the addresses of present corporate business political parties for safety of young men and women and future of coming generations, he said.

Wealth should be dedicated to nation and another freedom struggle movement must be taken up for establishment of poverty-free society as bounden duty of every Indian. We ourselves must lead the movement spirit like soldiers for our future, security and for development of our children, RPC president Meda Srinivas called upon.

Senior Seculars D.V. Ramanamurthy, Simma Durgarao, Dudde Suresh, MD. Hussain, Dudde Trinadh, Medicharla Srinivasa Rao, Karumuri Yugandhar, Karumuri Ratnakumari, Javvadi Mohan, Gudla Sai Durga Prasad, Basa Sonia, Vadapalli Jyothish, Valli Srinivasarao, Challa Sambasivarao, Lanka Veera Venkata Satyanarayana, Challa Vamsi, Jupati Gandhi, Adapa Devudu, Peyyila Sattibabu, Pitta Srinivas, Masa Subhadra, Masa Appayamma, Masa Lakshmi, Bodapati Nirmala, Pasupuleti Veeraraju, Masa Rajulamma, Pasupuleti Sushila, Gadi Chinababu and others participated.